Ward's Stone is the highest hill in the

Forest of Bowland The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells and formerly the Chase of Bowland, is an area of gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England, with a small part in North Yorkshire (however ro ...

, England. Its flat top hides two

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 station is usually set up by a map ...

s nearly a kilometre apart. The western trig point sits atop of large rocks, including one, the Ward's Stone, that is so large it attracts boulderers and climbers. The path from Grit Fell is difficult: crossing Cabin Flat, it weaves its way across hidden pools of stagnant water, the presence of which is betrayed by a form of red grass. White markers supposedly point out the way, but more often result in leading the walker astray. The second trig points faces the empty vastness of the eastern

, with the summits of Wolfhole Crag, White Hill and the distant

Ingleborough Ingleborough () is the List of peaks in the Yorkshire Dales, second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks (the other two being Whernside and Pen-y-ghent), and is frequently climbed as part of ...

breaking the horizon. A second path approaches Ward's Stone from Tarnbrook, where limited parking is available. On the southern slope of this hill are Thorn Crag, Hell Crag and Long Crag, rocky outcroppings that are popular with climbers. Within Thorn Crag, a shallow cave system exists that leads to Hell Crag; this route was first traversed by Lancaster University Mountaineering Club.

References

External links

* Computer generated summit panorama
Ward's Stone
{{City of Lancaster geography Marilyns of England Hills of the Forest of Bowland Mountains and hills of Lancashire Geography of the City of Lancaster