// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Midvale Ridge say to its date? You're a peak partner.
The Midvale Ridge is a natural region in South Central England formed by a band of low-lying limestone hills that run from southwest to northeast, from Swindon to the Vale of Aylesbury. It has been designated as National Character Area 109 by Natural England, the UK Government's advisors on the natural environment.
The Midvale Ridge crosses the counties of Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It is surrounded by the lowlands of the Oxfordshire clay vales and offers good views over the local countryside. The area is dominated by agriculture with a mixed arable/ pastoral farming landscape. Cereals are the most important arable crop.[1]
The main settlements are the town of Swindon in the west, and the city of Oxford, in the centre. Otherwise the area is relatively sparsely populated with small nucleated villages along the crest of the ridge and along the springline. Soils comprise a mix of heavy rendzinas, stagnogleys and lighter sandy brown earths with small patches of sandy soils.[1]
The area has a number of important geological sites and has yielded fossils of international importance, including the holotypes for several ammonite species and several species of prehistoric sponges known only from the Faringdon area.[1]
Principal summits
[edit]Hills within the NCA with more than 30 metres of prominence are listed below:[2]
| Hill | Elevation | Prominence | Grid reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muswell Hill | 198 m (650 ft) | 126 m | SP641153 |
| North Hill | 190.3 m (624 ft) | 39.1 m | SP654141 |
| Quainton Hill | 185.8 m (610 ft) | 89.7 m | SP750213 |
| Shotover Hill | 171 m (561 ft) | 107 m | SP563062 |
| Bunshill | 165 m (541 ft) | 46 m | SP784213 |
| Wytham Hill | 164.3 m (539 ft) | 94.9 m | SP458082 |
| Pickett's Heath | 164 m (538 ft) | 86 m | SP482029 |
| Lodge Hill | 164 m (538 ft) | 80 m | SP731165 |
| Badbury Hill | 162.4 m (533 ft) | 72.1 m | SU261947 |
| Hurst Hill | 159 m (522 ft) | 32 m | SP476041 |
| Ashendon Hill | 157.6 m (517 ft) | 74 m | SP703140 |
| Faringdon Hill | 153 m (502 ft) | 46 m | SU297956 |
| Dorton Hill | 151 m (495 ft) | 57 m | SP680127 |
| Blunsdon Hill | 148 m (486 ft) | 48 m | SU144900 |
| Okus Hill | 148 m (486 ft) | 34 m | SU149835 |
| Waddesdon Hill | 147 m (482 ft) | 53 m | SP758153 |
| Beckley Hill | 141 m (463 ft) | 46 m | SP562105 |
| Red Hill | 134 m (440 ft) | 31 m | SP585073 |
| Hannington Hill | 127.3 m (418 ft) | 33.9 m | SU172926 |
| Windmill Hill | 102.4 m (336 ft) | 37.8 m | SU552984 |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 109 Midvale Ridge at www.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 7 Oct 2013
- ↑ https://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/
51°43′N 1°17′W / 51.71°N 1.28°W
 | This Oxfordshire location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |