Wolds

region, England, United Kingdom

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Last updated

July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

The Wolds are chalk hills located in northeastern England, stretching across areas like North Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire. The term "wold" itself refers to an open, often upland area of country, or more specifically, a hilly or rolling region, which is commonly used in the names of various English geographic areas.12

These hills, including the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wolds, were shaped into characteristic plateaus with west-facing escarpments by glacial periods. England's topography is generally low in elevation but features rolling hillsides, with the Wolds being a notable example of this type of landscape.3

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East Riding of Yorkshire
…at Flamborough Head, the Yorkshire Wolds rise inland to an elevation of nearly 800 feet (240 metres), sweeping in a crescent west and south to the Humber at Brough. The Wolds gradually descend to the low plain of Holderness in the southeast and to the alluvial plain of the Rivers…
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…at Flamborough Head, the Yorkshire Wolds rise inland to an elevation of nearly 800 feet (240 metres), sweeping in a crescent west and south to the Humber at Brough. The Wolds gradually descend to the low plain of Holderness in the southeast and to the alluvial plain of the Rivers…
Read More