Dunkery Beacon
| Dunkery Hill | |
|---|---|
ascent up the western slopes |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,705 ft (520 m) |
| Prominence | 414 m (1,358 ft) |
| Parent peak | High Willhays |
| Listing | Marilyn, County Top |
| Coordinates | 51°09′43″N 3°35′14″W / 51.16197°N 3.58736°WCoordinates: 51°09′43″N 3°35′14″W / 51.16197°N 3.58736°W |
| Geography | |
 Dunkery Hill
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| OS grid | SS891415 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 181 |
Dunkery Beacon at the summit of Dunkery Hill is the highest point on Exmoor and in Somerset, England. It is also the highest point in southern England outside of Dartmoor.
The sandstone hill rises to 1,705 feet (520 m) and provides views over the surrounding moorland, the Bristol Channel and hills up to 86 miles (138 km) away. The site has been visited by humans since the Bronze Age, and contains several burial mounds in the form of cairns and bowl barrows. Sweetworthy on the lower slopes is the site of two Iron Age hill forts or enclosures and a deserted medieval settlement. The hill is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National nature reserve. It was in private ownership until the 20th century, when it was donated to the National Trust by Sir Thomas Acland, Colonel Wiggin and Allan Hughes; a stone cairn was erected at the summit to commemorate the event.
Dunkery is composed of Middle Devonian sedimentary rock, (393.3± 2.7 million years ago) known as the Hangman Sandstone Formation. This supports acidic soils. The ridge along the top of the hill is 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) long.
At 1,705 feet (520 m) ordnance datum (OD), the mean height above sea level, Dunkery Beacon is the highest natural point in Somerset, although the tip of the Mendip TV Mast is higher at 1,915 feet (584 m) OD. Dunkery is ranked 23rd in the UK in terms of dominance and is a Marilyn, meaning that it is a peak with 150 metres (490 ft) or more of relative height. The nearest higher hill is Yes Tor, 37 miles (60 km) away. John Fry, a character in R. D. Blackmore's 1869 novel Lorna Doone, calls it the "haighest place of Hexmoor".
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