Croydon, regarded by many as a concrete wasteland, is to get lottery money to protect its "spectacular scenery" as part of a programme designed to conserve the nation's best-loved views. It is one of Croydon's best-kept secrets - even to the people who live in the town - that the River Wandle starts there before winding its way, sometimes under concrete, to join the Thames at Wandsworth. The Wandle's "green corridor" - much of which is in Croydon - is one of 11 glorious landscapes that has won a share of ?18.3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). Others on the list include Lindisfarne, the Gower Peninsula, and the Lomond Hills - landscapes traditionally more associated with the descriptions "beautiful", "stunning" and "worth protecting". Dame Jenny abramsky, chairman of the HLF, said: "Landscapes speak to the heart, inspiring people in all sorts of ways." Lindisfarne The exposed North Northumberland coastal landscape combines beauty and heritage. as the Cradle of Christianity in the UK, it boasts a unique place in history. aLaMY Stiperstones and Corndon Hill Two ridges in Shropshire and Powys that are closely associated with a heritage of mining and quarrying. among the projects created from ?1.4m of Heritage Lottery Fund money will be a new apprenticeship scheme. HERITaGE LOTTERY FUND Morecambe Bay a ?2m grant will fund training, archaeological digs, oral history and address the potential of climate change in and around the vast and sometimes deadly inter-tidal sand and mudflats. aLaMY South Dorset Ridgeway One of