Penistone ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 10,101 at the 2001 census. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies west of the town of Barnsley, north-east of Glossop, north-west of Sheffield, the nearest city and east of Manchester in the foothills of the Pennines. The highest point in the surrounding area is at Hartcliffe Tower at 1,194 ft (364 m) above sea level, which has views over the Woodhead bypass and the Dark Peak. The surrounding countryside is predominantly rural with farming on rich well-watered soil on mainly gentle slopes rising to the bleak moorland to the west of the town centre. Dry stone walls, small hamlets and farms surrounded by fields and livestock are synonymous with the area. The area is known for its rugged breed of sheep, the Whitefaced Woodland.