The Cloud

The Cloud, also called Bosley Cloud, is a high hill on the border between Cheshire and Staffordshire, just west of the Peak District National Park. At 343 metres it is one of the tallest hills in the area. Its flat top is covered in heather and crowned by a trig point that gives wide views across Congleton, Biddulph, Macclesfield and the Greater Manchester skyline. To the north the River Dane curves around its lower slopes while the A523 road passes the village of Bosley on its eastern side. The hill forms the northern point of a triangle made by a broken ridge along the county border and hills stretching south through Biddulph Moor. The Cloud is recognised as one of the 95 Ethels hills of the Peak District, a list launched by the countryside charity CPRE in 2021. The upper slopes consist of coarse Chatsworth Grit, a thick Carboniferous sandstone, while the lower slopes are made of mudstone. Ice from successive ice ages shaped the hill by passing around its flanks. Several public footpaths cross the slopes and link to minor roads around its base. The Staffordshire Way and the Gritstone Trail both climb to the summit from Timbersbrook, heading on toward the Dane Valley. Visitors reach the summit plateau by following the shared path that rises from Timbersbrook. The trig point stands at the highest point, offering long views over surrounding towns and countryside. On the summer solstice a double sunset can still be seen from certain spots near Leek, where the sun sets behind The Cloud, briefly reappears over its steep northern slope, then sets again on the horizon. The phenomenon was first recorded in 1686 by Robert Plot in his book The Natural History of Stafford-shire. Though tree growth has blocked the view from its traditional churchyard site, the spectacle remains visible from Lowe Hill and Woodhouse Green on clear solstice evenings.