Clee Hills
The Clee Hills are a range of hills in Shropshire, England, consisting of Brown Clee Hill (540m), the highest peak in Shropshire, and Titterstone Clee Hill (533m). They are Both in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Views from the west of the hills spread as far as Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and the Cotswolds. To the east are the Clent Hills, Turners Hill and the spread of the West Midlands. It is possible to see the high-rise flats in Dudley and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC's Molineux stadium. The hills mark a clear eastern boundary to the Shropshire Hills, and are just west of the Severn Valley between Bridgnorth and Bewdley. The hills stand out over the surrounding countryside and can be seen from well into Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and the Black Country. They can also be seen, on a clear day, from the M5 Motorway on the northbound approach to Bromsgrove. The hills were created by glacial activity in the last Ice Age.
The hills stretch over 15 miles and run north - south, for about this distance the lowest point along the hills is just under 300 metres. Titterstone Clee Hill is around five miles south of Brown Clee Hill. The B4364 road from Ludlow to Bridgnorth runs between the two hills, offering good views of both. The hills seem to form a "gateway" from the built up areas of the West Midlands to the hills and rural landscape of Wales and are at the heart of the Welsh Marches. Much Quarrying has taken place on the hills over the years, and there are large air traffic control domes and radar towers on the summits of both hills which can be seen for many miles around.
The village of Cleehill, lies on the slopes of Titterstone Clee Hill, about half way between Ludlow and Cleobury Mortimer.
There is a long-standing rumor in the local area of the hills - that is that they are the highest land eastwards until the Ural Mountains in Russia. This may well be true, as it has even been known for radios in the area to pick up signals via the air traffic control masts from Radio Moscow.
In the summer the hills are green and are relatively easy walking, but more care should be taken when planning a winter expedition, as though most of the time there is no snow and ice on the hills, when it comes it can be severe with strong gales and blizzards - don't forget that Shropshire is one of the coldest areas of England!
Other hills over 500 metres in Shropshire are The Long Mynd and Stiperstones.
The area is very important for wildife, and the RSPB set up a "Aren't Birds Brilliant" watchpoint up in the disused Hanson Quarry near Cleehill to watch a nest of Peregrine Falcons in May 2005. However, the event had to be cancelled after the female of the pair disappeared, and was suspected to have been poisoned.