The Humberhead Levels

The Humberhead Levels is an area of flatland east of the Humber estuary in Yorkshire, stretching from south of Doncaster to north of Selby. Very similar in character to the East Anglia and Lincolnshire Fens, the Humberhead Levels is the site of a pro-glacial lake and now the drained floodplain of a complex of rivers including the Derwent, Don, Ouse and Trent.

To the north, the Humberhead Levels merge gradually with the more undulating Vale of York, with its great cathedral town at the centre and the river Ouse flowing through it from north to south.

So far I have made a basic survey of the area, using the same method as for the Fens around Ely. This time helped by the Ordnance Survey which will now print maps on demand of any area. In this case maps centred on York Minster and Drax - one of the newest and cleanest coal-fired power stations in the UK, but still the single largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the country.

Although one of the most productive agricultural areas of the UK, what struck me most was the inescapable noise and constant presence of heavy traffic on crowded roads, and the way Drax and other power stations like Eggborough dominate these flatlands.