Dunstable Downs are part of the Chiltern Hills, in southern Bedfordshire. They are a chalk escarpment forming the north-eastern reaches of the Chilterns. At 243m/797ft, Dunstable Downs are the highest point of Bedfordshire. The Chiltern Hills are a chalk escarpment that stretches in a south-west to north-east diagonal across several counties of southern England, but is most prominent in Buckinghamshire. ... Bedfordshire is a county in England. ... Bedfordshire is a county in England. ...

Whipsnade Zoo has cut an enormous lion shape into the chalk into the side of one of the hills. The lion can be seen from the Aylesbury to Dunstable road. Whipsnade Wild Animal Park is a zoo located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. ... Location within the British Isles. ... Location within the British Isles. ...

The downs are used by gliders, kite fliers, hang gliders and paragliders in the area because of their height. The London Gliding Club is based at the foot of the downs. Gliders are un-powered heavier-than-air aircraft. ... A kite is a man-made, heavier-than-air object, designed to fly by opposing the force of the wind with the tension of a string held by the operator. ... Hang gliding is one of the windsports. ...

Much of the downs are managed by the National Trust, and the Downs are also home to a wide variety of wildlife including many rare wild flowers, such as the Bee Orchid, and different butterfly species, like the Marbled White and the Chalkhill Blue. The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is an organisation which works to preserve and protect coastline, countryside and buildings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ... Binomial name Ophrys apifera The Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera Hudson) is a rare and protected perennial, growing on semi-dry turf, on limestone, calcareous dunes or in open areas in woodland. ...

See also

• Luton
• Dunstable
• Geology of Hertfordshire