West Newlandside Meadows
West Newlandside Meadows is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Wear Valley district of County Durham, England. It lies 3 km south-west of the village of Stanhope.
West Newlandside Meadows | |
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Location of West Newlandside Meadows SSSI, Co Durham | |
Location | Wear Valley, North East, England |
Coordinates | 54°43′55″N 2°2′39″W |
Area | 12.5 ha (31 acres) |
Established | 1990 |
Governing body | Natural England |
Website | Map of site |
The area is drained by two small burns, tributaries of the River Wear and consists of several fields that are managed as traditional northern hay meadows, a habitat that is threatened by intensive agricultural practices.
The meadows are rich in grassland species: the nationally rare northern hawk's beard, Crepis mollis, is plentiful, and the locally rare adder's tongue, Ophioglossum vulgatum, and frog orchid, Coeloglossum viride, are also present.
A different vegetation is found where there are banks that are too steep to be cut; here the calcareous soils support such species as fairy flax, Linum catharticum, harebell, Campanula rotundifolia, and mountain pansy, Viola lutea.[1]
References
- "West Newlandside Meadows" (PDF). English Nature. 1990. Retrieved 23 July 2010.