It is an area of calcareous grassland lying over Oolitic (Jurassic) Limestone covered by shallow, well-drained soils. The Tumps is above Congrove Field, and is believed to be the site of mining activities in the past. The grassland communities present are of the Tor-grass(Brachypodium pinnatum) type showing elements of both the Meadow Oat-grass-wild thyme(Avenula pratensis)–(Thymus praecox) and the Knapweed-Rough Hawkbit(Centaurea nigra)–(Leontodon hispidus) variants.[3]
The Tumps is also the name of an elevated area of woodland and open grassland in the southern outskirts of Bath, north of the Odd Down Sports Ground.[4]
