Best Upland
Long Mynd is a substantial upland heathland area located within Shropshire, England. Its notable feature is its expansive, open landscape shaped by centuries of grazing and management practices overseen by the National Trust. The plateau offers opportunities for walking and exploring traditional hea...
Saryarka Steppe is a vast region of temperate grasslands and wetlands located in the Kazakh Uplands of central and northern Kazakhstan. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, comprising two separate protected areas: the Naurzum State Nature Reserve and the Korgalzhyn State Nature...
Dartmoor is an upland area in Devon, southwestern England, much of which has been protected as Dartmoor National Park since 1951. Its landscape is characterized by exposed granite tors, open moorland, river valleys, peat bogs, and archaeological remains including stone rows, circles, and prehistoric...
The North York Moors is an upland region in North Yorkshire, England, protected as a national park since 1952. Its landscape includes extensive heather moorland, wooded valleys, agricultural land, and a rugged North Sea coastline between places such as Staithes and Scarborough. Archaeological remain...
The Flint Hills encompasses a significant portion of east-central Kansas characterized by its unique upland terrain and extensive tallgrass prairie ecosystem. This region preserves one of the largest remaining examples of this historically dominant North American grassland type. It's particularly va...
Cannock Chase is a significant upland heathland area within Staffordshire, England. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 1958, it preserves distinctive grassland and woodland landscapes. The site supports diverse wildlife and offers opportunities for recreation and scientific st...
Exmoor is an upland region spanning western Somerset and northern Devon in southwest England, much of it protected as Exmoor National Park since 1954. Its landscape combines open heather moorland, wooded valleys, farmland, and a high coastal plateau overlooking the Bristol Channel. The area supports...
The Stiperstones National Nature Reserve protects a significant UK heathland landscape within Shropshire. Characterized by distinctive quartzite rock formations and open grassland, it’s notable for its diverse flora and fauna including rare birds and reptiles. The reserve supports scientific researc...
Kinder Scout is a broad moorland plateau in Derbyshire and the highest point in England's Peak District, reaching 636 metres above sea level. Its landscape includes peat moor, steep escarpments, streams, and distinctive gritstone formations. Kinder Scout is also associated with the 1932 mass trespas...
The Mendip Hills are a range of limestone hills in Somerset, England, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1972. The area is characterized by its Carboniferous limestone geology, which has produced notable features including Cheddar Gorge, Britain's largest gorge, and extensive cav...
Quantock Commons represents a significant expanse of upland heathland within the UK’s Somerset region. These commons are part of the Quantock Hills AONB and offer valuable habitat for specialized plant and animal life found in these traditional landscapes. They are particularly important for conserv...
The North Pennine Moors are an extensive upland landscape in northern England, characterized by heather moorland, peatlands, blanket bog, grassland, and deeply cut valleys. They form part of the wider North Pennines, an area recognized for its geology, wildlife, and cultural landscape. The moors sup...
The Monaro Grasslands are naturally treeless, temperate native grasslands located in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. This distinctive ecosystem is characterized by its high elevation, cold climate, and unique biodiversity, including various endemic plant species adapted to the harsh...
The Hautes Fagnes, known in German as the Hohes Venn, are a high plateau and moorland region spanning eastern Belgium and neighboring Germany. The landscape is characterized by peat bogs, heath, forests, high rainfall, and a cooler climate than surrounding lowlands. It includes Signal de Botrange, B...
The Map-winged Swift is a moth belonging to the family Hepialidae, commonly found across the Palearctic region, including the United Kingdom. It is distinguished by the intricate, map-like patterns on its forewings, which help camouflage it against tree bark and heathland vegetation. The species inh...
The Cheviot Moors are an upland landscape spanning the border between Northumberland in England and the Scottish Borders. Much of the English side lies within Northumberland National Park and is centered on The Cheviot, an extinct volcanic massif whose summit reaches 815 meters. The area is characte...
Bodmin Moor is a granite upland in northeastern Cornwall, England, characterized by open heath, exposed tors, river valleys, and prehistoric remains. Its summit, Brown Willy, reaches 420 metres and is the highest point in Cornwall, while Rough Tor is another prominent landmark. The moor includes the...
The South Pennine Moors are an upland landscape of moorland, blanket bog, heath, and rough grassland spanning parts of northern England between major urban areas. Large portions are protected as a Special Protection Area and through constituent Sites of Special Scientific Interest because they suppo...
The Galloway Moors are areas of upland heath, blanket bog, and rough grassland in the Southern Uplands of southwest Scotland, particularly within Dumfries and Galloway. Their landscape includes broad plateaus, granite hills, peatlands, lochs, and sparsely settled valleys used for conservation, fores...
Ilkley Moor is an upland area above Ilkley in West Yorkshire, England, forming part of Rombalds Moor in the Pennines. Its landscape includes open heather moorland, gritstone outcrops, walking routes, and prehistoric carved rocks. The moor is closely associated with the Yorkshire folk song "On Ilkla...
Mynydd Du, Welsh for "Black Mountain," is a moorland massif in Carmarthenshire and the westernmost major upland area of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, formerly called Brecon Beacons National Park. Its highest summit is Fan Brycheiniog, at 802 metres, while Bannau Sir Gaer forms a prominent escarp...
Pendle Moor is an area of upland moorland around Pendle Hill in Lancashire, England. Its landscape includes open grassland, heather, farms, and settlements overlooking the surrounding valleys. The area is closely associated with the Pendle witch trials of 1612, in which residents from communities ne...
Wildseemoor is a raised-bog landscape surrounding the Wildsee, a small lake in the northern Black Forest of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its waterlogged, nutrient-poor environment supports peat-forming vegetation and other species adapted to acidic mire conditions. The area is protected for its relat...
Migneint is an extensive upland area of blanket bog and moorland in north Wales, principally within Gwynedd. Its peatlands, pools, wet heath, and grassland form an important habitat for upland plants and birds, while also storing carbon and regulating water. Parts of the landscape fall within protec...
Mynydd Preseli, also called the Preseli Hills, is an upland area of moorland in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. Archaeological and geological research links outcrops in the Preseli region with several varieties of bluestone used at Stonehenge, although the precise prehistoric extraction and transpor...
Nidderdale Moors are upland areas of heather moorland and peat in North Yorkshire, England, within the landscape historically designated the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The moors form part of the Pennine uplands and contain headwaters and tributaries feeding the River Nidd, along...
Blackstone Edge Moor is a South Pennines moorland on the Lancashire-West Yorkshire border, England, notable for a well-preserved section of Roman road, one of the clearest examples surviving in Britain.
Rombalds Moor is a moorland ridge between Wharfedale and Airedale in West Yorkshire, England, encompassing Ilkley Moor and containing a notable concentration of Bronze Age cup-and-ring rock art.
A carboniferous limestone escarpment in Powys, Wales, containing one of Britain's longest cave networks, including the Agen Allwedd system.
