Duncliffe Hill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
At 210 metres, Duncliffe Hill is one of the highest hills in the Blackmore Vale region in the county of Dorset, England.
| Duncliffe Hill | |
|---|---|
Duncliffe Hill rising above the fog in the Blackmore Vale | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 210 m (690 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 96 m (315 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 51°00′08″N 2°14′57″W |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Blackmore Vale, Dorset, England |
| Parent range | Isolated hill |
| OS grid | ST826226 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 183, Explorer 129 |
Description
Duncliffe Hill rises from the surrounding lowland about 2 miles west of Shaftesbury in the Blackmore Vale and is visible miles away in Wiltshire and Somerset.[2] It is a gently conical hill with a double summit.[3] The slopes are covered by Duncliffe Wood on three sides, but are open to the north. The woods are managed by the Woodland Trust.[3] There are several trails through the woods, some leading to the summit where there is a trig point. The wood is a bird reserve. The A30 main road passes by the foot of the hill to the north.[4]
Geology
The geology of the hill is heavy Kimmeridge Clay, capped with a 5 to 6-metre thickness of Upper Greensand, a type of sandstone.[3] The greensand has weathered to buff, shelly, glauconitic, fine-grained sand and weakly cemented sandstone. The hill is ringed by extensive Upper Greensand landslips, which earlier led geologists to assign a greater thickness of greensand to the hill.[5] Many springs issue from the base of the greensand, particularly on the north side of the hill.[5]
