Landscape Character

Geology

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There are clear variations in scenic character across the Wolds with topography and geology appearing to be the most dominant factors. The Lincolnshire Wolds Landscape Assessment (CCP414, 1993) recognised four Landscape Character Areas within the AONB identified by their distinct group of special features.

The north west scarp - The prominent north west scarp is a dramatic feature of the Lincolnshire Wolds affording distant views across the Lincolnshire clay vales. The slopes provide a steep and hummocky appearance with attractive spring-line villages at the foot of the scarp. The area is rich in wildlife with rough pasture, scrub and woodland dominant within the valleys.
The chalk wolds - The chalk wolds is a large open plateau of rolling hills and secluded valleys. The topography of this part of the Wolds is striking and is testimony to the last glaciation when ice sheets and meltwater dramatically altered the landscape. Large arable fields and characteristic changing crop patterns dominate the plateau top and contrasts markedly with the numerous valleys with their lush pastures and wooded slopes. The area has the highest concentration of deserted and shrunken medieval villages within the AONB.
The ridges and valleys of the south-west - The ridges and valleys landscape is enormously complex with prominent chalk ridges bisected by deep combes and wide river valleys. The area is one of the most attractive within the Wolds with a patchwork of pastoral and arable fields, woodland, hedgerows, country estates and parkland, and attractive rivers and streams.
The south-eastern claylands - The gentle ridge of the south-east claylands dips gently west before merging with the flat marshlands beyond the AONB. This is the most heavily wooded part of the Wolds where large blocks of woodland are interspersed with cultivated fields. The area has an isolated and remote feel. The ridge-top salters' roads, spring-line villages and archaeological features are evident here.