Dunstable Downs
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Mtnbox start nopic norange Template:Mtnbox prom Template:Mtnbox topo Template:Mtnbox UK Template:Mtnbox finish
Dunstable Downs are part of the Chiltern Hills, in southern Bedfordshire. They are a chalk escarpment forming the north-eastern reaches of the Chilterns. At 243m/797ft, Dunstable Downs are the highest point of Bedfordshire.
Whipsnade Zoo has cut an enormous lion shape into the chalk into the side of one of the hills. The lion can be seen from the Aylesbury to Dunstable road.
The downs are used by gliders, kite fliers, hang gliders and paragliders in the area because of their height. The London Gliding Club is based at the foot of the downs.
Much of the downs are managed by the National Trust as part of the Dunstable Downs, Countryside Centre & Whipsnade Estate property, and the downs are also home to a wide variety of wildlife including many rare wild flowers, such as the Bee Orchid, and different butterfly species, like the Marbled White and the Chalkhill Blue.
See also
External links
- Dunstable Downs, Countryside Centre & Whipsnade Estate at the National Trust
- The lion is very clear on Template:Mmuknr photo