Blackdown Hills

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.

Few people seem to know about the Blackdown Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1991, on the Somerset / Devon border. Walking across these beautiful hills or even driving across them, it’s hard to believe we’re in the 21st century. Parts are heavily wooded, the rest a patchwork of fields. Ancient farmhouses are dotted about between ancient villages. You can imagine what a pleasure it is to walk, cycle or ride across these hills.

Next time you’re motoring south down the M5, watch for the tall stone monument atop the hills, the western flank of the Blackdown Hills, to your left. That’s Wellington Monument, built to honour the Duke of Wellington after he’d defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.

There’s plenty of historical interest too. Dunkeswell airfield on top of the Blackdowns was the only US Navy airbase in the UK during World War II. It’s now a private airfield used by flying enthusiasts and sky divers.

Now a series of earthen ramparts, Castle Neroche was once an iron age hill fort and later a simple Norman motte and bailey castle. The other fortification in the Blackdown Hills is Hembury hill fort, a prehistoric fort later occupied by the Romans and now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
 

Contributed by: Bob Jones