ABOUT USThe North Wessex Downs National Landscape is a designated protected landscape. It straddles the boundaries of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and covers 173 parishes and it is the third largest National Landscape in the country covering an area of 668 square miles (1,730 square kilometres). It received its designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1972.
Conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the North Wessex Downs is the responsibility of nine local authorities within the four counties. They come together with community, farming, conservation, tourism and heritage representatives to make up a governing Council of Partners, which is supported by a small professional team.
Our work involves collaborating with a network of organisations, businesses, farmers, landowners and local communities. Together, we run and are involved with, a range of projects and initiatives to conserve and enhance the landscape – its natural environment, its heritage, and its culture – while keeping in mind the needs of local communities and businesses.
A truly special place, protected for you
From remote, rolling downland to picture postcard villages the North Wessex Downs are truly special. Undoubtedly among Britain’s most beautiful landscapes, they are somewhere to be treasured, protected and enjoyed. Straddling four counties and often unheralded, this is an area united by a single factor – chalk.
The North Wessex Downs National Landscape is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
An AONB is a nationally important landscape protected by law. Each AONB has its own natural beauty and distinct characteristics that are recognised as so outstanding that they should be protected for the nation and future generations. On 22 November 2023 AONBs across England and Wales became known as National Landscapes but the formal designation, and the legal protections, remain the same.
