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The Quantocks

The Quantock countryside is one of the finest in England. In 1956 it was the first to be awarded the national status of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the Quantock Common is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The status serves to offer protection to this special landscape which contains habitat of international importance, for example nearly 10% of the world's maritime heathland lies within its boundaries.

The hills themselves cover an area measuring some 12 miles by 4 and reach to a height of 384 meters (1,260 feet) at Will's Neck. Stretching from just north of the county town of Taunton they meet the Bristol Channel at their northern end. From the tops there are extensive views of the Brendon Hills and Exmoor to the west, the Blackdown Hills to the south-west and the Bridgwater Bay area to the east.

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