I've been to nearly all the hill top cairns around the upper Dove valley now, on some fool hardy mission to try and find some reason why so many cairns and burial caves are to be found in such close proximity.
Some hair brained scheme to figure out a macrocosm of the whole, and what have I discovered about this under valued part of the South Peak district, well, it's very pretty, that's a given, and all the cairns that cluster around the two well defined peaks of Parkhouse and Chrome hills, are all inter visible, from any one cairn or cave mouth at least two others are visible on a different hill somewhere. Not much of a bombshell is it ?
So it's pretty here, and all the occupants of the cairns wanted a view down onto the valley between the hills. Why ? who can say, not me.
The cairn on Hitter hill was ransacked/excavated in the 1840's and 4 rock cut graves and 4 cists were found, one wonders if such things were found at the Hatch a way cairn on the next hill over, they are much the same size and shape.
Finding out the exact burial circumstances of each of the participating cairns would undoubtedly shed light on the........ dare I say it .......mystery.
When I was on Parkhouse hill I could look over to Hitter hill and try as I might I couldn't see the cairn, but now I know what it is i'm looking for ive seen it on many of my photos, including two ive already put on here.
I cant really agree with Stubob about this cairn though, he says it's battered and not really worth the climb up, yes it isn't the most pristine example of the genre, and some leg work is involved in attaining the height, but ive gone much further afield for lesser cairns than this, it's still a meter high, some cairn material is visible on its western arc, and it's definitely facing the two prominent hills. But his descriptive word for the view is much the same as my own, only I would add John Cleese saying it in a French accent...oouutrageous !
The cairn on Hitter Hill is well battered and stands in an area of old mine workings.
It's probably not worth the steep climb up Hitter Hill from Glutton Bridge to see the cairn....But the views from the cairns top are outrageous...with the old coral reefs of Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill dominating the northern view and the pyramid hill of High Wheeldon (home of the Fox Hole Cave) in the south.
Jewitt and Lucas excavated/dug the cairn in the 1840's and discovered 4 rock cut graves and 4 cists....Two of these contained burials along with food vessels, flints and an axe hammer. (Finds J.Barnatt's & J. Collis' "Barrow Corpus")
Today, Glutton Bridge below Hitter Hill is also the best place to pick up the 'double sunset' behind Chrome Hill. This happens a few weeks either side of 21st June.
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