Minninglow

Minninglow, Chambered Tomb

In many ways, your investigations into the prehistoric Peak should begin at Minninglow. First because it is one of the oldest monuments and second because so many of the later Bronze Age monuments were built in its sight. Minninglow, with its modern stand of beech trees, has an uncanny knack of following you on the horizon wherever you go.

Two cairns lie within the plantation on top this hill. There is a massive Neolithic one with four distinct chambers all with very large capstones still in place and a smaller Bronze Age one, which has one stone-lined chamber. Both are very impressive.

Minninglow has the uncanny habit of seeming to follow you wherever you go in the Peak. I have been able to spot it many times on the horizon when visiting numerous other sites such as Barbrook I and Raven Tor. Whether this was intended by the builders of these later monuments, or whether it is simply the consequence of the now mature beech trees that have grown up at Minninglow making it prominent and easier to identify no one will ever know for sure. In truth though, if you took away those beech trees and chances are you wouldn’t know it was watching you from afar!

• Location: Aldwark CP
• Other names: Roystone Cairn
• Nearest Town: Matlock, 10km NW
• OS Explorer Map: OL24
• OS Grid: SK20945729
• GPS: 53° 06’ 44.3” N • 01° 41’ 18.8” W
• Altitude: 376m
• Difficulty: Easy