Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Location | Northumberland |
---|---|
Grid reference | NY635685 |
Coordinates | 55°00′35″N2°34′20″W / 55.009710°N 2.5722506°W |
Area | 110 acres (0.45 km2; 0.17 sq mi) |
Notification | 1984 |
Irthing Gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest [1] [2] on the border between the counties of Northumberland and Cumbria, in England. It is located on the south-western boundary of Northumberland National Park where the River Irthing flows near the village of Gilsland. This protected has an exceptional mixture of habitats, including hillside woodland, seepage areas and bare rock. The gorge here cuts through moorland. [1]
This protected area supports exceptional upland gorge woodland with silver birch and downy birch occurring on higher rockier ground. Yew trees occur on cliff ledges. Ash, sessile oak, wych elm and hazel dominate the lower slopes. Moss species include Mnium hornum and Dicranum majus . Several fern species have been recorded from rock faces including Cystopteris fragilis, Asplenium viride and Polystichum aculeatum . Lichen species recorded here include Lepraria membranacea and Cystocoleus niger. [1]
Plant species in damp seepage areas include limestone bedstraw, yellow saxifrage and the insectivorous plant called butterwort. The variegated horsetail has also been recorded here. [1]
Red squirrels and badgers have been recorded in this gorge. [3] The project Red Squirrels United monitored grey squirrels and red squirrels in Irthing gorge between 2016 and 2020. [4]
The exposed rocks of the gorge consist of thick beds of sandstone with thinner bands of calcareous shale. [3]
Part of the protected area is owned by the Forestry Commission. [5] The Woodland Trust also owns land in this protected area. In 2004 the Woodland Trust planted trees in 13ha of grassland in order to extend the woodland. Woodland management includes control of Rhododendron species. [3]
The red squirrel, also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia.
The Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve (NNR) comprises six separate woodland sites in the Clyde Valley region of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. These six sites are located along a 12 km section of the River Clyde and its tributaries, and lie close to built-up areas such as Hamilton and Lanark on the southern outskirts of Greater Glasgow. The sites can be easily accessed by about two million people living in the surrounding urban areas, making the reserve unique amongst Scotland's NNRs, most of which tend to be located in more remote areas. The six sites are:
Backmuir Wood is a 140.58 acres (56.89 ha) woodland in the Scottish county of Angus, about 4 kilometres (2 mi) northwest of Dundee. It is located south of the A923, between the villages of Muirhead and Liff. Since 1996, the woodland has been under the ownership of the Woodland Trust, which manages it in partnership with a local community group. The area of the wood has been extended since then, including the acquisition of a further 17 acres in 2009. Backmuir Wood is a diverse woodland, which is home to a variety of different tree species. It also provides a habitat for the red squirrel, a protected species in the UK.
Shorn Cliff And Caswell Woods is a 69.2-hectare (171-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1986. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).
Naddle Forest is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is located on either side of the northern section of Haweswater reservoir, near the villages; Burnbanks and Bampton.
Holystone Burn Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within Northumberland National Park in Northumberland, England. It is located near the village of Holystone. The protected area includes part of the valley along which flows the stream called Holystone Burn. Part of the protected area is managed by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
Lampert Mosses is a Site of Special Scientific Interest within Northumberland National Park, Northumberland, England. It is located 8km north of the town of Haltwistle. The western boundary of this protected area largely follows the valley of the River Irthing. The protected area contains exceptional blanket bog over deep peat.
Stawardpeel Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Northumberland, England. This protected area is located in the valley of the River Allen, near Bardon Mill. The protected area is owned by the National Trust, within the Allen Banks & Staward Gorge estate.
Whitfield Moor, Plenmeller and Asholme Commons is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the North Pennines in Northumberland, England. This protected area is located south of Haltwistle and includes part of the Bellister Castle estate and parts of the Williamston estate and Whitfield estate.
Holystone North Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Northumberland National Park, Northumberland, England. It is located near the village of Holystone. The woodland was historically an oak coppice.
Butterburn Flow is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Cumbria, England. It is located north of Greenhead. Some of the borders of this protected area follow the River Irthing. This protected area contains important blanket bog habitat that occurs over deep peat.
Buttermere Fells is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The protected area includes many of the hills and mountains between the Buttermere lake valley near the village of Buttermere and the River Derwent valley near the village of Braithwaite. This protected area includes the mountains of Grasmoor, Crag Hill, Causey Pike and Hindscarth. The protected area includes much of the North Western Fells. This protected area contains exceptional examples of montane dwarf shrub heath communities.
Duddon Valley Woodlands is a Site of Special Scientific Interest within the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. This protected area comprises eight large patches of woodland along the valley of the River Duddon. The northernmost part of this protected area is near Seathwaite and southern most at Duddon Bridge. This protected area has an exceptional diversity of moss species and also has a population of the common dormouse.
Eden Gorge is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) including a 5km length of the valley of the River Eden between Armathwaite and Lazonby in Cumbria, England. This protected area spans between the Settle-Carlisle railway track on the western side to Coombs Wood Forestry Commission site on the eastern side. The protected area includes 30m high cliffs where the River Eden has eroded through New Red Sandstone. The semi-natural woodland is apparently a remnant of the ancient Inglewood forest.
Gelt Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the valley of the River Gelt. It is located 2km south of Brampton, near the village of Low Geltbridge in Cumbria, England. This protected area includes exceptional gorge woodland at a location where the River Gelt has cut through the New Red Sandstone. The area is protected because of the rare species of moss and liverworts and because of the diversity of woodland bird species. Part of the protected area is owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Glencoyne Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. This protected area is located near the village of Glenridding near Ullswater lake. This woodland is protected because of the exceptional diversity of mosses and liverworts. Red squirrel has been recorded in this woodland.
Gowbarrow Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It is located on the lower slopes of Gowbarrow Fell and borders Ullswater lake. It is 2 km from the hamlet of Dockray. This protected area has an outstanding diversity of lichen species. Red squirrels have been recorded in this protected area.
Lodore-Troutdale Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Lake District National Park. It is located 4km south of Keswick and 1km east of Grange in the valley of the River Derwent within Borrowdale. The woodland here has an exceptional diversity of moss species.
Miterdale Head Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the Lake District National Park, in Cumbria, England. It is 3km east of Santon Bridge near Eskdale. This hazel-birch woodland is protected because of its exceptional diversity of moss and liverwort species.
Seatoller Wood, Sourmilk Gill & Seathwaite Graphite Mine is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within Lake District National Park on the slopes above Seathwaite in Borrowdale, the valley of the River Derwent. The woodland is exceptional because of the lichen and liverwort species found there and the Red Squirrels that live there.