| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | Cumbria |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | NY655097 |
| Coordinates | 54°28′39″N2°32′46″W / 54.4774°N 2.546°W |
| Interest | Biological/Geological |
| Area | 1.35 square miles (350.2605 ha) |
| Notification | 29 May 1986 |
| Location map | Magic Map (Defra) |
| Natural England website | |
Great Asby Scar is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and National Nature Reserve in Cumbria, UK. It is an area of limestone pavement, south of the village of Great Asby.
A "scar" is the local name for a limestone pavement—an area of limestone rock which has been eroded by an overlying ice sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum and then fissured by rain to form a flat rocky pattern which resembles man-made pavement. [1] Many limestone pavements in the UK have been exploited by quarrying but this example is comparatively extensive and unspoilt. [1] [2]
The overall area of pavement covers about 15 square miles (39 km2) and is called the Westmorland Scars. Great Asby Scar is in the centre of this region. Other scars include Orton Scar, Grange Scar, and Little Asby Scar. [3]
It is in the Orton Fells in the district of Westmorland and Furness, near the village of Great Asby. Great Asby Scar was first designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1969 and the designation covers an area of about 864 acres (350 ha). It was also designated as a National Nature Reserve in 1976 and that designation covers an area of about 409.5 acres (165.7 ha). [4]
A walled settlement was constructed on a small plateau, covering an area of about 1.25 acres. This is known as Castle Folds and, as it dates back to Roman times, is protected as a scheduled monument. [4]
The region has been described as a matrix of both acidic and alkaline grassland, dominated by blue moor-grass and matgrass. Various other species have been known to exist in this region, including rare species of buckler ferns and limestone ferns. [4] As the area is quite exposed, the vegetation tends to grow in the crevices between the limestone blocks which are known as grykes. Notable species include autumn gentian, helleborines and Solomon's Seal. [3]
The area is quite bleak and barren. The most notable creature is a rare snail, Vitrea subrimata . [4]
National nature reserves in England were established by English Nature, now Natural England, which manages them either directly or through non-governmental organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds or the National Trust.
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie-like plants. Most alvars occur either in northern Europe or around the Great Lakes in North America. This stressed habitat supports a community of rare plants and animals, including species more commonly found on prairie grasslands. Lichen and mosses are common species. Trees and bushes are absent or severely stunted.
The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a 2,178 km2 (841 sq mi) national park in England which covers most of the Yorkshire Dales, the Howgill Fells, and the Orton Fells. The Nidderdale area of the Yorkshire Dales is not within the national park, and has instead been designated a national landscape. Most of the park is within North Yorkshire, with a sizeable area in Cumbria and a small part in Lancashire. The park was designated in 1954, and extended in 2016. More than 95% of the land in the park is privately owned; there are over 1,000 farms in this area.
Ingleborough is the second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, and is frequently climbed as part of the Three Peaks walk. A large part of Ingleborough is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve and is the home of a joint project, Wild Ingleborough, with aims to improve the landscape for wildlife and people.
Whitbarrow is a hill in Cumbria, England, designated a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and national nature reserve, forming part of the Morecambe Bay Pavements Special Area of Conservation due to its supporting some of the best European examples of natural limestone habitats. Also known as Whitbarrow Scar, the hill lies about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) southwest of Kendal, just north of the A590 road, close to the village of Witherslack. Part of the site is a local nature reserve called Whitbarrow Scar. Whitbarrow's summit, known as Lord's Seat, is at 215 metres (705 ft) and has a prominence of 182 metres (597 ft), classifying it as a Marilyn.
Hutton Roof Crags is a hill in southeastern Cumbria in northwest England, located near to the village of Hutton Roof. It has extensive areas of limestone pavement as well as grassland and woodland. The hill forms the Hutton Roof Crags Site of Special Scientific Interest and is part of the Morecambe Bay Pavements Special Area of Conservation. A significant proportion of the UK's 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) of limestone pavement is to be found on Hutton Roof Crags and the neighbouring Farleton Knott.
Orton is a village and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district, in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. It lies 15 miles (24 km) south of Penrith, 8 miles (13 km) from Appleby-in-Westmorland and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the M6 motorway. The village is in the upper Lune Valley, at the foot of Orton Scar in the Orton Fells. The Lake District is nearby. The parish includes a wide area outside the village, and had a population of 594 in 2001, decreasing to 588 at the 2011 Census. Until 1974 it was in Westmorland, from 1974 to 2023 it was in Eden district.
Wildcat Mountain State Park is a state park of Wisconsin, United States, on the Kickapoo River in the Driftless Area. Sandstone bluffs topped with limestone, two of which are Wildcat Mountain and Mount Pisgah, provide views over the narrow valley of the river and its tributaries. The Kickapoo Valley Reserve is immediately adjacent and forms a continuous protected area. Wildcat Mountain State Park is open for year-round recreation including hiking, canoeing, fishing, and cross-country skiing. The 3,643-acre (1,474 ha) park is located in Vernon County near the town of Ontario, Wisconsin.
Clints Crags is a small fell in the north of the English Lake District near Blindcrake, Cumbria. It has its own chapter in Alfred Wainwright's The Outlying Fells of Lakeland. He describes a circular walk from Blindcrake, and laments that at the time of writing (1974): "This is a walk on public footpaths, but until somebody removes the barbed wire and other obstacles to legitimate progress it can be recommended only to gymnasts." It reaches 804 feet (245 m). Since the time of writing the barbed wire has been removed and the path to the summit is clear of obstructions.
Crosby Ravensworth is a village and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. The village is about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the M6 motorway, and Shap. At the 2001 census the parish had a population of 538, decreasing to 517 at the 2011 Census.
Torsburgen, Tors borg or þors borg are the remains of an ancient hillfort in Kräklingbo on the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The fort is approximately 1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi), was constructed in the 1st-4th century and in use until the 12th century. Situated on a plateau hill it is protected by high cliffs and wall sections, almost 2 km (1.2 mi) long in total. The fort is featured in the Gutasaga. The plateau is also a nature reserve.
Little Asby is a small village in Cumbria, England. Historically part of Westmorland, its name is said to be derived from the Norse words askr, meaning "ash", and by, meaning "farm". A chapel at the site, of which little remains, is the main reason that the village was built.
Great Asby is a village in Cumbria, England. Historically part of Westmorland, it is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) south east of Penrith and approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Appleby-in-Westmorland. Its name is said to be derived from the Old Norse: askr, meaning ash and by, meaning farm.
Stenders Quarry is a 2.8-hectare (6.9-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, notified in 1966 and renotified in 1990. The site is designated as an SSSI for its important geological features, although there is also a diversity of plants and animals recorded.
Lower Wye Gorge is a 65-hectare (160-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954 and renotified 1987. The site includes two Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust nature reserves being Ban-y-gor Wood and Lancaut. The Natural England citation states a revision for Lancaut inclusion.
Witherslack Mosses are a fragmented wetland west of the Kent estuary in Cumbria, England, within the Lake District National Park. They consist of three raised bogs, the remnants of a formerly extensive, estuarine bog, which have been protected under the Habitats Directive as a Special Area of Conservation.
Teiči Nature Reserve is a nature reserve situated in eastern Latvia, spread across Madona, Varakļāni and Jēkabpils municipalities.
The Orton Fells is an upland area in Northern England, mostly consisting of limestone hills, plateaus and moorlands. Historically in Westmorland, the area lies within the modern county of Cumbria and is bounded by the Lake District to the west, the Eden Valley to the north and east, and the Yorkshire Dales and Howgill Fells to the south. The area mostly falls within the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales National Park while a small part of the western fells is in the Lake District National Park. The fells are one of 159 National Character Areas defined by Natural England.
Castle Folds or Castlesteads was a Romano-British walled settlement on Great Asby Scar – an area of limestone pavement in the parish of Asby, Cumbria, England. In medieval times, it was used as a shieling – a temporary summer shelter. It is now in ruins but is protected as a scheduled monument.
Farleton Knott is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Cumbria, England. It is located 6km west of Kirkby Lonsdale, near Farleton. This protected area includes an exceptional limestone pavement on the top of a hill called Farleton Fell. Farleton Knott SSSI includes within its boundary Newbiggin Crags, Holme Park Fell and a National Nature Reserve called Clawthorpe Fell.
Media related to Great Asby Scar at Wikimedia Commons
