Ridgeway Hill
| Ridgeway Hill | |
|---|---|
 Ridgeway Hill (right) on the Purbeck Ridge, Dorset, seen from Povington Hill to the west | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 199 m (653 ft) [1] |
| Prominence | 107 m (351 ft) [2] |
| Parent peak | Swyre Head[2] |
| Listing | HuMP |
| Coordinates | 50°38′09″N 2°07′20″W / 50.6358°N 2.1221°WCoordinates: 50°38′09″N 2°07′20″W / 50.6358°N 2.1221°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Dorset, England |
| Parent range | Purbeck Hills |
| OS grid | SY914817 |
| Topo map |
OS Landranger 195 |
Ridgeway Hill (198[2] or 199 metres[1] high, also referred to as Grange Hill[3][4] or Steeple Hill[5][6]) is the third highest point of the Purbeck Hills[2] in the county of Dorset, England and its prominence qualifies it as one of the few HuMPs in the county.[2]
The hill lies about 2 1/2 kilometres from Kimmeridge Bay on Dorset's Jurassic Coast and some 5 kilometres west of Corfe Castle. The hamlet of Steeple lies at its southern foot. Around 4 kilometres to the west is the better-known, but slightly lower, eminence of Povington Hill above the abandoned village of Tyneham. The Lulworth Ranges lie between Ridgeway Hill and the coast.[1]
Near the top of the hill is an 18th-century folly known as Grange Arch, built by the former owner of Creech Grange, Denis Bond. [7][8] There are also good views of Swyre Head on the Jurassic Coast.
There is a free car park on the ridgeline about 1 kilometre west of the summit[1] known as Steeple Hill Car Park, from where there are panoramic views of the area.
On the eastern spur of the hill is Stonehill Down which is now a nature reserve.[1]
Gallery
The long wooded back of Ridgeway Hill seen from Creech Barrow Hill to the NE
The footpath up the western slope of Ridgeway Hill from the car park
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger map series, No. 195.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Jackson, Mark (2009). More Relative Hills of Britain, Marilyn News Centre, UK, p. 168. E-book Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine..
- ↑ Burke, Sir Bernard (1852). A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain, Volume 1, Colburn, London, p. 65.
- ↑ Creech Grange listing at English Heritage website. Accessed on 9 Jun 2013
- ↑ Steeple Pit - Steeple Hill, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, UK - Places of Geologic Significance on Waymarking.com. Accessed on 8 Jun 2013
- ↑ Purbeck Circular Walk at www.ramblers.co.uk. Accessed on 8 Jun 2013
- ↑ Grange Arch on the Purbeck ridgeway at www.geograph.org.uk. Accessed on 26 May 2013.
- ↑ Grange Arch, Steeple at www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Accessed on 26 May 2013.