Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Login or Signup

Get the App

Login or Signup

Discover
Places to see

Natural Monuments

United Kingdom
England
South West England
Somerset
Mendip
Priddy

Black Down Summit and Wild Ponies

Highlight • Natural

Black Down Summit and Wild Ponies

Recommended by 112 hikers

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Mendip Hills National Landscape

Save

Share

  • More

  • Save

    Share

  • More

  • Take Me There

    Routes here

    Best Hikes to Black Down Summit and Wild Ponies

    4.7

    (46)

    157

    hikers

    1. Beacon Batch & Dolebury Warren loop from Burrington Combe — Mendip Hills

    11.6km

    03:22

    300m

    300m

    Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

    Navigate

    Send to Phone

    Intermediate

    Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

    Intermediate

    Expert hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

    Expert

    Tips

    January 28, 2021

    Black Down is the highest area of the Mendip Hills and affords wonderful views across the Bristol Channel into Wales, over Weston-super-Mare, the Chew Valley, the Quantocks and beyond. There are many Bronze Age burial sites dotted around. You might also see the wild ponies strutting their stuff.

      March 24, 2021

      This special site is designated as a Site of Special Scientific interest for its valuable wildlife habitats and is a nationally important site for its archaeology from the late Stone Age and Bronze Age through to the Second World War. Black Down provides the largest area of open access on the Mendip
      Hills at over 400 ha.

      Black Down, like most heathlands, is formed through a combination of factors– soil type, rainfall and human activity. The underlying Old Red Sandstone rock together with high rainfall created a waterlogged and acidic soil. The removal of tree cover by our Bronze Age ancestors 2,000 years ago helped to make sure that the soil stayed damp and acid. Only certain plants can survive in this type of ground. The key species include heather or ling, bell heather, bilberry, purple moor grass and European gorse, along with mosses and lichens.
      Now the bracken is managed by harvesting and grazing by cattle and wild ponies to allow the heathers and grasses to flourish again. Black Down supports a wide variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates.

        May 17, 2020

        Views out to Bristol Channel, over to Wales and of course of all the wild horses.

          In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!

          Sign up for free

          Details

          Informations

          Elevation 290 m

          Weather

          Powered by AerisWeather

          Today

          Wednesday 22 October

          12°C

          8°C

          20 %

          If you start your activity now...

          Max wind speed: 4.0 km/h

          Most visited during

          January

          February

          March

          April

          May

          June

          July

          August

          September

          October

          November

          December

          Loading

          Location: Priddy, Mendip, Somerset, South West England, England, United Kingdom

          Other Popular Places to Check Out

          Black Rock Limestone Outcrop

          Explore
          RoutesRoute plannerFeaturesHikesMTB TrailsRoad cycling routesBikepacking
          Download the app
          Follow Us on Socials

          © komoot GmbH

          Privacy Policy