| The Blackdown Hills
(Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) extend broadly
from Wellington in the north to Honiton in the south, and from Cullompton
in the west to Chard in the east. It is formed primarily by an extensive and
thick outcrop of the largely non-calcareous Upper Greensand dating from
the Cretaceous period (135 to 70 million years ago). Below this are
impermeable rocks, and above, a thin layer of clay with flints and cherts.
View over the Balckdown Hills
Rising to 315 metres at Staple Hill, the Blackdowns are characterised by
a dramatic, steep, and largely wooded scarp slope facing north and a
gently sloping plateau to the south which is deeply dissected by the
valleys of the Rivers Culm, Yarty and Otter.
The geology and the presence
of spring water and impeded drainage has given rise to a notably diverse
pattern of plant communities, many of which can be seen at various
nature reserves managed by the Somerset Wildlife Trust.
There are a
number of important archaeological sites such as the great earthworks of
the Iron Age hillfort at Hembury to recently discovered evidence of Roman iron smelting.
The area is still sparsely populated - there are few
settlements and no towns in the AONB. The land is generally of low
agricultural value, restricting farming to mainly dairying and the rearing of
stock. A distinctive feature of the Blackdowns are the mature beech
hedges and avenues along many of the roads and tracks.
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