Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
FIG
2.
Satellite image over Britain showing artificial lighting at night. (Copyright Planetary
Visions Ltd/Science Photo Library)
There is a further enjoyment that people find in landscapes and scenery that is
more difficult to understand. Is it just the physical challenge that causes people to walk
and climb to the tops of hills, mountains and other viewpoints? Why do people enjoy
the work of landscape painters and photographers? Why do so many tourists in cars
choose to take 'scenic' excursions rather than the shortest routes, and why is the pre-
servation of 'unspoilt' or wilderness areas now such a popular cause? It is difficult to
understand the various emotions involved, and trying too hard to analyse them may be
missing the point. So it seems best to hope simply that this topic will help to satisfy
some people's curiosity, and at the same time add to their enjoyment of our natural
landscapes.
MAPPING AND ANALYSING SOUTHERN ENGLAND
The detailed discussions of most of the rest of this topic have involved dividing South-
ern England into a number of Areas that form the 'building blocks' for the coverage
of Southern England (Fig. 3). Each Area is based on a double-page spread of the size
used in many of the larger road atlases available for Britain. In this case I have used
the Collins Road Atlas, Britain. This means that total coverage of Southern England
is provided, and it is easy for the reader to navigate from place to place. At the be-
ginning of each Area description, a location map of the Area and its neighbours is
provided. Ordnance Survey (OS) National Grid References are provided for the edges
of the Area, in km east and north of the arbitrary OS Grid origin some 80 km west of
the Scilly Isles.
FIG
3.
Division of Southern England into Regions and Areas.
