Gun is a hill at the southern end of the
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...
, overlooking the town of
Leek
The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek ( syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus ''Alli ...
in the
Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek, Staffordshire, Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on- ...
. The hill is mainly moorland with some small wooded areas. Neighbouring peaks to the east are
The Roaches
The Roaches (from the French ''les roches'' - the rocks) is a prominent rocky ridge above Leek and Tittesworth Reservoir in the Staffordshire Peak District of England. The ridge with its rock formations rises steeply to .
Along with Ramsha ...
, Hen Cloud and Ramshaw Rocks. It is a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
of the
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
The Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Staffordshire, England.
Organisation and activities
It is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts; each is a registered charity and is a member of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. ...
.
Description
The hill has height , and there is a
trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The nomenclature varies regionally: they a ...
at the summit. Having a
prominence
In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
of , it is a
Marilyn.
Gun has the
Summits on the Air
Summits On The Air (SOTA) is an amateur radio operating award program launched in Great Britain in 2002 by John Linford. The aim of SOTA is to encourage licensed amateur radio operators to operate temporarily from mountainous locations using any m ...
reference G/SP-013. The hill often features in the itinerary of the
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time.
The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...
cycle race.
Gun Moor
Gun Moor, area , is a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
of the
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
The Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Staffordshire, England.
Organisation and activities
It is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts; each is a registered charity and is a member of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. ...
. There is moorland, woodland and
blanket bog
Blanket bog or blanket mire, also known as featherbed bog, is an area of peatland, forming where there is a climate of high rainfall and a low level of evapotranspiration, allowing peat to develop not only in wet hollows but over large expanses o ...
. Uncommon species of bird such as
lesser redpoll
The lesser redpoll (''Acanthis cabaret'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. It is the smallest, brownest, and most streaked of the redpolls. It is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the common redpoll (''Acanthis ...
and
cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...
may be seen, and
bog asphodel
''Narthecium ossifragum'', commonly known as bog asphodel, Lancashire asphodel or bastard asphodel, is a species of flowering plant in the family Nartheciaceae. It is native to Western Europe, found on wet, boggy moorlands up to about in ele ...
flowers in the summer. There is a circular walk, over hilly terrain, that takes 1½ to 2½ hours.
![20210324 Gun hill summit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/20210324_Gun_hill_summit.jpg)
Gun Moor was purchased when it came to the market in 2019. The Trust was aware that the moor was important and that it did not carry any protection; in order to secure the site, it was purchased by the
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is a registered charity founded in England in 1961. It is one of the larger independent grant-making foundations based in the UK, funding organisations which aim to improve the quality of life for people and communit ...
, and the Trust agreed to buy the site within two years, at the original price. After donations from individuals and charitable trusts, this was achieved. Jeff Sim, Head of Nature Reserves and species recovery, said: "The habitat Gun Moor contains is what makes the Peak District Moors of international significance, so it is really important that the Trust was able to purchase and protect it."
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References
{{Peaks of the Peak District
Marilyns of England
Mountains and hills of the Peak District
Hills of Staffordshire
Nature reserves in Staffordshire
Forests and woodlands of Staffordshire
Moorlands of England
Climbs in cycle racing in the United Kingdom
Bogs of England