The Oswestry Uplands are a small natural region in the English county of

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

on the border with

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The Oswestry Uplands have been designated as

Natural Area A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

No. 41 and National Character Area No. 63 by

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

and its predecessor bodies. The area is much more closely linked by culture and language to Wales than other parts of

. The Uplands are characterized by an undulating landscape of

Carboniferous Limestone Carboniferous Limestone is a collective term for the succession of limestones occurring widely throughout Great Britain and Ireland that were deposited during the Dinantian epoch (geology), Epoch of the Carboniferous period (geology), Period. T ...

hills with

calcareous grassland Calcareous grassland (or alkaline grassland) is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. Plants on calcareous grassland are typically short and hardy, and include grasses and herbs such as clover. ...

s and rocky outcrops with steep wooded valleys; marshes and fens occupying the valley bottoms. The Uplands have a total area of 9,981 hectares and occupy a salient running from Pant to Chirk on the Anglo-Welsh border which takes in the town of Oswestry and village of

Gobowen Gobowen is a village in Shropshire, England, about 3 miles north of Oswestry. The population according to the 2011 census was 3,270. History The village was previously called ''Bryn-y-Castell'' ("Hill of the Castle" in English) after the House ...

. The highest elevations lie on the western boundary of the NCA bordering the Berwyn Hills of Wales and the highest point is on Selattyn Hill ().''NCA 63: Oswestry Uplands - Key Facts & Data''
at www.naturalengland.org.uk. Accessed on 5 Apr 2013.

References

Geography of Shropshire Natural regions of England {{Shropshire-geo-stub