Subjugating nature is not the way to defend against floods | Alice Roberts
The Mendips form an east-west hilly ridge, framing the Chew Valley to the north and the Somerset Levels to the south. They are mostly gently rolling hills, though cut into by deep gorges such as Burrington Combe and Cheddar Gorge. But towards the western end of the ridge, and rising to 191m, sits the only true peak in the Mendips. Some place names are exciting, poetic and laden with history. This conical hill, though, is named Crook Peak. And "crook", apparently, comes from an old English word meaning" peak. But I grew up knowing it as Crooks' Peak, and I can't quite shake the image of bands of ne'er-do-well robbers and highwaymen hiding out on the craggy summit.
But there's nothing to be scared of up there, and it's worth climbing the peak for the magnificent 360-degree view. Looking south, you can see right over the Levels, stretching to the foot of the Quantock hills. Sometimes the mist down on the Levels makes it look like a sea, with islands rising up out of it: Brent Knoll, Wedmore and Glastonbury Tor. Sometimes floodwaters create real islands out on the Levels. But 7,000 years ago, the Levels were properly submerged, forming an inlet connecting with the Severn estuary. A thousand years later, the sea and saltmarsh were being replaced by reedbeds and fresh water. As plants died and half-rotted down, peat would build up and trees would grow on drier patches. It sounds an inhospitable environment, and yet we know from evidence preserved in the peat that some ancient people felt very much at home in these marshes.
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