Talk:North Downs

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I think "Due to the porous nature of the underlying chalk, the North Downs is generally a treeless landscape" is purely conjecture and indeed factually incorrect. Many many species of tree like good drainage.

Much of the downland is indeed treeless but this is due to them having been cleared of trees in the distant past and the regrowth being suppressed by grazing as can be witnessed by the increase in scrubland when grazing reduced. Mixed deciduous forrest is the climax vegetation.

Living as I do at he bottom of Wrotham Hill I can assure you that trees will happily grow on the North Downs if left to their own devices. Indeed before the intervention of man the downs were almost entirely forrested.

I agree, most of Ranmore, Boxhill, Reigate Hill and the Greensand hills of Leith Hill, Holmbury Hill and Pitch Hill are covered in trees. Also, the North Downs in many places consists of two sub-parallel ridges a few miles apart. The northernmost hills being chalk overlaying clay, the southernmost being greensand. The latter set of hills also now has a long distance path called 'the Greensand Way'. I shall consider a re-write over the next few weeks.

[edit] The Ends of the North Downs

Okay, the White Cliffs of Dover are pretty definitive, but where's the Hampshire end generally considered to be? 82.36.26.229 17:23, 16 September 2005 (UTC)