Axe Edge

Axe Edge Moor lies southwest of Buxton in the Peak District, a wide stretch of gritstone moorland rising to 551 metres. The land slopes gently down from the highest point to the Goyt Valley five kilometres away. Five rivers begin here: the Dove, Manifold, Dane, Wye and Goyt. The moor straddles three counties—Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire—whose boundaries meet at Three Shire Heads on the River Dane. The Cat and Fiddle Inn once stood on the moor as England’s second-highest public house before becoming a distillery after 2015. The Axe Edge itself sits near the source of the River Dove on the southeastern edge of the moor. Visitors walk across open heather and grassland where the rivers cut shallow channels. The gritstone rock shows layers of Namurian shale and sandstone underfoot. Paths lead from the moor to Three Shire Heads, where the three counties meet beside the Dane. The rivers flow away in different directions, feeding valleys that shape the surrounding landscape. The open sky and wide views make the moor a quiet place for walking and watching the weather move across the hills.