Old Man of Mow

The Old Man of Mow at Mow Cop is said to resemble a giant man. It is a gritstone pillar which has been left after the surrounding stone has been quarried away.

In prehistoric times there awa a cairn that in its day would have been as prominent in the landscape as the more modern castle is today, standing on this high point overlooking the plain below.

It is believed that the cairn was a boundary marker, however over time the quarrying activity led to its disappearance.

The most probable reason why The Old Man of Mow was left is that it was as marker just as the cairn had been in its time.

The Old Man of Mow at some 65 feet in height on the outcrop which 1100 feet asl is certainly a very worthy successor for the prehistoric cairn.