Portal:Somerset/Selected article/1

Upland scrub on the Quantock Hills

The Quantock Hills are a range of hills west of Bridgwater. The highest point on the Quantocks is Wills Neck, at 1,261 feet (384 m). The hills are officially designated as the Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The hills run from the Vale of Taunton Deane in the south, for about 15 miles (24 km) to the north-west, ending at East Quantoxhead and West Quantoxhead on the coast of the Bristol Channel. They form the western border of Sedgemoor and the Somerset Levels. Soil types and weather combine to support the hills' plants and animals. In 1970 an area of 6,194.5 acres (2,506.9 hectares) was designated as a Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.

They have been occupied since prehistoric times with Bronze Age round barrows and Iron Age hill forts. Evidence from Roman times includes silver coins discovered in West Bagborough. In the later Saxon period, King Alfred led the resistance to Viking invasion, and Watchet was plundered by Danes in 987 and 997. The hills were fought over during the English Civil War and Monmouth rebellion but are now a peaceful area popular with tourists and walkers. (Full article...)