East Nidderdale Moors

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Pool on Masham moor, within East Nidderdale Moors SSSI Pool on Masham Moor - geograph.org.uk - 489126.jpg
Pool on Masham moor, within East Nidderdale Moors SSSI

East Nidderdale Moors is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) [1] [2] in the Pennines, North Yorkshire, England. Part of East Nidderdale Moors is within Yorkshire Dales National Park and part of it is within the Nidderdale National Landscape. East Nidderdale Moors extend from the peak of High Ruddes in the south (above the town of Pateley Bridge) to the peak of Flamstone Pin in the north (above the hamlet of Caldbergh). This area is protected because of the important moorland and peatland habitats here and because of the diversity of bird species.

Contents

The full name of this protected area is: East Nidderdale Moors (Flamstone Pin - High Ruckles) SSSI. One of the streams that flows through this protected area is called the River Burn. East Nidderdale Moors SSSI includes Colsterdalemoor, Mashammoor, Lofthouse moor, Dallowgill moor and Pateleymoor.

Biology

Moorland plant species include bell heather, cross-leaved heath, cranberry , bog asphodel, and round-leaved sundew. In wetter areas, plant species include bog pimpernel, bog pondweed , blinks , marsh pennywort, common butterwort, pale forget-me-not ( Myosotis stoloinfera ; genus Myosotis ) and common twayblade. On peatland, moss species include Sphagnum papillosum and Sphagnum capillifolium. Woodlands around Birk Gill (that flows into Leighton Reservior) are dominated by sessile oak trees. [1]

Bird species include merlin, short-eared owl, red grouse, golden plover, curlew, snipe, redshank, ringed ouzel, peregrine, hen harrier and buzzard. [1] There is a record of hen harriers breeding in East Nidderdale Moors in 1971. [3]

Land ownership

Part of the land within East Nidderdale Moors SSSI is owned by the National Trust (this protected area intersects with the Braithwaite Hall estate) [4] . Part of this protected area (Lofthouse Moor) is owned by the Ramsden family. In 2023, a member of the Ramsden landowning family was fined for burning vegetation that was on peat. [5] The Swinton Estate also own land within East Nidderdale Moors SSSI. [6]

Raptor persecution

The moors around Nidderdale have a high level of raptor persecution. In 2019 a hen harrier was found shot on the Swinton Estate. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "SSSI detail". designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  2. ↑ "Protected Planet | East Nidderdale Moors (Flamstone Pin - High Ruckles)". Protected Planet. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  3. ↑ Mather, John (2001). Birds of the Harrogate District. Harrogate and District Naturalists Society.
  4. ↑ "Mapping the habitats of England's ten largest institutional landowners". Who owns England?. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  5. ↑ "Landowner admits to illegal burning of peat in Nidderdale SSSI". Craven Herald. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Bird Watching". Swinton Estate. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Hen harrier 'found shot on grouse moor'". BBC News. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2025.

54°12′N1°48′W / 54.2°N 1.8°W / 54.2; -1.8

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