May Hill
| May Hill | |
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May Hill from Perrystone Hill
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 296 m (971 ft) |
| Prominence | c. 217 m |
| Parent peak | Worcestershire Beacon |
| Listing | Marilyn |
| Geography | |
| Location | Gloucestershire, England |
| OS grid | SO695213 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 162 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Trees on the summit of May Hill
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 Location within Gloucestershire
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| Area of Search | Gloucestershire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SO695214 |
| Coordinates | 51°53′27″N 2°26′38″W / 51.890765°N 2.443869°WCoordinates: 51°53′27″N 2°26′38″W / 51.890765°N 2.443869°W |
| Interest | Biological/Geological |
| Area | 32.6 hectare |
| Notification | 1954 |
| Natural England website | |
May Hill is a hill between Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye. Its summit is on the western edge of Gloucestershire, though its northern slopes are in Herefordshire. The hill is made distinctive by a clump of trees on its top.
There is an unverified story that May Hill was named after a certain Captain May who used it as a landmark when navigating the Severn estuary, but documents from a couple of hundred years ago relate that the hill was known as Yartleton Hill and was renamed because of the May Day events held there. Each May Day, morris dancers dance in the new dawn on the top of May Hill and hundreds of observers join in the celebration. A ceremony on May Day morning has been carried out for several centuries; originally it included a mock battle between youths.
May Hill forms part of a low range of hills separating the River Severn from the River Wye. The summit is 296 metres (971 ft) above sea level, and located there among the trees are several benches from which one may study the views, which are extensive in all directions. They include views to the Welsh borders, and the lower reaches of the River Severn, bypassed for shipping by the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.
May Hill is formed of sandstones and siltstones known as the May Hill sandstone, consisting of the Huntley Hill and Yartleton formations. These rocks date from the Early Silurian period and are formed into a dome, cut through by several faults. The most significant of these is the Blaisdon Fault, which forms the eastern boundary of May Hill and separates it from the younger rocks of the Severn Vale.
The top of May Hill (grid reference SO695214) is a 32.6-hectare (81-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954.
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Wikipedia