The Cloud (hill)
The Cloud | |
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Marilyn | |
Coordinates | 53°10′12″N 2°08′40″W / 53.17000°N 2.14444°W |
Geography | |
Location | Cheshire, Staffordshire, England |
Parent range | Peak District |
OS grid | SJ904636 |
Topo map | OS Landranger 118 |
The Cloud or Bosley Cloud
At 343 metres (1,125 ft) in height, it is one of the highest hills in the area. Its
The Cloud is at the northern apex of a triangle formed by the broken ridge which runs along the border between Cheshire and Staffordshire and the hills stretching south through Biddulph Moor into Staffordshire. To its north, the River Dane wraps around its lower slopes whilst the A523 road runs to its east through the village of Bosley in Southeast Cheshire.
Geology
The summit and upper slopes are formed from the coarse and pebbly Chatsworth Grit, a thick
Access
The summit and adjacent slopes of the hill are owned by the
Double sunset
The double sunset is a locally celebrated astro-geographical phenomenon, which was traditionally seen against The Cloud from the churchyard of Saint Edward the Confessor in Leek, in Staffordshire, on the summer solstice. In clear weather, the sun sets on the summit of the hill, partially reappears from The Cloud's steep northern slope and soon afterwards sets for a second and final time on the horizon. The occurrence was first recorded in writing in 1686 by Robert Plot in his book The Natural History Of Stafford-shire, and may well have been observed for centuries before then. The spectacle is no longer visible from its traditional observation point because of tree interference, but can still be witnessed on the summer solstice from Leek: from Lowe Hill, on the outskirts of the town, and from the road to Pickwood Hall, off Milltown Way. Better observation sites of the phenomenon are from the A523 above Rudyard Lake, and Woodhouse Green.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Bosley Cloud". cheshirenow.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ British Geological Survey 1:50,000 scale geological map sheet no 110 Macclesfield & accompanying memoir
- ^ Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale Explorer sheet no 268 Macclesfield, Wilmslow & Congleton