The Hundred of Blything occupies seven river systems that have carved a broad arc into the plateau clay of High Suffolk. The plateau is its highest (about 55 metres), and flattest, at the watershed that separates Ubbeston (Blything Hundred) from Laxfield (Hoxne Hundred). In general the Hundred boundary follows the high land between rivers and streams, but at some places it follows streams (becks). The western valleys descending from the boundary settlements have relatively steep sides into which minor roads follow narrow gullies. Some of these gullies (locally named 'Gulls') probably represent old melt-water channels of the last glaciation. In relation to their size the valleys are occupied by relatively small streams, an indiation that they were cut by by the flows of much larger volumes of water in the past. Again this is characterisitic of a late glacial landscape.

Towards the coast the streams run through sands and gravels (the Sandlings) which probably respresent the outwash of glacial flood waters. The outlets to the sea are often blocked by shingle bars, and are separated from one another by soft cliffs undegoing rapid erosion.

Occasional woods, copses, small fields and tree lined hedgerows, considerably enhance the local character, particularly in the west where vast treeless vistas have resulted from the removal of old hedgrows.

The general topography of the Hundred is presented diagramatically in Fig 1.

Fig 1 Topographic diagram of Blything Hundred.

The Hundred boundary provides a commentary on thefollowing 6 landscape categories

Estuarine marshy pasture

Sandy arable with plantation woodland and forestry

The becks and their narrow flood plains

Trees in claylands

Upper valley routways

Light arable plaeau clays

Heavy arable plateau clays

Common land

Community

Buildings as visual heritage

Scenes of work and recreation

Botanical microcosms

Earthworks