The relief of the UK is quite diverse. There are swampy lowlands, and rocky hills, and mountain systems. True, the latter do not rise above one and a half kilometers above sea level. The Cambrian Mountains are located in the southwestern part of the island. Just about them we will tell in more detail in our article.
Cambrian mountains: age and geological structure
Almost the entire peninsula of Wales occupies a number of plateaus and low mountains. Geographers call this area the Cambrian Mountains. Their length from north to south is 150 km, and from west to east - 46 km. The exact location of the mountains on a map of the United Kingdom is shown below.
The Cambrian mountains are geologically considered ancient structures. They formed in the era of the Caledonian folding, that is, about 450 million years ago. These mountains are quite badly destroyed, their slopes are smoothed out by glaciers and densely dotted with valleys of narrow and deep lakes. They are composed mainly of limestone, mudstone and red sandstone.
The average altitudes of these mountains range from 450-600 meters above sea level. The highest point is Mount Pllinimon Vaur.
Relief and landscapes of a mountainous country
This wild and sparsely populated area is often referred to as the wasteland of Wales. Nevertheless, it is these lands that provide fresh water to the entire peninsula, as well as a number of large cities, including Liverpool and Birmingham.
The particular value of this region is forests. They occupy about two-thirds of the area of the Cambrian Mountains. For comparison: the total forest cover of the UK is only 8%. Another distinctive feature of the area is heather fields, which arose exclusively through the fault of man. For centuries, trees were actively cut here, and cattle grazed on the vacant spaces. One way or another, moorland today is a kind of calling card and decoration of the Cambrian mountains. In the spring they are painted in bright green colors, in the fall - in scarlet-scarlet, and in the winter - in brown.
Despite the low altitude of these mountains, they amaze with the diversity of their landscapes. The tourist will meet here sheer basalt rocks, stone placers, spectacular waterfalls and picturesque gorges. The Cambrian mountains in their appearance in many respects resemble the Sayans or Altai. But they only look much smaller and more welcoming.
