Overview

The High Weald National Landscape is a nationally-important, much-loved and precious part of the English countryside. It is a medieval landscape of wooded, rolling hills studded with sandstone outcrops; small, irregular-shaped fields; scattered farmsteads; and ancient routeways. The 1461km2 area covers parts of Kent, Sussex and Surrey at the heart of South East England. About us: For 30 years the High Weald National Landscape Partnership has worked tirelessly to care for the area. We have an excellent track record in: •Providing landscape-led advice to local authorities, communities and individuals •Coordinating landscape-focused work across the area (drawing on a far-reaching partner network and many decades’ experience within the High Weald National Landscape team); and •Delivering innovative and nationally-acclaimed collaborative projects, from education programmes and festivals to delivering Defra’s Farming in Protected Landscapes grant programme for farmers. We also produce the statutory AONB Management Plan every five years on behalf of local authority members, and routinely source significant levels of external funding for its delivery. What are Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty? They are some of Britain's finest countryside, with landscapes of particularly distinctive character, remarkable natural beauty and high ecological value. They are protected by law to ensure the conservation and enhancement of their natural beauty, not just for the present, but also for future generations. The United Kingdom has 49 AONBs: 36 that lie wholly in England, four wholly in Wales, nine in Northern Ireland and the Wye Valley which straddles the English/Welsh border. They cover 15% of the land in England, 4% in Wales and 20% in Northern Ireland.