Shutlingsloe

Shutlingsloe is a steep-sided hill near Wildboarclough in east Cheshire. It stands south of Macclesfield Forest on the edge of the Peak District National Park. The hill’s sharp profile and rocky summit rise above the surrounding landscape. Shining Tor, 559 metres high, is the highest peak in the historic county. Shutlingsloe itself reaches the third-highest point and forms the highest spot on the 200-mile Peak District Boundary Walk. Its name comes from the Old English ‘Scyttel’s hlaw’, meaning ‘Scyttel’s hill’. The hill’s slopes are made of Carboniferous mudstones and coarse sandstones called gritstones. These layers were laid down in an ancient delta system millions of years ago. The summit tor is formed from Chatsworth Grit, while the lower slopes consist of Roaches Grit. Several geological faults cut through the hill from northwest to southeast. The hill is sometimes called the ‘Matterhorn of Cheshire’ because of its dramatic shape. A circular walk leads up to the summit from Wildboarclough. The path passes through Macclesfield Forest before reaching the rocky tor. From the top, wide views stretch over Cheshire and the surrounding moors. The Peak District Boundary Walk crosses the summit, linking different parts of the national park. Fans of Alan Garner’s children’s novel The Weirdstone of Brisingamen will recognise the hill as Shuttlingslow in the story’s climax.