Blackdown Hills

The Blackdown Hills rise along the Somerset–Devon border as a broad plateau of hard chert and Upper Greensand, cut by deep river valleys. The land is mostly dairy pasture with scattered villages such as Buckland St Mary and Hemyock. Ancient tracks cross the hills, while the M5 motorway skirts their edges. The hills became an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991 and are now designated National Landscapes. Sixteen Sites of Special Scientific Interest protect rare habitats that support barn owls, nightjars and many butterfly species. Iron Age hill forts, Norman castles and Second World War airfields mark the long history of settlement here. Visitors walk the gentle southern slopes or climb Staple Hill for wide views across Somerset. The River Culm winds through Hemyock and Culmstock, while the Otter flows south to the sea. Heathland clearings like Quants attract Duke of Burgundy butterflies, and churchyards hold medieval stonework from Dunkeswell Abbey.