Fen Bog Nature Reserve

Fen Bog was gifted to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in October 1964 by Air Marshall John Baldwin and Major CL Baldwin as a memorial to Sir John’s son, Captain Tony Baldwin (8th KRI Hussars) and Major Baldwin’s nephew, Midshipman Dick Crossley, RN, killed in action in World War II.

The reserve is set within some of the most dramatic scenery of the North York Moors National Park. It is one of the best examples of upland valley mire in Britain with a habitat mosaic of mire, wet heath and moorland. In some places post-glacial peat has formed to a depth of over 12m, the valley mire situated in the glacial drainage channel of Newton Dale. The number of species at Fen Bog is astounding, with over 890 flora and fauna species recorded! 300 of these are plants including bulrush, lesser spearwort and ten species of Sphagnum moss in the wettest areas. In the drier areas heather, purple moor-grass and hard fern grow.

Other plants typical of a bog community that grow include cranberry, round-leaved sundew and the insectivorous butterwort that captures insects in its leaves. Over 340 species of insects have been recorded here, in particular the site is special for its dragonflies, moths and butterflies. Amongst the sixty species of birds recorded as Fen Bog is the meadow pipit, redstart, whincat and snipe which feed on this valuable habitat. Reptiles are also found including the common lizard and adder, which is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The Trust works to conserve the variety of plant and animal life on the reserve, and ensure the rarer species are protected. Sheep conservation grazing continues on the site to maintain the diversity of plant species.

Directions

The reserve is situated to the west of the A169 Pickering-Whitby road, about ten miles north of Pickering and three miles south of Goathland. Approaching from Pickering, about two miles beyond the Hole of Horcum turn left onto the reserve before Eller Beck
Bridge. The causeway across the northern end of the reserve was constructed to enable people using the long-distance Lyke Wake Walk (permissive footpath) to cross the bog dryshod and to prevent erosion.