A report on Dorset Downs
Area of chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England.
- Dorset Downs28 related topics with Alpha
Dorset
9 linksCounty in South West England on the English Channel coast.
County in South West England on the English Channel coast.
These limestone areas include a wide band of Cretaceous chalk which crosses the county as a range of hills from north-east to south-west, incorporating Cranborne Chase and the Dorset Downs, and a narrow band running from south-west to south-east, incorporating the Purbeck Hills.
Cranborne Chase
8 linksChalk plateau in central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Chalk plateau in central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
The plateau is part of the English Chalk Formation and is adjacent to Salisbury Plain and the West Wiltshire Downs in the north, and the Dorset Downs to the south west.
Downland
4 linksDownland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs.
Downland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs.
To the southwest, downlands continue via Cranborne Chase into Dorset as the Dorset Downs and southwards through Hampshire as the Hampshire Downs onto the Isle of Wight.
Salisbury Plain
3 linksChalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering 300 sqmi.
Chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering 300 sqmi.
The Hampshire Downs and the Berkshire Downs are chalk downland to the east and north of Salisbury Plain, and the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase are to the southwest.
Blackmore Vale
3 linksVale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England.
Vale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England.
To the south and east, the vale is clearly delimited by the steep escarpments of two areas of higher chalk downland, the Dorset Downs to the south, and Cranborne Chase to the east.
River Frome, Dorset
3 linksRiver in Dorset in the south of England.
River in Dorset in the south of England.
The river rises in the Dorset Downs at Evershot, passes through Maiden Newton, Dorchester, West Stafford and Woodsford.
Blandford Forum
3 linksMarket town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about 13 mi northwest of Poole.
Market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about 13 mi northwest of Poole.
Blandford is situated between Cranborne Chase and the Dorset Downs, to the south-east of the Blackmore Vale, 13 mi northwest of Poole and 22 mi southwest of Salisbury.
River Stour, Dorset
3 links61 mi river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel.
61 mi river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel.
At Blandford Forum the river breaks through the chalk ridge of the Dorset Downs, and from there flows south east into the heathlands of south east Dorset.
Dorchester, Dorset
3 linksCounty town of Dorset, England.
County town of Dorset, England.
A historic market town, Dorchester is on the banks of the River Frome to the south of the Dorset Downs and north of the South Dorset Ridgeway that separates the area from Weymouth, 7 mi to the south.
Hampshire Downs
2 linksThe Hampshire Downs form a large area of downland in central southern England, mainly in the county of Hampshire but with parts in Berkshire and Wiltshire.
The Hampshire Downs form a large area of downland in central southern England, mainly in the county of Hampshire but with parts in Berkshire and Wiltshire.
They are part of a belt of chalk downland that extends from the South Downs in the southeast, north to the Berkshire and Marlborough Downs, and west to the Dorset Downs.