Did you know within the Quantocks AONB there are at least 34 named hills/peaks? Have you ‘bagged’ them all?
The highest of our peaks is Will’s Neck at 384m above sea level with by far the most dramatic prominence of 260m and the smallest of our hills is Kingston Beacon at only 199m. Five of our peaks have trig pillars – Will’s Neck, Beacon Hill, Merridge Hill, Broomfield Hill and Black Hill.
How many do you think you can you name? Do you know where they all are?
In order of elevation we have:
- Will’s Neck 384m
- Lydeard Hill 365m
- Bagborough Hill 360m
- Black Hill 358m
- Hurley Beacon 354m
- Thorncombe Hill 342m
- Great Hill 339m
- Fire Beacon 338m
- Dowsborough 337m
- Frog Hill 334m
- Halsway Hill 334m
- West Hill 332m
- Thorncombe Barrow 332m
- Cothelstone Hill 332m
- Marrow Hill 331m
- Robin Upright’s Hill 321m
- Longstone Hill 318m
- Beacon Hill 313m
- Higher Hare Knap 312m
- Bicknoller Post 308m
- Weacombe Hill 306m
- Hart Hill 303m
- Middle Hill 302m
- Merridge Hill 299m
- Round Hill 298m
- Broomfield Hill 292m
- Bicknoller Hill 288m
- West Hill 282m
- Stowbarrow Hill 278m
- Lower Hare Knap 259m
- Woodlands Hill 258m
- Wind Down 252m
- Gib Hill 239m
- Kingston Beacon 199m
Just to complicate things some names have disappeared from maps e.g. Somerton Hill appears on the 1840 Tithe maps but none since (although we still retain Somerton Combe), Great Hill appears as a name above the Hare Knaps in 1840 but on modern maps is the named peak between Marrow Hill and Fire Beacon; others have changed their names, like Dane’s Barrow to Dowsborough. Most of the hills referenced and their locations can be found on the Peak Visor website however even this omits the Hare Knaps (to be found above Holford between Holford Combe and Hodder’s Combe).
Whatever they may be called we are grateful for the many hills we have and the opportunity to explore them!