Winter Hill (Lancashire, England)

Winter Hill is a hill on which the three boroughs of Chorley, Blackburn with Darwen and Bolton meet in North West England. It is located on Rivington Moor, Chorley and is 1,496 feet (456 m) high. Part of the West Pennine Moors, it is a popular walking area, and has been the site of mining activity, aeroplane disasters and a murder. Its prominent position made it the ideal site for the Winter Hill TV Mast, transmitting to a large part of North West England. There is also a number of other telecommunication masts and towers around the summit and side of the hill for mobile phones, Professional Mobile Radio users and emergency services. Lancashire Constabulary was the first to use the site for one of their base stations in 1950; they had to build the road and it is said to have been built by policemen. Paths to the summit lead from Belmont (in Blackburn with Darwen), Rivington (in Chorley), and Horwich and Blackrod (in Bolton). The summit can also be reached via a short walk from the top of a road pass 1+1⁄4 miles (2 km) west of Belmont. The hill is a prominent natural landmark on the skyline for the most of Chorley and further afield. Winter Hill's topographic prominence results in it being classified as a Marilyn. The trig point on its summit marks the highest point in Blackburn with Darwen whereas the highest point in Bolton is 440 yards (400 m) away on its south east slope at 1,467 feet (447 m) above sea level. It provides views over Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, including Manchester city centre, Salford, Werneth Low, Wigan and Bolton. In clear weather conditions, locations such as Blackpool Tower, the Dream in Sutton, St Helens, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Snaefell in the Isle of Man, the Cumbrian mountains, Snowdonia in North Wales, Liverpool, Southport, the Irish Sea, the Pennines and much of the North West of England, can be seen. On a clear day, views from the summit include four national parks: the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and Snowdonia.