Vale of Holmesdale

Looking south fromBlue Bell Hillacross the Medway Valley a deep part of the valley, with the village ofEcclesin the foreground, the Aylesford Newsprint plant in the middle ground,DittonandMaidstonebeyond.

Geology of the South East,The vale is the thin lime green belt

View from North downs towardsReigate.

A cross-section, showing the Wealden Dome, and relating it to the towns of Kent

the view fromNewlands Cornernear to Guildford showing the richness of this undeveloped part of the valley's agriculture and naturalhabitat

Holmesdale,also known as theVale of Holmesdale,is a valley inSouth-East Englandthat falls between the hill ranges of theNorth Downsand theGreensand Ridgeof theWeald,in the counties ofKentandSurrey.It stretches fromFolkestoneon theKentcoast, throughAshford,Harrietsham,Maidstone,Riverhead/Sevenoaks,Westerham,Oxted,Godstone,Redhill,Reigate,Dorking,Gomshall,andGuildford– west of which it is also called by the local name of "Puttenham Vale" – as it continues through the village ofPuttenham,to themarket townofFarnham.

Geology

Holmesdale is part of theWeald BasinandWeald-Artois Anticline.The valley is bordered on its north side by thechalkescarpmentof the North Downs, and on its south side by thedip slopeof the Greensand Ridge.

The valley's composition is primarilyGault ClayandUpper Greensand,with Lower Chalk wash at the foot of the Downs along its north edge and erodedLower Greensandat its south edge also forming part of the valley floor in places.The vale gently ascends and descends several times along its length, with higher elevations nearLenhamand Westerham (inKent), andWotton(inSurrey)acting asdrainage dividesfor the valley's severaldrainage basinsand rivers.

Rivers

The valley is part of the drainage basins of the riversStourandMedway;and theThamestributaries theDarentandMole.

Transport

TheM25 motorwayruns westward along Holmesdale after descending through the North Downs nearSevenoaks(Junction 5), before ascending up the downs again atReigate(Junction 8). TheA25 roadconnects the towns and villages in Holmesdale fromWrotham HeathtoShere,alternating between running in the valley and running along the Greensand Ridge. At Shere the A25 ascends the downs, passing over the top atNewlands Corner,to run north of the downs to Guildford.

TheNorth Downs railway lineruns along the valley from Redhill to Gomshall.

Usage of the term

Local businesses, schools, and clubs use the valley's name, for example theHolmesdale Building Societyin Reigate;The Holmesdale SchoolinSnodland;and theHolmesdale Natural History Club,founded in 1857, which runs a museum of the same name in Reigate.

See also

• Geology of Kent
• Geology of Surrey
• Greensand Ridge
• North Downs
• Vale of Kent
• Weald