Mow Cop

This prominent hill-top has been of spiritual and practical significance to man for thousands of years. The castle was built in 1754 by local stone masons John and Ralph Harding, for Randle Wilbraham of Rode Hall. The ruined curtain wall was never more than a picturesque folly to add effect to the eastern skyline as seen from Rode Hall 3 miles away. The tower was a summerhouse, originally two storeys high with a cone shaped roof which could be used as a beacon. A footpath leads northwards following the Millstone Grit ridge. It ascends to the summit of The Cloud. The trail descends to the Dane valley near Rushton to make a total distance of 9 miles.