Moorhouse and Cross Fell
Moorhouse and Cross Fell | |
---|---|
Location | MAGiC MaP |
Nearest town | Alston , Cumbria |
Coordinates | 54°43′N 2°23′W / 54.717°N 2.383°W |
Area | 13,707 ha (52.92 sq mi) |
Established | 1951 / 1963 |
Governing body | Natural England |
Website | Moorhouse and Cross Fell SSSI |
Moorhouse and Cross Fell is a
The area is important for its wide variety of upland habitats, especially
Ornithology
More than forty species of birds breed in the area, including several
Flora and fauna
The
Although the area has a variety of habitats, it is the montane vegetation that is particularly notable. The summit of Cross Fell is dominated by a heath in which the moss Racromitium lanuginosum is dominant and is the most extensive area of such heath in England. Other notable montane and sub-montane species include hair sedge, Carex capillaris, northern bedstraw, Galium boreale, mountain everlasting, Antennaria dioica, and alpine forget-me-not, Myosotis alpestris.[1]
Geology
Within the site are five localities of geological interest, of which the following are particularly notable:[1]
- Knock Fell Caverns — situated at the head of Knock Ore Gill, this is the most extensive cave systemin Britain.
- Cross Fell — together with the Dun Fells and Knock Fell, this area is important both for its examples of periglaciallandforms and because some periglacial processes are still active.
SSSI history
In 1975, Moor House NNR was the first site in Britain to be declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
Moorhouse and Cross Fell SSSI was created in 1990 as part of a substantial revision of existing SSSIs that had originally been notified under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. In the course of the revision, parts of the Cross Fell SSSI and Upper Teesdale and Appleby Fells SSSI were amalgamated with Moor House NNR to form the new Moorhouse and Cross Fell SSSI.
The site is within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is one of a group of SSSIs underlying the North Pennines Moors Special Protection Area designated in 2001 under the European Union Birds Directive.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Moorhouse and Cross Fell : Reasons for SSSI status" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ Eaton, M A; A F Brown; D G Noble; A J Musgrove; R Hearn; N J Aebischer; D W Gibbons; A Evans; R D Gregory (2009). "Birds of Conservation Concern 3: the population status of birds in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man". British Birds. 102: 296–341.
- ^ Downie, I S; J C Coulson; L J Bauer; J E L Butterfield; L Davies; S A Goodyear (1994). "The invertebrate fauna of Cross Fell and Dun Fell summits". Vasculum. 79: 48–62.
- ^ "Designated sites". English Nature.