Terrain first
A bare-earth height model provides the broad ridges, valleys, slopes and lee sides that shape the prepared response.
Interactive terrain study
How wind moves across Stanage Edge
Change the wind direction, orbit the terrain and compare where the terrain increases or reduces the modelled mean wind.
Low mean wind does not mean calm. Lee slopes can have strong gusts, turbulence and rotors. Not a site-suitability or free-flight tool.
Prepared from 4 m terrain derived from the Environment Agency terrain data. © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2022. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Crag labels are broad orientation points. Check live BMC access information.
Reading the map
Read the shape, not a route forecast
Stanage is a long escarpment rather than one uniform crag. A single forecast wind can meet High Neb, Plantation and Popular End at different angles, while the plateau and surrounding valleys alter the flow before it reaches the rock.
Blue areas show lower modelled mean wind, not a promise of calm conditions. Lee-side turbulence and rotors are not resolved. Yellow, orange and red show places where the terrain response accelerates the background wind. The arrows show the modelled local flow direction. Click the terrain for the relative mean-wind change and a 5 mph display band. These bands are not uncertainty intervals.
Eight directions
The underlying terrain response is prepared in 16 directional sectors. This public view presents the eight main compass directions so comparisons stay quick and readable.
Prepared locally
Wind dataset 20261005-wake5, published 5 October 2026. Continuous lee-wake propagation and downstream lateral mixing reduce repeated bands. Surface-tangent flow remains experimental; cliff separation and rotors are not resolved.
The heavier terrain calculation is run in advance. Your browser downloads prepared walker-height display sheets and 32 m flow-field samples, then renders the interactive view. Sampling detail is not a claim of wind accuracy.