Chiltern Hills
| Chiltern Hills | |
|---|---|
Near Nettlebed, Oxfordshire | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Haddington Hill |
| Elevation | 267 m (876 ft) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 74 km (46 mi) |
| Width | 18 km (11 mi) |
| Area | 1,700 km2 (660 sq mi) |
| Geography | |
| Location | South East of England East of England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Counties | Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Hertfordshire Oxfordshire |
| Range coordinates | 51°40′N 0°55′W / 51.667°N 0.917°W |
| Geology | |
| Rock type | chalk downland |
The Chiltern Hills or the Chilterns are a chalk escarpment in southern England, located to the north-west of London, covering 660 square miles (1,700 km2) across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire; they stretch 45 miles (72 km) from Goring-on-Thames in the south-west to Hitchin in the north-east. The hills are 12 miles (19 km) at their widest.
In 1964, 833 square kilometers - almost half of the Chiltern Hills - were designated by the Countryside Commission as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) under the powers established by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.
The north-west boundary of the Chilterns is clearly defined by the escarpment. The dip slope is by definition more gradual and merges with the landscape to the south-east. The south-west endpoint is the River Thames. The hills decline slowly in prominence in north-east Bedfordshire.