Penhill (526 metres (1,726 ft) high at the trig point, 553 metres (1,814 ft) at Height of Hazely) is a prominent hill, 5.5 miles (9 km) south west of Leyburn, in the Pennines, North Yorkshire, England.[1] 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, small tarns on the peat moor, and, visible from the valley floor, a beacon at its eastern end, part of the large network built to warn of a Spanish invasion.[2]
Penhill is accessed by public footpaths from the village of West Witton, 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 across the Vale of York, as well as from many points in the dale.
Like Pendle Hill, Penhill is a pleonastic name consisting of Brittonic (penn) and Old English (hyll) words for ‘hill’.[3] One local legend is that the hill was the home of the Penhill Giant, who would steal sheep from the local flocks.[4]
References
- ^ “History of Penhill, in Richmondshire and North Riding | Map and description”. A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ Reid, Mark (4 May 2017). “West Witton and Penhill” (PDF). The Northern Echo. p. 35. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- ^ Watts, Victor, ed. (2010). “Penhill”. The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-16855-7.
- ^ Dooks, Brian (24 August 2006). “Trail brings village tradition to life”. The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
External links
Media related to Penhill at Wikimedia Commons
- “Yorkshire Dales walk – West Witton”. Yorkshire Life. 11 August 2014.