Pontop Fell

About the Site

Pontop Fell is an area of heath and grassland, which grades into woodland near the Pontop Pike TV transmitter.

The heath contains plant species such as heather, bell heather, heath bedstraw and bilberry. Both species of heather come into flower in the early autumn and produce a great sweeping carpet of pinks and purples.

The grassland is made up of species such as common bent, mat-grass and wavy hair-grass. In the summer the delicate flower heads of bent and wavy hair-grass give the area a soft, purple-tinged appearance.
The conifer plantation near the Pontop Pike TV transmitter is dominated by Scot’s pine with the occasional silver birch tree, although remnants of the former heathland can be seen, with heather and bilberry.

Although the area to the north of the transmitter is degraded and heavily grazed by ponies, a number of grasses and gorse remain. Gorse produces bright yellow flowers for up to nine months of the year. If you think you can smell coconut in the air in late spring, it is not your imagination but flowers of the gorse.

Pontop Fell

Location

Pontop Fell is situated on the outskirts of Dipton. Take the A692 towards Leadgate and turn left onto the A693. Take the first left, at East Castle, and turn left again after about 0.5 km up a single track road. Pontop Fell can be found at the end of this road.
Grid reference: NZ 147529

Facilities

There are a number of recreational routes on this site.

Enquiries

Derwentside District Council
Planning Division
Civic Centre
Consett
DH8 5JA
Tel: 01207 218304
Email: k.fisher@derwentside.org.uk