Dauntsey Vale facts for kids
The Dauntsey Vale is a wide, flat area in the north of Wiltshire, a county in England. It's like a big, open valley formed by the upper part of the River Avon. This vale separates the Cotswolds hills to the west from the chalky hills of eastern and southern Wiltshire.
The Dauntsey Vale has a triangular shape. Its northern edge stretches from Royal Wootton Bassett in the east to Malmesbury in the west. This northern ridge is home to Brinkworth, a village that claims to be five miles long – one of the longest in England!
The western side of the Vale borders the Cotswolds. This edge isn't a sharp drop like some hills. Instead, the land gradually gets lower. You can also see the change in building styles. For example, Stanton St Quintin sits above the Vale and looks like a typical Cotswolds village with honey-coloured stone houses and roof slates. But just a few miles east, villages like Christian Malford and Sutton Benger have many homes with thatched roofs.
The eastern side of the Vale has a steeper, higher hill. This ridge runs from Wootton Bassett in the north towards Calne in the south. This hilltop was once home to RAF Lyneham, a base for the RAF's large Hercules transport planes until 2011.
The Vale gets its name from the village of Dauntsey, which is located right in the middle of this area.
What the Land is Used For
The Dauntsey Vale has wet, green fields, making it perfect for dairy farming. It used to be a major area for producing milk and cheese. Today, dairy farming is still important, but other types of farming are growing. Farmers now also grow crops (called arable farming), raise sheep, and use the land for horse riding activities.
How People Travel Through the Vale
Because the Dauntsey Vale is flat and gently slopes downwards, it has been a major route for crossing southern England since the Industrial Revolution. It offers an easy way to get from the higher chalk lands of eastern Wiltshire down to cities like Bath and Bristol.
One of the first major routes built here was the Wilts & Berks Canal. This canal followed the base of the eastern ridge.
Later, the famous engineer Brunel designed the first Great Western Railway line. This railway, connecting London to Bath and Bristol, also ran through the Vale. In 1901, another railway line to South Wales was added, splitting off from the first line at Royal Wootton Bassett.
Finally, the M4 motorway also crosses the Vale. It runs from the northeast to the southwest, cutting through the lower Cotswolds hills near Stanton St Quintin.
