The parish is located at the northwestern entrance to Cliviger Gorge, which extends southeast to the (now) West Yorkshire town of Todmorden. It is regarded as a remarkable example of a glacial valley that follows a fault line cutting through the South Pennine Moors. The highest point in the parish is Hoof Stones Height on Stiperden Moor to the northeast, at above sea level (on the county boundary). To the west are Heald Moor and Deerplay Moor, attaining at Thieveley Pike. There is a legend that a spectral huntsman and his hounds appear in the gorge every Halloween. A hair-raising account of a journey through the gorge on horseback is made in Harrison Ainsworth's classic novel of magic and witchcraft, "Mist over Pendle".