Geology and the natural landscape
Millions of years of geological activity and scouring by glaciers formed the basic framework of Britain's landscape. Ancient mountain ranges were laid down like the Grampians in Scotland and the Cambrian mountains in Wales, along with the rugged uplands of northern and western Britain: the Lake District of Cumbria, the Peak District of Derbyshire and Staffordshire and the Pennines, a spine of hills running down through the northern counties of England.
To the south and east lie the ridges, valleys and plains of the fertile English lowlands. You can almost read the geological history in the granite landscapes of Scotland, the limestone pavements and outcrops of the North York Moors and the chalk uplands of southern England. And of course it affects the look of the built environment when local stone and brick are used as construction materials, from grey granite in Scotland through golden limestone in the Cotswolds to red sandstone in the west.
Coast and river
But Britain is a country of sea and river too. The extraordinary winding coastline stretches to a total 11,000 miles, encompassing rocky bays, dramatic cliffs and long sandy beaches. Western Scotland is a patchwork of sea lochs and freshwater lochs, while major river systems criss-cross the country, among them the Severn, the Thames, the Trent, the Aire and the Great Ouse in England; the Tay, the Spey, the Clyde and the Tweed in Scotland; the Wye and the Dee in Wales.
Coastal currents have formed features like Chesil Beach, a 10-mile-long shingle reef on the Dorset coast, and Spurn Head, a three-mile long spit of land on the Humber estuary that is constantly changing shape. Our coastlines and cliffs, battered by waves, are always eroding and settlements like the town of Dunwich in Suffolk have disappeared into the sea.
Britain's Atlantic weather is a major factor in shaping our landscapes through the action of ice, wind and rain. In modern times, our temperate climate keeps the countryside green.
