Howardian Hills

Howardian Hills
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
View of the Howardian Hills
Country	England
County	North Yorkshire
Location	Yorkshire and the Humber
Highest point	Yearsley Cross
- elevation	174 m (571 ft)
Area	204 km2 (79 sq mi)
Founded	1987
Location of the Howardian Hills AONB in the UK
Website: www.howardianhills.org.uk

The Howardian Hills take their name from the Howard family who still own local lands, and are located between the Yorkshire Wolds, the North York Moors National Park and the Vale of York. The Howardian Hills are a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); one of 46 areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which, along with National Parks and Heritage Coasts, represent some of the most spectacular and unspoilt landscapes in the country.

The Howardian Hills form 79 square miles of well-wooded undulating countryside between the flat agricultural Vales of Pickering and York. The irregular 558 feet (170 m) high ridges of the Howardian Hills are a southern extension of the rocks of the Hambleton Hills in the North York Moors. Jurassic limestone and a network of pasture, extensive woodland, trees and woodland combine to create a strong visual character in the higher ground overlooking the agricultural plains below. On the eastern edge, the River Derwent cuts through the Hills in the Kirkham Gorge, a deep winding valley formed as an overflow channel from glacial Lake Pickering.

Although there are no towns within the AONB, the market towns of Helmsley and Malton lie just beyond the boundary. From Malton to Hovingham is a line of spring line villages. The majority of older buildings are of locally quarried limestone with red pantile roofs and those which developed as part of the grand country house estates have largely retained a coherent identity.