High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A valley in its broadest geographic sense is also known as a dale. A valley through which a river runs may also be referred to as a vale. A small, secluded, and often wooded valley is known as a dell, or in Scotland as a glen. A wide, flat valley through which a river runs is known in Scotland as a strath. A small valley surrounded by mountains is known as a hollow. A deep, narrow valley is known as a coomb (also spelled combe or coombe). Similar geological structures, such as canyons, ravines, gorges, gullies, and kloofs, are not usually referred to as valleys.