| Brendon Hills | |
|---|---|
 Brendon Hills - B3224 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,388 ft (423 m) |
| Coordinates | 51°07′26″N3°30′04″W / 51.12389°N 3.50111°W /51.12389; -3.50111 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Somerset,England |
| OS grid | SS950371 |
TheBrendon Hills are a range of hills in westSomerset,England. The hills merge level into the eastern side ofExmoor and are included within theExmoor National Park. The highest point of the range is Lype Hill at 1,388 feet (423 m) above sea level with a secondary summit several kilometres to the southeast at 1,350 feet (411 m). Both points are marked byOrdnance Surveytrig points and are located within enclosed farmland. Early versions of the name includeBrunedun andBrundon reflecting an original name ofBruna orBrune, meaning 'brown one'.Dun is a commonOld English word for a fairly flat and extensive hill.[1][2] This name is not connected with the village ofBrendon in Devon, the name of which has a different origin.[3]
The terrain is broken by a series of deeply incised streams and rivers running roughly southwards to meet theRiver Haddeo, a tributary of theRiver Exe.[4] The hills are quite heavily cultivated unlike their neighbouring upland areas of Exmoor and theQuantock Hills. The Brendon Hills are largely formed from theMorte Slates, a thickfaulted andfolded sequence ofDevonian age sedimentary rocks. An east-west alignedanticline/syncline pair known as the Brendon Anticline and Brendon Syncline folds these rocks. The fold couplet is itself offset by displacement of the rocks on the NNW-SSE aligned Timberscombe Fault System.[5] Over the centuries they have beenmined for minerals, notablyironstone from which iron is extracted for makingsteel.[6] During the 19th century this activity reached a peak with theWest Somerset Mineral Railway, including an 800 feet (244 m) incline, being built to take the ore toWatchet from where it was sent toEbbw Vale forsmelting. The main mining operations ended when the mines were worked out towards the end of the 19th century.
The hills are on the route of theColeridge Way and are also crossed by theSamaritans Way.[7]
