Rising sharply from the quiet valleys of the River Dove and River Manifold, Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill form one of the most distinctive geological landscapes in the Peak District. Known locally as the Dragon's Back, these dramatic limestone fins are the fossilised remnants of a Carboniferous coral reef. The resulting terrain features narrow, knobbly ridges, sharp knolls, and knife-edge crests that offer exhilarating scrambling and sweeping White Peak views.
Chrome Hill & Parkhouse Hill
📍 PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK
Distance10.2 km
Duration03:00 hrs
Elev Gain+576 m
Elev Lost-604 m
Date
19 October 2013
Starting Point
Hollinsclough
Difficulty
Moderate
Pace / Gear
3.4 km/h — Light day pack
Highlights
Chrome Hill, Parkhouse Hill, Tor Rock
🗺️ Interactive Route MapPinch or use wheel to zoom
Nestled away in the southern part of the Peaks, for the most part, away from prying eyes, stand a remarkable pair of hills. Oddly, despite being in existence for millions of years, walkers have only been able to access them (legally) since the introduction of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act in the year 2000. It's a welcome introduction as these two small hills are much too good to be missed and provide one of the most striking scenes in the park. I am, of course, talking about Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill.
These two great fins of rock jut out of the ground like the sails of the Sydney Opera House and are the result of something we might not expect to find in the cold, bleak, autumnal United Kingdom. An ancient coral reef. An atoll, to be more precise, similar to those you can currently find in the Pacific. The ancient coral algae trapped the lime-mud sediments, creating large mounds which, after a bit of differential erosion, lead to the forms you can see today. Both hills are now a joint SSSI, thanks to their unique limestone flora and the large cumulation of fossils that can be found. These two really are not to be missed.
We started the walk in Hollinsclough, a small village sandwiched between the juvenile River Dove and the River manifold. Generally, there are a few parking spaces in a layby to the west of the village, though these were full by the time we arrived. Leaving the car on the road outside the primary school, we set off, picking up the path heading north-west beneath Hollinsclough Rake, the steep road that leads into the village from the west. Already, the going was difficult as the wet, muddy and uneven path made for a slow, careful plod.
The parking in Hollinsclough
Reaching Moorside, we continued to follow the path to the north, which eventually would spit us out at a crossing of the River Dove. Or so I thought. Following the very obvious path on the ground (which I think was made by the cows entering the pastures) was a mistake that led us parallel to the hill, rather than down it into the valley. Upon reaching the end of the 'path', we were confronted by an impassable fence. Luckily, after a bit of an annoying hunt around, we found that the fence led down the valley to the desired location. A combination of this navigational misdemeanour and the slippery path had put us at a slow pace and put me in a bad mood (according to the others!). Time for some food.
The path we followed in error
The River Dove
If there's one thing that will cheer me up, it is food. And also watching Sara's reaction to finding a spider in her bag is quite entertaining. For me at least.
She doesn't like spiders.
With spirits raised once again, we ploughed on, this time taking a path along the steep valley side and then heading north up to Brand End. Again, the path was difficult to follow in the first instance due to the growth of ferns on the valley side, but once out, it's easy enough to follow to the farm at Brand End. A word of note here though: according to our maps, the path heads through the yard of the farm to the south of the buildings, yet recent changes to the property have made this inaccessible now. Instead, the path continues to the west of the buildings and then follows the fence around the north side back to the track where we should have been.
The path continues along the River Dove
A track leads down to Brand End Farm
Hollins Hill can be seen in the distance
Another quick yomp across some open fields took us to Booth Farm, where we met the path that would eventually lead to the Access land surrounding Chrome and Parkhouse Hills. After rounding the top of Tor Rock, Chrome Hill finally came into view.
Public access to Chrome Hill was only made legal following the passage of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act in 2000, and today the fell is easily reached via a concessionary footpath leading directly into the designated Access Land. The route to the summit can be as straightforward or as adventurous as you choose, with multiple lines weaving up the limestone ridge. Unsurprisingly, I couldn't resist the urge to clamber over every single rocky knoll along the crest on our way to the top.
The first knoll tempts you into the first climb
Sara forges her own way up
Sara atop one of the outcrops with Hollins Hill for company
Standard 'selfie'
The final set of humps to the summit (topped by a small man in this instance)
The summit of Chrome Hill has a great sweeping view of the valleys of both the River Manifold and the River Dove. The highlight, though, is the sharp profile of its distinctive neighbour, Parkhouse Hill. Like its larger brother, Parkhouse Hill follows the same lines as Chrome Hill, albeit on a smaller, more compact scale. The sharp limestone ridge is even more evident as you descend Chrome Hill.
Sara follows the step-like path down towards Parkhouse Hill
The afternoon light was perfect at this moment
Parkhouse Hill
So, on to Parkhouse Hill, Chrome Hill's smaller, even more knife-edged neighbour. After following the path down to the road, once again you're given a choice of routes to get up to the top. We decided to head around to the right and climb a steep path that rounds a small tree and onto the ridge. From that point, it's a case of negotiating a series of limestone outcrops to find your way to the summit. Once again the views are excellent, especially looking back towards Chrome Hill.
Parkhouse Hill suddenly looks a lot larger from the base
Sara tackles the last little climb to the top
After a quick 15-minute climb, a breather on the summit
A look back along the knife-edge ridge to Chrome Hill
Once again, a brief gap in the clouds bathed the land in a warm, afternoon light, long enough to take a couple more snaps before we made our way down the ridge and back into the valley below.
Chrome Hill
Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill
The steep path down to the base
After reaching the bottom, the final stage of the walk required a brief mile or so yomp back along a track adjacent to the River Dove to Hollinsclough. A fine end to a fine day.
As you can see from the GPS track, there are shorter routes you can do to reach the two hills, namely climbing up the side of Hollins Hill instead of the route we chose. I had added the bit in to add some distance to the walk, but if I'm honest, it didn't really add any interest, and I'd probably miss it out next time. This is partly down to the generally uninteresting nature of the first part and partly due to it being completely overshadowed by the two magnificent hills. If you're planning a walk around this area, I'd highly recommend making your way straight to these two and having a good old nose around.
Absolutely brilliant. Got to try this at some point in the near future
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