Crook Peak

Crook Peak (628ft) is not a notable ancient site, though it does have some ancient burial tumuli located on it. But it is a prominent hill on the Mendip scarp, and worth a climb. A great place for kite-flying.

It's very prominent from the M5 motorway, as it sweeps past the hill down onto the Somerset Levels toward Brent Knoll. It's prominent from the Levels, and noticeable because it is the only dramatic, up-standing peak of the otherwise relatively level Mendip escarpment. This will have been significant for ancient people by dint of its outline and visual dominance, even though it is not the highest point on the Mendips. It's the home and perch of a giant of old, a mountain-being with a stature greater than its height.

To get there, walk along the top of the Mendip scarp from Wavering Down or, from Glastonbury, drive to Axbridge, then Winscombe, then proceed along the lane toward Loxton, stopping at a pull-in on the left below Crook Peak, then follow the footpath up the hill. Take a snack, and once you've done the peak, walk along the scarp for a while - the views are dramatic and the landscape shapely.