Brockadale Nature Reserve

Brockadale Nature Reserve has been managed by the Trust since 1966. Before that the reserve has an interesting history with a fort in the vicinity dating back to the Iron Age. Roman coins have also been discovered providing evidence of an early settlement on the adjacent dry limestone land. Nearby Kirk Smeaton is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book, where it is stated that the local woodlands fuel its smithies. Brockadale has a brief mining history in 1820, however this was short lived due to the poor quality of the stone. The horse drawn railway that was constructed to transport the stone is today a footpath.

More recently the reserve has been recognised as being important for wildlife and was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1961. The soils are fertile and well-drained, which in other parts of Britain are usually farmed. However due to the steep valley sides with very thin soil the site would be too difficult to plough. This has meant that the habitat has remained undisturbed allowing a great variety of wild flowers to establish.

Species of interest include cowslips, clustered bellflowers and orchids in the spring and summer months. A good number of butterflies are supported by this vast range of flora including the gatekeeper and marbled white. Ancient woodland habitat also forms part of the reserve, with ground species such as wood anemone and bluebell thriving. Whilst in the past the woodland was exploited meaning very few ancient trees still exist there is a good assortment of species with ash and sycamore dominating.

The River Went also meanders through the reserve creating flood meadows and wet woodland habitats. Craggy limestone outcrops also provide habitat for nationally scarce plants such as spring cinquefoil and autumn gentian. The woodland is managed to maintain clearings so that woodland plants such as violets continue to thrive. Grassland areas and riverside meadows are grazed in a traditional way to maintain a diversity of plant species, whereas the riverbank itself is fenced off from livestock to improve the habitat for species such as kingfisher.

For more information about Brockadale take a look at the Brockadale Supporters Group website.

SITA Trust has also funded a project to restore this magnesium limestone landscape back to optimum, more information about the Brimful of Brockadale project can be found under our conservation project pages.

Directions

Brockadale is situated on the River Went between Wentbridge and Kirk Smeaton on the southern boundary of North Yorkshire, just east of the A1. Approach from the Little Smeaton to Darrington road. Take the unmarked track to the left, a quarter-of-a-mile out of Little Smeaton, to the reserve car park, on the left after about half-a-mile.
Footpaths also enter the reserve from Wentbridge and the Smeatons.