County top
A County top is the highest point of a county. A county top need not be in the heart of a county; many indeed are at the edges, where the county boundary runs over a ridge or watershed. A few are on the border of the county and may be the top of two counties.
The highest of them all is the magnificent Ben Nevis, the highest ground in the British Isles and consequently the county top of Inverness-shire, and the lowest Bush Ground in Huntingdonshire, a county not known for hills.
County tops of the United Kingdom
A top which is the highest point in two different counties has an asterisk; *
Yorkshire Riding Tops
| Riding | Hill | Height (ft) | Height (m) | Grid reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Riding | Bishop Wilton Wold | 807 | 246 | SE8218257026 |
| North Riding | Mickle Fell | 2,585 | 788 | NY8058224534 |
| West Riding | Whernside | 2,415 | 736 | SD7385081415 |
County tops of the Republic of Ireland
In the Irish Republic, nine Counties share a highest point with another county, whether a British or Irish county, and these are marked with an asterisk; *
| County | Hill | Height (ft) | Height (m) | Grid reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | Mount Leinster* | 2,612 | 796 | [ S844528] |
| Cavan | Cuilcagh* | 2,182 | 665 | [ H123280] |
| Clare | Moylussa | 1,745 | 532 | [ R64837593] |
| Cork | Knockboy | 2,316 | 706 | [ W00486206] |
| Donegal | Errigal | 2,464 | 751 | [ B92832078] |
| Dublin | Kippure | 2,484 | 757 | [ O11581546] |
| Galway | Benbaun | 2,392 | 729 | [ L78565390] |
| Leitrim | Truskmore Cairn | 2,070 | 631 | [ G759473] |
| Louth | Slieve Foy | 1,932 | 589 | [ J16901193] |
| Kerry | Carrauntoohil | 3,406 | 1,038 | [ V80368442] |
| Kildare | Cupidstown Hill | 1,243 | 379 | [ O00572060] |
| Kilkenny | Brandon Hill | 1,690 | 515 | [ Q460116] |
| Laois | Arderin* | 1,729 | 527 | [ S23259890] |
| Limerick | Galtymore* | 3,015 | 919 | [ R87852379] |
| Longford | Corn Hill | 912 | 278 | [ N187841] |
| Mayo | Mweelrea | 2,671 | 814 | [ L789668] |
| Meath | Carnbane East | 915 | 279 | [ N585775] |
| Monaghan | Slieve Beagh East Top | 1,224 | 373 | [ H532435] |
| Offaly | Arderin* | 1,729 | 527 | [ S23259890] |
| Roscommon | Corrie Mountain SE Top | 1,385 | 422 | [ G901202] |
| Sligo | Truskmore | 2,123 | 647 | [ G759473] |
| Tipperary | Galtymore* | 3,015 | 919 | [ R87852379] |
| Waterford | Knockmealdown | 2,605 | 794 | [ S058084] |
| Westmeath | Mullaghmeen | 856 | 261 | [ N469793] |
| Wexford | Mount Leinster* | 2,612 | 796 | [ S844528] |
| Wicklow | Lugnaquilla | 3,035 | 925 | [ T032917] |
Territory tops
The following lists the highest point in each of the British overseas territories and Crown dependencies.
| Territory | Hill (& island) | Height (ft) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia | unnamed | x | 34°42′20″N 32°50′18″E (best estimate) |
| Anguilla | Crocus Hill | 213 | 18°12′43″N 63°04′14″W |
| Bermuda | Town Hill | 249 | 32°19′N 64°44′W |
| British Antarctic Territory | Mount Jackson (Antarctic peninsula) |
10446 | 71°23′S 63°22′W |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | (unnamed) |
49 | 7°18′S 72°24′E |
| British Virgin Islands | Mount Sage |
1709 | 18°24′0″N 64°39′0″W |
| Cayman Islands | The Bluff, limestone outcrop |
141 | 19°44′07″N 79°44′09″W |
| Falkland Islands | Mount Usborne |
2313 | 51°41′50″S 58°50′04″W |
| Gibraltar | O'Hara's Battery | 1398 | 36°07'42"N 5°20'39" |
| Guernsey, Bailiwick of | Le Moulin |
375 | 49°26′09″N 2°21′39″W |
| Isle of Man | Snaefell | 2034 | SC397881 |
| Jersey, Bailiwick of | Les Platons |
469 | 49°14′52″N 2°06′18″W |
| Montserrat | Chances Peak | 3002 | 16°42′40″N 62°10′38″W |
| Pitcairn Islands | Pawala Valley Ridge Pitcairn |
1138 | 25°4′0″S 130°7′0″W |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
Mount Paget |
9629 | 54°26′S 36°33′W |
| St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha |
Queen Mary's Peak |
6765 | 37°05′30″S 12°17′00″W |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Flamingo Hill[4] |
157 | 21°43’0"N, 71°33’0"W |
Outside links
- County Descriptions - The Historic Counties Trust
- Hill Bagging - Historic County Tops
- Hill Bagging – English Counties; The Mountains of England and Wales, Simon Edwardes
Footnotes and references
- ↑ Lancashire's county top is believed to be the Old Man of Coniston but a claim is also made for nearby Swirl How, which is a few feet lower or higher, depending on exact measurement and perhaps on whether the cairn at the summit of the Old Man is included.
- ↑ The very top of Ebrington Hill is in Gloucestershire; Warwickshire's highest point is at the county border some yards to the SE
- ↑ West Lothian: possibly The Knock at 1,023 feet
- ↑ B Naqqi Manco: The Hills Are Alive - The Times of the Islands, Winter 2011/2012