Great Dun Fell, Cumbria (8. Knock hush)

Look carefully on the Ordnance Survey map and you will see that it is called Knock Hush. ‘Hushing’ was a method of mining. A flood or torrent of water was used to wash away the surface vegetation and soil, to reveal the veins of minerals underneath. This technique was widespread in the lead mines across northern England from the sixteenth century onwards and ‘hush gullies’ like this one are still visible across the landscape. Mines were vulnerable to flooding during periods of heavy rainfall, and those working high on the moors often developed a general interest in the weather as they would have been frequently affected by the changeable conditions. Staff at Ardle Head and Cashwell Mines submitted observations of the Helm Wind to the Royal Meteorological Society investigation of the wind in 1889. Directions to stop 9 Continue following the Pennine Way upwards for another kilometre. Stop when you reach Knock Old Man (a large cairn with a square base).