Mapping Mountains – Trimble Surveys – Bleaklow Head

08.07.25  Cown Edge Rocks (SK 021 920) 

Cown Edge Rocks (SK 021 920)

Having visited Mount Famine (SK 056 849) and its adjacent peak of South Head (SK 061 845) we wanted a relatively quick and easy last ascent before an evening meal in Simmondley.  The summit of Cown Edge Rocks proved ideal with a high start from a lay-by on a minor road situated north-westward from the summit.

This was John Kirk country and we were reliant upon his directions and suggestions for where to park and the route up and down our last hill of the day.  The lay-by was busy with a few people watching the incoming planes on their descent toward Manchester airport.  These great sky giants slowly rumbled their way across the sky during the whole afternoon when we were in the Peak, with hardly a gap more than 10-15 minutes before another would appear. 

Mark starting the ascent of Cown Edge Rocks

A couple of minutes down road from where we parked and a public footpath sign indicated our way on to the hill.  For the majority of our ascent this was in a relatively wide grassed ditch with a slight bank on our right flanked by a wired fence and another fence on our left giving way to grazing pasture beyond. 

John heading up the enclosed ditch

As height was gained the land disappeared downward to our immediate east with land deposits below coursed from land slippage from above now all grassed over, giving small hills in their own right.  These were flanked from above by a series of rocks giving an attractive nature to the walk. 

The view to the immediate east on the ascent

As we gained height the land opened to grazing fields and we left the confines of the ditch and headed toward the summit of the hill.  Mark arrived first zeroing in to the high point with the aid of his hand-held GPS.  By the time I arrived he was standing atop a small rock in the open grazing field a few metres from a boundary fence, with heather on the other side.  I checked the grid co-ordinates produced by LIDAR analysis and the rock was about 10 metres from where LIDAR gives the summit.  However, this was in heather and LIDAR is prone to occasional difficulty mapping ground under heather and tussocks and therefore it was the rock where the Trimble was placed to gather summit data. 

Gathering data at the summit of Cown Edge Rocks

As the equipment beeped away gathering its individual datum points I levelled across from the top of the rock to the land where the heather was placed, a difficult procedure as I could not see solid ground, but the rock from this rudimentary levelling looked as good a place as any to declare the position of the summit of the hill.

Once five minutes of data were gathered and stored, I packed the equipment away and followed John and Mark down a confined route direct from the summit to the minor road below.  All that remained was the slow plod back up the road to where Mark’s car was parked.  It proved an excellent day out in extremely good company, with three hills bagged and the treat of two very enjoyable meals.  All that remained was the drive back home. 

 

Survey Result: 

 

Cown Edge Rocks 

Summit Height:  410.6m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)  

Summit Grid Reference:  SK 02143 92031 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)

Col Height:  325.7m (LIDAR)

Col Grid Reference:  SK 02325 90924 (LIDAR) 

Drop:  84.8m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

Dominance:  20.66% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and LIDAR col)

 

 

For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet