Peak Experience

Picture of Castle Naze  Picture of Castle Naze

 

High on open moorland to the south of Chapel-en-le-Frith stands a lonely sentinel.  Castle Naze hillfort looks out across the valley.  A once-mighty wall and ditch appear to protect the northern promontory of Combs Moss.  But what were they built to defend?

 

Castle Naze is 3 km south of Chapel-en-le-Frith.  It is on open access land only 200 metres from a road.  But it is a very steep climb up, only suitable for fit people.

 

Everything about Castle Naze is impressive.

 

It is located on the northern end of Combs Moss at nearly 450 metres above sea level.  Steep slopes drop over 100 metres down to the north and west.

 

Someone, at some stage, built large boundaries to cut off the promontory from the rest of the moor.  The inner wall was the earliest.  It may originally have stood over 3 metres high and up to 10 metres wide at the base.  A 17-metre-wide ditch and stone-faced bank were added later outside the wall.  The bank survives up to twice head height.  These impressive structures are nearly 168 metres long and enclose an area of almost 1 hectare (over 2 acres).

 

Whoever built Castle Naze went to a lot of trouble – but no one is quite sure when it was built or why.  It looks like an Iron Age hillfort, which would make it at least 2,000 years old.  These were often defended settlements. Similar sites in the Peak District have rarely been dated.  Those that have, such as Mam Tor, are about 3,000 years old.  Some may have been settlements, while others more likely hosted ceremonial gatherings.

 

The only dating evidence for Castle Naze is some 2,000-year-old Roman pottery found inside the wall.  This may have been lost by native farmers living here or by Roman soldiers using the place as a watchtower.

 

It is difficult for us today to think of anyone living at such a high altitude.  But then, we are used to more home comforts than people living 2,000 years ago or more.

 

Archaeologists argue over where the original entrance was.  Some think it was between the north end of the boundaries and the sheer precipice below.  They claim a break in the middle of the earthworks looks too recent to be original.  Others point out how the northern gap connects with a medieval packhorse route that climbs the edge.  They believe the central entrance was original. This is yet another mystery of Castle Naze.

 

The historic market town of Chapel-en-le-Frith is just to the north of Castle Naze.  Its origins go back at least to the Norman Conquest when Chapel was an administrative centre for the Royal Forest of the Peak.  Many historic buildings survive, most arranged around the cobbled market square with its stocks and medieval cross.  The Church of St Thomas Becket (dating from 1200s AD) was the location of a gruesome event during the Civil War when 1,500 Scottish soldiers were imprisoned and starved to death.  You can take the Old Town Trail around this historic centre.

 

If you are interested in industrial heritage, the Peak Forest Tramway Trail follows the line of a horse-drawn tramway between Chapel and the canal port at Bugsworth Basin, dating from the 1700s.  The town also hosts one of Derbyshire’s largest well dressings, a lively May Day and a traditional summer carnival.

 

Climb onto breathtaking Combs Moss with Castle Naze hill (hosted by Moors for the Future - external link).  

 

Public transport information for all locations can be found by calling Traveline on 0871 200 2233.

A variety of footpaths climb up to Castle Naze from Chapel-en-le-Frith rail station, on the Manchester to Buxton line.  Visit the National Rail website or call 08457 484950 for your train times.