Hail Storm Hill, also known as Cowpe Moss, is the highest point of the

Rossendale Valley The Rossendale Valley is in the Rossendale area of Lancashire, England, between the West Pennine Moors and the main range of the Pennines. The area includes the steep-sided valleys of the River Irwell and its tributaries (between Rawtenstall ...

, England, an area of moorland and

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

country situated between the

West Pennine Moors The West Pennine Moors is an area of the Pennines covering approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main ...

and the

South Pennines The South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. In the west it includes the Rossendale Valley and the West Pennine Moors. It is bounded by the Greater Manchester ...

. It is wholly within

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, although the administrative county boundary with the

Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Rochdale, The borough covers other outlying towns and villages with a population of 206,500 at the ...

passes just a kilometre to the south-east of the summit.

Scout Moor Wind Farm Scout Moor Wind Farm is the second largest onshore wind farm in England. The wind farm, which was built for Peel Wind Power Ltd, produces electricity from 26 Nordex N80 wind turbines. It has a total nameplate capacity of 65 MW of ele ...

now spans Hail Storm Hill. The Forest of Rossendale also contains the Marilyn of Freeholds Top and the summit of Great Hameldon.

Ascents

The shortest route to the summit is from the village of

Cowpe Cowpe is a hamlet in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It lies in the South Pennines, north of Scout Moor Wind Farm, by the Pennine Bridleway. Rawtenstall is to the west, Bacup to the east and Waterfoot to the north. Directly south over Brandwo ...

just to the north, a journey of just over two miles (3 km) there and back that involves about of climb. Another option is from the road summit of the A680 at Turf Moor to the south-west, long with of climb. The hill can also be climbed from

Rawtenstall Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles/24 km north of Manchester, 22 miles/35 km east of Preston and 45 miles/70 km south east of the county town of Lancaster. The town is at the ...

to the north-west. The hill is crossed by three long-distance footpaths: the

Pennine Bridleway The Pennine Bridleway is a National Trail in Northern England. It runs roughly parallel with the Pennine Way but provides access for horse riders and cyclists as well as walkers. The trail is around long, extending from Derbyshire to Cumbria ...

passes just to the north of the summit, the Rossendale Way goes over the western shoulder and the Rochdale Way passes over Knowl Moor two miles (3 km) to the south.

References

Mountains and hills of Lancashire Marilyns of England Geography of the Borough of Rossendale {{Lancashire-geo-stub