This is a list of hills in Dorset. Many of these hills are important historical, archaeological and nature conservation sites, as well as popular hiking and tourist destinations in the county of
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
in southern
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Colour key
The table is colour-coded based on the classification or "listing" of the hill. The two types that occur in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
are
Marilyns,
HuMP
The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attempt ...
s and
TuMPs, listings based on
topographical prominence
In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
. "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. 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 200 metres or higher with a prominence of at least 30 metres, below 200 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
The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attempt ...
and the individual articles on
Marilyns,
HuMP
The mountains and hills of the British Isles are categorised into various lists based on different combinations of elevation, prominence, and other criteria such as isolation. These lists are used for peak bagging, whereby hillwalkers attempt ...
s and
TuMPs. By way of contrast, see also the article listing
Tumps (a traditional term meaning a hillock, mound, barrow or tumulus).
The county top (i.e. highest point) of Poole unitary authority is not strictly in the county of Dorset, but is included for interest because it falls within Dorset's historic county boundary.
List of hills
Footnotes:
1. Ferranti'
''Summit Listings by Relative Height''does not list
Ridgeway Hill
Ridgeway Hill, also referred to as Grange Hill or Steeple Hill, is the third highest point of the Purbeck Hills in the county of Dorset standing at , is one of the only hills with a prominence of over a hundred metres, HuMPs, in the county. Near ...
but suggests that the highest point of this stretch of the Purbecks is
Povington Hill
Povington Hill, at high, is one of the highest points on the chain of the Purbeck Hills in south Dorset on the southern coast of England. Its prominence of means it is listed as one of the Tumps, although map sources suggest this honour shoul ...
(198 m, drop 107 m). However, the current
Ordnance Survey
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''Landranger'' map (No. 194) agrees with Jackson (2009), which gives
Ridgeway Hill
Ridgeway Hill, also referred to as Grange Hill or Steeple Hill, is the third highest point of the Purbeck Hills in the county of Dorset standing at , is one of the only hills with a prominence of over a hundred metres, HuMPs, in the county. Near ...
as the highest point in the area at 199 m (drop 107 m).
2. The following summits listed by the North Dorset Ramblers have been omitted from the table as they are considered sub-peaks or alternative names of hills in the main list:
*
Gore Hill
Gore Hill is an urban locality on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Gore Hill is located within the southern part of the suburb of Artarmon, and the north-west of the suburb of St Leonards.
History
It takes its na ...
(265 m),
Dorset Downs
The Dorset Downs are an area of chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. The downs are the most western part of a larger chalk formation which also includes (from west to east) Cranborne Chase, Salisbury Plain, Ham ...
, SW spur of
Telegraph Hill A telegraph hill is a hill or other natural elevation that is chosen as part of an optical telegraph system.
Telegraph Hill may also refer to:
England
* A high point in the Haldon Hills, Devon
* Telegraph Hill, Dorset, a hill in the Dorset Down ...
*
Higher Melcombe Hill (262 m),
Dorset Downs
The Dorset Downs are an area of chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. The downs are the most western part of a larger chalk formation which also includes (from west to east) Cranborne Chase, Salisbury Plain, Ham ...
, possibly alternative name for
Lyscombe Hill
Lyscombe Hill (262 metres, 860 feet high) is a hill near Melcombe Bingham about 14 kilometres north-northeast of Dorchester in the county of Dorset, England. It is part of the Dorset Downs and is listed as a so-called HuMP.
There is evidence ...
*
High Stoy (260 m) -
Dorset Downs
The Dorset Downs are an area of chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. The downs are the most western part of a larger chalk formation which also includes (from west to east) Cranborne Chase, Salisbury Plain, Ham ...
, NE spur of Telegraph Hill
*
Nettlecombe Tout
Lyscombe Hill (262 metres, 860 feet high) is a hill near Melcombe Bingham about 14 kilometres north-northeast of Dorchester in the county of Dorset, England. It is part of the Dorset Downs and is listed as a so-called HuMP.
There is evidence ...
(258 m) - N spur of
Lyscombe Hill
Lyscombe Hill (262 metres, 860 feet high) is a hill near Melcombe Bingham about 14 kilometres north-northeast of Dorchester in the county of Dorset, England. It is part of the Dorset Downs and is listed as a so-called HuMP.
There is evidence ...
with a hill fort.
*
Weston Hill (250 m, (est.)
), NW extension of
Toller Down
Toller Down is one of the highest hills in the county of Dorset, England. It stands 252 metres (827 feet) high and is just 200 metres west of the main A356 road from Dorchester to Crewkerne. ridge on A356
*
Beaminster Down
At 244 metres, Beaminster Down is one of the highest hills in West Dorset, England.
Location
Beaminster Down is common land on the Dorset Downs and overlooks the steep scarp slope above the town of Beaminster, which is about a mile and a half ...
(244 m,
), flanks of the Toller Down ridge, NE of
Beaminster
Beaminster ( ) is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Dorset Council administrative area approximately northwest of the county town Dorchester. It is sited in a bowl-shaped valley near the source of the small River ...
* Ayles Hill
[Name and grid fro]
''geodata.us''
/ref>[Name and height fro]
''Going High in Dorset''
Accessed on 23 Mar 2013. (240 m, (est.)), outlier of Telegraph Hill by A 37. Celtic field system.''Sidling Saint Nicholas''
at www.sydlingstnicholas.org.uk. Accessed on 23 Mar 2013. Spelt "Ayles's Hill" on OS ''Landranger'' map.
* White Way Earthwork
(218 m,
), N of A 35 X with 2 minor roads, nr
Litton Cheney
Litton Cheney is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in south-west England. It lies west of the county town Dorchester. It is sited beneath chalk hills in the valley of the small River Bride. In the 2011 census the parish had a ...
, 18 km W of
Dorchester, S spur of
Eggardon Hill
Eggardon Hill is a prehistoric hillfort on a hill in Dorset, England. It is located on chalk uplands approximately four miles to the east of the town of Bridport.
The Hill
Eggardon Hill stands above sea level and is classified as a Hump (hil ...
.
*
Stonebarrow Hill, SW spur of
Chardown Hill.
See also
*
List of mountains and hills of the United Kingdom
This is a list of mountains in Britain and Ireland by height and by prominence. Height and prominence are the most important metrics for the classifications of mountains by the UIAA; with isolation a distant third criterion. The list is sourced ...
*
List of Marilyns in England
This is a list of Marilyn hills and mountains in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Ireland by height. Marilyns are defined as peaks with a prominence of or more, regardless of height or any other merit (e.g. topographic isolation, as used in ...
*
Geography of Dorset
Dorset is a county located in the middle of the south coast of England. It lies between the latitudes 50.512°N and 51.081°N and the longitudes 1.682°W and 2.958°W, and occupies an area of 2,653 km2 (1,024 sq mi). It spans from east to ...
References and footnotes
{{Hills of Southern England
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
Hills
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not as ...