Pick up a map of the Malvern Hills and they appear insignificant; even the Ordnance Survey sheet at 1:50k displays the topography as cluttered and too condensed for significant detail. However, if you jump into the car and drive along the M5 Motorway, the genially serrated ridgeline completely dominates the scene. Geologically, the rocks are … Read more
The Mendip Hills form a pronounced upland plateau serving to distract the outdoor enthusiast driving though Somerset on the M5 motorway. A closer inspection reveals that, despite extending for some fifteen miles and rising above the one-thousand-foot contour in several places, on the whole the Mendips lack individual definition and are invaded by a profusion … Read more
Small in stature yet abounding with character, the eastern fringes of the Chiltern Ridge emerge from the woodlands that cloak the main body of the hills, forming a shapely swathe of open, chalky grassland. But how can a tiny compass of rolling downs command Worthy status when compared to the giant mountains of the north? … Read more
I would guess that few dedicated hillwalkers pay the Shropshire Hills much attention because Shropshire has no mountains, but it does have hills with mountainous attributes, and quite a fine selection there are too. The region also boasts a bewildering myriad official designations with blurred boundaries, which attest to the value of these hills, including … Read more
Hills don’t need to be mountains to provide walking pleasure and this exploration of the Wiltshire Downs is an excellent example. In my view the Pewsey Downs are probably the finest representative in the county (and arguably the country) to showcase the charm of the chalk downland amidst a quintessential English countryside setting. These hills … Read more