Are there mountains in England?

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So let us ask you a funny and not very serious question at first sight: are there any mountains in England? There is not a single high peak in the country, we have never heard of any mountain chains or climbers who conquered tops. However, do you know that there are still more than 200 mountain peaks in England? The reason about it is that according to the national geography standards, in order to classify an elevation as a mountain, it has to be more than 600 meters or 200 feet above sea level. Most of these elevations are in the North part of the country. The English mountainous terrain is formed from volcanos’ activity and glaciers. There are various igneous rocks like breccia, andesite and rhyolite as well as volcanic tuff dating back from the Ordovician geological period during which the islands lied on the bottom of the ocean.

Everyone has heard about Lake District, and even some of you have visited it and seen its wild beauty. In this region you can see the most beautiful British peaks which altitude varies from 899m to 978m. Lake District itself is a nature reserve in Cumbria region, famous not only for its terrain, but also for its wilderness and animal habitat. The highest peak in both England and this region is Scafell Pike (978m). The land below it belonged to the third baron Leconfield who gave it to the National Trust in order to keep the wilderness to honor the WW1 victims. The name of the peak originates from Old Norse and it means a peak including its slopes. Famous peaks in the region are Scafell (964m), Helvellyn (950m), Ill Crag (935m), etc.

Another wonderful mountain region in England is The North Pennines also known as – “the backbone of England”. They are situated to the South of the Hadrian’s Wall and to the East of Lake District. The rocks there are not so old, mainly consisted of limestone from the Carboniferous Period. The slopes are not so narrow and are covered with herbaceous plants. The highest place is Cross Fell (893m).

The peaks and the highlands in North England offer British tourists and nature lovers an unforgettable experience. Whereas the landscape of Middle England is basically flat, a height like Turners Hills could easily be noticed from far distance here. This hill forms the region’s landscape of 271m.

In South-east England, where London is located, the highest peaks reach 267m – Haddington Hill, 294m – Leith Hill and 297m – Walbury Hill. There are hills in South-west England, Quantock Hills and Dorset Downs are some examples, but their altitude is again in the range of 200-300m.

We, who came from Bulgaria which has a lot of mountains like the beautiful Rila, the majestic Pirin and the rigged Stara Planina, might think that the British mountains are not so high. However, England is proud of its pictorial hills, and there are enough tourists who get pleasure from climbing and exercising there.

Have you ever visited some of the mountain regions in North England? Please share your impressions on our Facebook page!

Author: Iveta Radeva