What was the extent of ice cover across the UK during the last ice age?

The extent of the Late Devensian ice sheet and glaciated upland areas in Great Britain

During the last ice age, known as the Devensian glaciation, large parts of the UK were covered in thick ice. This was around 20,000 years ago, during the Late Devensian, the coldest part of the ice age.

The ice sheet stretched over Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and much of northern England, reaching as far south as the Bristol Channel. Only parts of southern England were ice-free.

In some places, the ice was over 1 kilometre thick. The weight and movement of the glaciers carved out valleys, shaped mountains, and created many of the landforms we see today, like U-shaped valleys, ridges, and glacial lakes.

As the climate warmed around 11,700 years ago, the ice began to melt and retreat, leaving behind a landscape that had been dramatically reshaped by ice.