Yorkshire Wolds
The
Yorkshire Wolds are an area of low hills and valleys in the
East Riding of Yorkshire in North-Eastern
England. They are formed from
chalk, and make an arc from the
Humber estuary west of
Kingston-upon-Hull up to the
North Sea coast between
Bridlington and
Scarborough. Here they rise up to form
cliffs, most notably at
Flamborough,
Bempton Cliffs and
Filey; Flamborough Headland is designated a
Heritage Coast. On the other side of the Humber, the chalk formations continue as the
Lincolnshire Wolds; in fact, one can view the Humber as cutting through a single formation. The
Humber Bridge was built at the point due to its geological stability.
Most of the area takes the form of an elevated, gently rolling plateau, cut by numerous deep, steep-sided, flat-bottomed valleys of glacial origin. The chalk formation of the hills provides exceptionally good drainage, with the result that most of these valleys are dry; indeed, surface water is quite scarce throughout the Wolds. Typically the valleys are hard to see from above, creating the visual impression that the landscape is much flatter than is actually the case. The unusual topography results in an "upside-down" farming system - livestock (mostly sheep and cows) graze the valleys, with the hills above used for crops.
On the western edge the Wolds rise to an escarpment which then drops sharply to the
Vale of York. The highest point of this is
Bishop Wilton Wold (also known as Garrowby Hill), which is
246 metres above
sea level. To the north, on the other side of the Vale of Pickering lie the
North York Moors, and to the east the hills flatten into the plain of
Holderness. The largest town in the Wolds is
Driffield, with other places including
Pocklington and
Thixendale.
One of nine
National Trails in England, the
Wolds Way is a
long-distance footpath which runs the length of the wolds from the
Humber Bridge at
Hessle to
Filey on the coast. It is managed by the
Countryside Commission.
The writer
Winifred Holtby described the Wolds as "fold upon fold of the encircling hills, piled rich and golden."
*
The Weald*
Yorkshire Dales*
Chalk stream* http://www.countryside.gov.uk/cci/yorkshirehumber/027.htm
*
The Countryside Agency - Countryside Character Initiative - Yorkshire and the Humber - Yorkshire Wolds*
The Wolds Archaeological Research Project
