Hampshire Downland above Alresford - geograph

The Hampshire Downs form a large area of

downland Downland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs. This term is used to describe the characteristic landscape in southern England where chalk is exposed at the surface. The name "downs" is deriv ...

in central southern England, mainly in the county of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

but with parts in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

and

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. They are part of a belt of chalk downland that extends from the

South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the east. ...

in the southeast, north to the

and

Marlborough Downs The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The name ''North Wessex Downs'' is not a traditional one, the area covered being better k ...

, and west to the

Dorset Downs The Dorset Downs are an area of chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. The downs are the most western part of a larger chalk formation which also includes (from west to east) Cranborne Chase, Salisbury Plain, Ham ...

. The downs have been designated a National Character Area (NCA 130) by Natural England, the UK Government's advisor on the natural environment. To the north lie the

Thames Basin Heaths The Thames Basin Heaths are a natural region in southern England in Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey, a slightly mottled east-west belt of ecologically recognised and protected land. They are recognised as national character area 129 by Natura ...

, to the east the

Low Weald Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LO ...

(

Western Weald The western Weald is an area of undulating countryside in Hampshire and West Sussex containing a mixture of woodland and heathland areas. It lies to the south of the towns of Bordon, Haslemere and Rake and to the west of the town of Pulborough. ...

), to the south the

South Hampshire Lowlands The South Hampshire Lowlands form a natural landscape in south, central England within the county of Hampshire. The UK Government's advisors on the natural environment, Natural England, have named the South Hampshire Lowlands as one of their Nat ...

and the

, and, to the west,

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

and the West Wiltshire Downs.''NCA 130: Hampshire Downs - Key Facts & Data''
at www.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 3 Apr 2013. The northern boundary of the Hampshire Downs follows a line from just north of

Walbury Hill Walbury Hill is a summit of the North Wessex Downs in Berkshire, England. With an elevation of , it is the highest natural point in South East England. On the hill's summit is the Iron Age hill fort of Walbury Camp, whilst the flanks of the hill ...

in Berkshire to

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

and

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

, forming a ridge and dramatic escarpment which rises to over 290 metres, overlooking the

Thames Basin The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. In the east the boundary runs from Farnham to

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

, then swings southwards to

Petersfield Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth a ...

, forming an escarpment at the western edge of the

Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...

, including an area known as the

East Hampshire Hangers The East Hampshire Hangers are located in the English county of Hampshire and form a line of hills with steep scarps that marks the eastern edge of the Hampshire Downs and its boundary with the Western Weald, an area of rolling countryside east of ...

. In the south the boundary runs westwards to

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, south to Twyford and Otterbourne, then west-northwest to

Michelmersh Michelmersh is a small, scattered village in Hampshire, England some three miles () north of Romsey. It forms a civil parish with Timsbury, Hampshire, Timsbury that forms part of the Test Valley district. The Monarch's Way long-distance footpath ...

; and in the west from Michelmersh through the Wallops to Ludgershall in Wiltshire, and back to Walbury Hill. The main rivers of the Hampshire Downs are the

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

and River Itchen. The main settlements in the area are

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

, Alton, Basingstoke and Winchester. 20% of the area (the North Hampshire Downs) falls within the

North Wessex Downs The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The name ''North Wessex Downs'' is not a traditional one, the area covered being better kno ...

AONB An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

, and around 6% within the

South Downs National Park The South Downs National Park is England's newest national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of in southern England, stretches for from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hamp ...

Highest hills

is the highest point on the Hampshire Downs, but lies in the county of Berkshire. Pilot Hill is the highest point on Hampshire's section of the Downs and Hampshire's

county top The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attempt ...

. Prominent hills in the Hampshire Downs include: * Walbury Hill (297 m) * Combe Hill (293 m) *

Inkpen Hill Inkpen Hill is a summit in Berkshire, England, with a maximum elevation of . The hill is about southwest of Newbury on the Hampshire/Berkshire border and is part of the north-facing scarp of the North Hampshire Downs, a chalk ridge within the ...

(289 m) * Pilot Hill (286 m) *

Sidown Hill At , Sidown Hill is the third highest hill in the county of Hampshire, England. At the summit is a mid-18th century Grade II listed building known as Heaven's Gate which is hidden by the trees covering the top of the hill. The hill is on the w ...

(266 m) * Beacon Hill (261 m) *

Wheatham Hill At , Wheatham Hill is one of the highest hills in the county of Hampshire, England. It is part of the North Hampshire Downs. Much of the hill is covered in mixed forest and there is a trig point at 244 metres, which is also the site of Cobbett' ...

(249 m) *

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Berkshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natural ...

(237 m) * Ladle Hill (232 m) * Holybourne Hill (225 m) * Red Hill (221 m) * Goleigh Hill (220 m) *

King's Hill Kings Hill is a civil parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. It is one of several new villages built in Kent since the 1950s (other examples including Vigo and New Ash Green). Development started in 1989 near West Mall ...

(218 m) * Noar Hill (214 m) *

Selborne Hill Selborne Hill is one of the highest points in the county of Hampshire, England. It is one of the East Hampshire Hangers, a line of prominent hills on the eastern scarp slope of the Hampshire Downs, and reaches above sea level. Its prominence o ...

(211 m) *

Farleigh Hill Farleigh Hill is one of the highest points in the county of Hampshire, England. It is part of the Hampshire Downs and reaches a height of above sea level. Its prominence of just qualifies it as a ('P30') TuMP. Farleigh Hill rises about 1 kilo ...

(208 m) *

Farley Mount Farley Mount is a hill and one of the highest points in Hampshire. It is located within Farley Mount Country Park, situated about four miles west of the historic city of Winchester, Hampshire. It is locally famous for being the subject of a fol ...

(178 m) * St. Catherine's Hill (97 m)

References

Hills of Hampshire Natural regions of England {{Hampshire-geo-stub