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List of hills of Somerset

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This is a list of hills in Somerset. Many of these hills are important historical, archaeological and nature conservation sites, as well as popular hiking and tourist destinations in the county of Somerset in southern England.

Colour key

Class Prominence
Marilyns 150 – 599 m
HuMPs 100 – 149 m
TuMPs 30 – 99 m
Unclassified 0 – 29 m

The table is colour-coded based on the classification or "listing" of the hill. The types that occur in Somerset are Marilyns, HuMPs and TuMPs, listings based on topographical prominence. "Prominence" correlates strongly with the subjective significance of a summit. Peaks with low prominences are either subsidiary tops of a higher summit or relatively insignificant independent summits. Peaks with high prominences tend to be the highest points around and likely to have extraordinary views. A Marilyn is a hill with a prominence of at least 150 metres or about 500 feet. A "HuMP" (the acronym comes from "Hundred Metre Prominence) is a hill with a prominence of at least 100 but less than 150 metres. In this table Marilyns are in beige and HuMPs in lilac. In this context, a "TuMP" is a hill with a prominence of at least 30 but less than 100 metres, and should not be confused with the traditional term appearing in place names 'Tump'. The term "sub-Marilyn" or "sub-HuMP" is used, e.g. in the online Database of British and Irish Hills to indicate hills that fall just below the threshold. To qualify for inclusion, hills must either be 300 metres or higher with a prominence of at least 30 metres, below 300 metres with a prominence of at least 90 metres (the threshold for a sub-HuMP) or be in some other way notable. For further information see the Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles and the individual articles on Marilyns, HuMPs, TuMPs, and Tumps.

List of hills

Hill Height (m) Prom. (m) Grid ref. Class Parent Range/Region Remarks Image
Dunkery Beacon 519 414 SS891415 Marilyn, Dewey, HuMP, TuMP, Somerset county top (historical and current) High Willhays Exmoor Somerset's county top.

Highest point of Exmoor.
Large cairn at summit

Great Rowbarrow 510 22 SS875415 sub-Dewey Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Second highest point of Exmoor and Somerset.

Large tumulus at summit. Tumulus 110m SW is at least 1m lower

Chains Barrow 487 65 SS734419 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Trig point on tumulus at summit.
Black Mires 465 42 SS844429 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor No feature on heather-covered summit.
Horsen Hill 443 45 SS781364 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Summit on rim of tumulus.
Winsford Hill 428 87 SS876342 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Trig point on summit.
Withypool Common 428 34 SS818350 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Summit features: trig point; Brightworthy barrows. Ground 70m SW of trig point is as high as base of tumulus.
Lype Hill 423 139 SS950371 HuMP, TuMP Dunkery Beacon Brendon Hills Highest point of the Brendon Hills.

No summit feature. 2m E of trig point on mound in fenced-off compound.

Thornemead Hill 412 35 SS809375 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor No summit feature.
Treborough Common 412 64 ST004351 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Brendon Hills Trig point at summit. Wiveliscombe Barrow on southern hillside.
Withypool Hill 398 35 SS840344 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Smsll cairn on rim of tumulus. Stone circle nearby.
Elworthy Barrows 394 45 ST069338 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Brendon Hills Pasture. No summit feature. Hillfort and mast on southern hillside.
Road Hill 391 39 SS852370 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Brendon Hills Trig point on pedestal in fence line is the summit. WW2 gun emplacement and Herne's Barrow nearby.
Staddon Hill 386 65 SS875371 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor No summit feature
Wills Neck 386 269 ST165351 Marilyn, HuMP, TuMP Dunkery Beacon Quantock Hills Highest point of the Quantocks.

No summit feature; summit 2m S of trig point.

Monkham Hill 382 125 SS987393 HuMP, TuMP Lype Hill Brendon Hills No summit feature; summit 100m SE of trig point.
Lydeard Hill 364 31 ST179341 TuMP Wills Neck Quantock Hills No summit feature; path.
Blagdon Hill 361 45 SS971337 TuMP Wills Neck Brendon Hills No summit feature; ground in field 40m S of trig point.
Black Hill 358 40 ST148381 TuMP Wills Neck Quantock Hills No summit feature; ground 4m ESE of trig point.
Hadborough 355 78 ST148381 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Haddon Hill Trig point at summit; pile of stones/geocache 15m N may be as high.
Oldrey Hill 355 66 SS904369 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor No summit feature, but bridleway runs past summit about 100m to the E.
Couple Cross Hill 344 37 SS955387 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Brendon Hills No summit feature; ground near small quarry.
Heydon Hill 342 66 ST036281 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Vale of Taunton No summit feature; tumuli to S not on natural summit.
Dowsborough 339 57 ST161391 TuMP Wills Neck Quantock Hills Hillfort on summit; in forest.
Cothelstone Hill 332 80 ST189326 TuMP Wills Neck Quantock Hills Ancient cairn of large stones at summit. Tracks cross by summit. Tumuli nearby.
Cow Castle 332 34 SS793373 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Iron Age hilltop. Prominent grassy top.
Storridge Hill 327 39 SS947302 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Haddon Hill
Beacon Batch

(Black Down)

325 237 ST484572 Marilyn, HuMP, TuMP The Wrekin Mendip Hills Highest point in the Mendip Hills; trig point on summit mound.
Ley Hill 318 33 SS886446 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Heather and gorse-covered summit.
Upton Hill 317 33 SS979299 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Haddon Hill Upton Farm on southern hillside.
Staple Hill 315 212 ST240166 Marilyn, Hardy, HuMP, TuMP Dunkery Beacon Blackdown Hills Highest point in the Blackdown Hills. Trig point at summit.
Whitefield Hill 311 47 ST064303 TuMP Dunkery Beacon Brendon Hills Pasture at summit.
Selworthy Beacon 308 193 SS918479 Marilyn, HuMP, TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor Ground 2m NNE of trig point is the summit.
Maundown Hill 307 94 ST061283 sub-HuMP, TuMP Dunkery Beacon Exmoor No summit feature.
North Hill 307 49 ST539514 TuMP Beacon Batch Mendip Hills Several tumuli around summit (Priddy Nine Barrows).
Pen Hill 305 47 ST564487 TuMP Beacon Batch Mendip Hills Trig point at summit. Mendip TV transmitter mast nearby.
Niver Hill 301 33 ST554534 TuMP Beacon Batch Mendip Hills Open summit.
Niver Hill (county top) 264 0 ST565538 Current county/UA top, administrative county top Beacon Batch Mendip Hills Highest point in the current county of Somerset and the unitary authority of Bath and NE Somerset.
Corner of field on side of Niver Hill on the county boundary.
Wavering Down 210 ST406559 Beacon Batch Mendip Hills Open summit with trig point.
Crook Peak 191 ST387558 Beacon Batch Mendip Hills Prominent hill at the western end of the Mendip ridge.
Glastonbury Tor 158 145 ST512386 HuMP, TuMP, sub-Marilyn Beacon Batch Somerset Levels Prominent hill on Somerset Levels managed by the National Trust and topped by St Michael's Tower, a Grade I listed building.
No summit feature: ground 8m E of N corner of tower
Brent Knoll 139 133 ST340509 HuMP, TuMP Beacon Batch Somerset Levels Dominating hill and landmark on the Somerset Levels
Jubilee Memorial Stone in depression at summit. Site of hillfort.
Brean Down 97 91 ST296585 TuMP, sub-HuMP Beacon Batch Promontory extending into the Bristol Channel and SSSI near Weston-super-Mare.

Trig point at summit.

Burrow Mump 33 29 ST359305 Unclassified Long Knoll Historic site and scheduled monument.

No summit feature; ground in remains of a church.

See also

References and footnotes

  1. Dawson, Alan (1992). The Relative Hills of Britain. Milnthorpe: Cicerone Press. ISBN 1-85284-068-4. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010.
  2. Jackson, Mark. "More Relative Hills of Britain" (PDF). Relative Hills of Britain. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  3. ^ Name, height, prominence, grid and class data from: Database of British and Irish Hills, retrieved 5 Jul 2016. Also parent data unless otherwise stated.
  4. ^ Name, height, prominence, grid, class and parent data from: Jackson, Mark (2009). More Relative Hills of Britain, Marilyn News Centre, UK, p. 168. E-book Archived 2013-10-12 at the Wayback Machine.
Lists of hills of Southern England
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