Penhill ( high at the trig point, at Height of Hazely) is a prominent hill, south west of
Leyburn, in the
Pennines
The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of highland, uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "Vertebral column, backbone of England" because of its length and position, the ra ...
,
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, England. It forms a ridge that commands the southern side of
Wensleydale and the northern side of
Coverdale. Its concave shape was formed during the last ice age, when glaciers carved Wensleydale into a U-shape. The summit plateau has a
trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity.
The station is usually set up by a map ...
, small tarns on the peat moor, and, visible from the valley floor, a
beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...
at its eastern end, part of the large network built to warn of a Spanish invasion.
Penhill is accessed by
public footpaths from the village of
West Witton
West Witton is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Located in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales it lies on the A684 road, A684 (the main road between Leyburn and Hawes).
The civil parish also includes the ham ...
, by a bridleway from a minor road between West Witton and
Melmerby, or over
open access land from the south.
Although Penhill is not a very high hill, its position near the mouth of Wensleydale makes it visible from a considerable distance - from the
North York Moors
The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of Calluna, heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a national parks of England and Wales, National P ...
across the
Vale of York
The Vale of York is an area of flat land in the northeast of England. The vale is a major agricultural area and serves as the main north–south transport corridor for Northern England.
The Vale of York is a broad area of flat land in northe ...
, as well as from many points in the dale.
Like
Pendle Hill, Penhill is a
pleonastic
Pleonasm (; , ) is redundancy in linguistic expression, such as "black darkness", "burning fire", "the man he said", or "vibrating with motion". It is a manifestation of tautology by traditional rhetorical criteria. Pleonasm may also be used f ...
name consisting of
Brittonic (''penn'') and
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
(''hyll'') words for "hill". One local legend is that the hill was the home of the
Penhill Giant, who would steal sheep from the local flocks.
References
External links
*{{cite web, url=http://www.yorkshirelife.co.uk/out-about/walks/yorkshire_dales_walk_west_witton_1_3712931, publisher=Yorkshire Life, date=11 August 2014, title=Yorkshire Dales walk - West Witton
Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales
Wensleydale