Waldridge Fell
Encyclopedia
Waldridge Fell is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
located immediately south-west of Chester-le-Street
in the northern part of County Durham
, England
. It is one of the largest areas of lowland heath
in County Durham and contains the only lowland valley-mire
in the county. The Fell is home to a number of plants and insects that are scarce to rare elsewhere in the county.
were deleted from the SSSI.
The area is important as one of the largest expanses of lowland heath
in County Durham, which is close to northern limit for this type of habitat, and is one of the few such areas in North-east England. Lowland heath is a threatened habitat in the United Kingdom
, which holds around 20 percent of the world's stock of the habitat: over the last 200 years some 80 percent of the lowland heath in England has been destroyed, and in the UK as a whole only 44 percent of the area that existed before 1940 still remains.
Also significant is that the Wanister Bog, an area of seasonally-flooded wetland
on the south-east side of the Fell, is the only valley-mire in lowland County Durham.
The area currently designated as an SSSI occupies 113.5 ha, of which 98.5 ha is classed as dwarf shrub heath, 13 ha is broadleaved woodland, and the remainder is marsh.
The SSSI shares a common boundary on the south-west side with Daisy Hill Local Nature Reserve (LNR), while the north-east corner abuts the Cong Burn Wood LNR.
, the Cong Burn
to the north-west and the South Burn
to the south-east. Most of the area lies between 80 and 120 metres asl, with a high point of 129 metres.
The area is underlain by Carboniferous
coal measures
, which are capped by glacial deposits
of varying thickness. Spring-lines are prominent on the lower valley slopes and have a significant effect on the vegetation. The soils are predominantly gley
and acidic, well-drained and covered with a thin peaty layer on the higher ground, wetter and with a deeper layer of peat
in less well-drained areas.
Over most of the area, the habitat is heathland, in which the dominant species is ling, Calluna vulgaris, except on shallower soils, where bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus
, and, to a lesser extent, crowberry, Empetrum nigrum
, are dominant.
The habitat in the valleys of the Cong Burn, and its tributary Little Burn, and the South Burn, is broadleaved woodland. The principal species are sessile oak, Quercus petraea, birch, Betula pubescens and hazel, Corylus avellana
, with alder, Alnus glutinosa, locally dominant along the watercourses and at springlines. The understory
includes species such as Wavy Hair-grass, Deschampsia flexuosa
, Common Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum
, Broad Buckler Fern, Dryopteris dilatata, and Rowan, Sorbus aucuparia
.
Wanister Bog occupies a depression in which rainwater from higher up the fell has accumulated and created fen conditions. The characteristic species are Sphagnum
mosses, which have also contributed largely to the thick layer of peat that now underlies the bog. Other species that are locally dominant are rushes, Juncus spp
, and sedges, Carex spp
.
One of the rarest is the Red-tipped Clearwing, Synanthedon formicaeformis
, which was recorded three times in July 2006; this inconspicuous and elusive moth had only been recorded 12 times before in County Durham, the last occasion being in 1948, also in the Waldridge Fell area.
Other notable insects include two other moths, Northern Drab, Orthosia opima
, and Dingy Shell, Euchoeca nebulata
, and a butterfly, the Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi. Another butterfly, the Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Boloria selene, used to be common at Waldridge Fell but within County Durham is now confined to only four locations, all on heathland at around 300 metres asl.
The most notable plant species are found in the alder woodland along the spring-lines on the lower valley slopes. They include Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis, and Narrow Buckler Fern, Dryopteris carthusiana
, Hemlock Water Dropwort
, Oenanthe crocata, and Smooth-stalked Sedge, Carex laevigata
, all of which are rare or have a localised distribution in North-east England.
Rare plants that occur in Wanister Bog include Devil's-bit Scabious, Succisa pratensis
, and Marsh Violet, Viola palustris
. The former is the foodplant of the Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas aurinia, and the Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, Hemaris tityus
, while the latter is the food plant of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Boloria euphrosyne, and the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary.
The Fell is believed to support a significant population of the Slow Worm, Anguis fragilis
, a protected species in the UK.
cuts across the northern part of the fell and there are several car parks, from which footpaths radiate over the area, including one all-weather footpath for the disabled.
Coal-mining took place on and around Waldridge Fell until late in the 20th century—the last mine in the area, Smithydene drift mine—did not close until 1992. Evidence of coal mining activities is still visible in the form of waste tips, subsidence, and the remains of the old waggonway along which the coal was transported.
, and Common Tormentil, Potentilla erecta. Bracken is particularly troublesome because it crowds out the heather and associated species. The County Council has used a combination of burning and selective herbicides to control the bracken, and in 2007 embarked on a three-year trial of a more environmentally-friendly method, using heavy horses to pull a roller that crushes the bracken.
These measures have not been entirely successful; areas that have been burnt are susceptible to invasion by Rosebay Willowherb, Epilobium angustifolium, while crushed areas have been colonised by the alien invasive Heath Star Moss, Campylopus introflexus
.
The last time Natural England
surveyed the condition of Wanister Bog, it was losing water through a breach in the surrounding bund and, despite active management, the wetland was being invaded by Salix scrub and saplings. To remedy this, Durham County Council has gained approval for a 10-year programme which will involve fencing the bog and introducing highland cattle. It is hoped that a combination of grazing and trampling by the cattle will restore the bog to a favourable condition. Grazing is already being used successfully on the adjacent Daisy Hill LNR, but could not be introduced to Wanister Bog any earlier because Waldridge Fell is common land
and approval to fence off part of the common could not be sought until other management options had been tried and shown to be ineffective.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
located immediately south-west of Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
in the northern part of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is one of the largest areas of lowland heath
Lowland heath
Lowland Heath is a Biodiversity Action Plan Habitat as it is an ancient wild landscape type. Natural England's Environmental Stewardship scheme describes it as containing dry heath, wet heath and valley mire communities, usually below 250 metres, on acidic soils and shallow peat, typically...
in County Durham and contains the only lowland valley-mire
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
in the county. The Fell is home to a number of plants and insects that are scarce to rare elsewhere in the county.
SSSI status
Waldridge Fell was first notified as an SSSI in 1965. The designated area was revised in 1985, the boundary being extended in some places, while portions around Waldridge villageWaldridge, County Durham
Waldridge is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the south west of Chester-le-Street. It is known as either Waldridge Fell or Waldridge Village, the 'Fell' referring to the surrounding area of moorland. The current village dates back to the 1890s, the original village having...
were deleted from the SSSI.
The area is important as one of the largest expanses of lowland heath
Lowland heath
Lowland Heath is a Biodiversity Action Plan Habitat as it is an ancient wild landscape type. Natural England's Environmental Stewardship scheme describes it as containing dry heath, wet heath and valley mire communities, usually below 250 metres, on acidic soils and shallow peat, typically...
in County Durham, which is close to northern limit for this type of habitat, and is one of the few such areas in North-east England. Lowland heath is a threatened habitat in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which holds around 20 percent of the world's stock of the habitat: over the last 200 years some 80 percent of the lowland heath in England has been destroyed, and in the UK as a whole only 44 percent of the area that existed before 1940 still remains.
Also significant is that the Wanister Bog, an area of seasonally-flooded wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
on the south-east side of the Fell, is the only valley-mire in lowland County Durham.
The area currently designated as an SSSI occupies 113.5 ha, of which 98.5 ha is classed as dwarf shrub heath, 13 ha is broadleaved woodland, and the remainder is marsh.
The SSSI shares a common boundary on the south-west side with Daisy Hill Local Nature Reserve (LNR), while the north-east corner abuts the Cong Burn Wood LNR.
Geography, geology and ecology
Waldridge Fell SSSI is a broadly rectangular area, lying between the valleys of two tributaries of the River WearRiver Wear
The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...
, the Cong Burn
Cong Burn
The Cong Burn is a small river in County Durham, England. It has its origin in a number of streams, among them Wheatley Green Burn, that rise on the southern and eastern slopes of Wheatley Hill, north of the village of Burnhope, and other streams, principally Whiteside Burn, that have their source...
to the north-west and the South Burn
South Burn
The South Burn is a small river in County Durham, England. One branch of the river has its source on Waldridge Fell, the other branch, known as Black Burn, rises on the northern slope of Barras Hill, north-east of Sacriston village....
to the south-east. Most of the area lies between 80 and 120 metres asl, with a high point of 129 metres.
The area is underlain by Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
coal measures
Coal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
, which are capped by glacial deposits
Boulder clay
Boulder clay, in geology, is a deposit of clay, often full of boulders, which is formed in and beneath glaciers and ice-sheets wherever they are found, but is in a special sense the typical deposit of the Glacial Period in northern Europe and North America...
of varying thickness. Spring-lines are prominent on the lower valley slopes and have a significant effect on the vegetation. The soils are predominantly gley
Gley soil
Gley soil in soil science is a type of hydric soil which exhibits a greenish-blue-grey soil color due to wetland conditions. On exposure to the air, gley colors are transformed to a mottled pattern of reddish, yellow or orange patches. During gley soil formation , the oxygen supply in the soil...
and acidic, well-drained and covered with a thin peaty layer on the higher ground, wetter and with a deeper layer of peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
in less well-drained areas.
Over most of the area, the habitat is heathland, in which the dominant species is ling, Calluna vulgaris, except on shallower soils, where bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus
Vaccinium myrtillus
Vaccinium myrtillus is an almost Holarctic species of shrub with edible fruit, usually simply referred to as "bilberry" or "whortleberry". It is more precidely called Common Bilberry or Blue Whortleberry, to distinguish it from its Vaccinium relatives...
, and, to a lesser extent, crowberry, Empetrum nigrum
Empetrum nigrum
Empetrum nigrum is a species of crowberry known as black crowberry which is native to most northern areas of the northern hemisphere, as well as the Falkland Islands in the southern hemisphere....
, are dominant.
The habitat in the valleys of the Cong Burn, and its tributary Little Burn, and the South Burn, is broadleaved woodland. The principal species are sessile oak, Quercus petraea, birch, Betula pubescens and hazel, Corylus avellana
Corylus avellana
Corylus avellana, the Common Hazel, is a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran. It is an important component of...
, with alder, Alnus glutinosa, locally dominant along the watercourses and at springlines. The understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
includes species such as Wavy Hair-grass, Deschampsia flexuosa
Deschampsia flexuosa
-Introduction:Deschampsia flexuosa Trin. or Wavy Hair-grass is a species of bunchgrass in the Poaceae family with a Holarctic distribution.-Habitat and distribution:...
, Common Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum
Pteridium aquilinum
Pteridium aquilinum is a species of fern occurring in temperate and subtropical regions throughout much of the northern hemisphere....
, Broad Buckler Fern, Dryopteris dilatata, and Rowan, Sorbus aucuparia
Sorbus aucuparia
Sorbus aucuparia , is a species of the genus Sorbus, native to most of Europe except for the far south, and northern Asia...
.
Wanister Bog occupies a depression in which rainwater from higher up the fell has accumulated and created fen conditions. The characteristic species are Sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
mosses, which have also contributed largely to the thick layer of peat that now underlies the bog. Other species that are locally dominant are rushes, Juncus spp
Juncus
Juncus is a genus in the plant family Juncaceae. It consists of some 200 to 300 or more species of grassy plants commonly called rushes...
, and sedges, Carex spp
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
.
Fauna and flora
The varied habitats within the SSSI support a number of plant and insect species that are rare or local in North-east England.One of the rarest is the Red-tipped Clearwing, Synanthedon formicaeformis
Synanthedon formicaeformis
The Red-tipped Clearwing is a moth of the Sesiidae family. It is found in all of Europe, the eastern Palearctic ecozone and the Near East.The wingspan is 17-19 mm. Adults have reddish patches at the tips of the forewings...
, which was recorded three times in July 2006; this inconspicuous and elusive moth had only been recorded 12 times before in County Durham, the last occasion being in 1948, also in the Waldridge Fell area.
Other notable insects include two other moths, Northern Drab, Orthosia opima
Orthosia opima
The Northern Drab is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from central and northern Europe east to central Asia. In the west and north it is found from France through Great Britain up to southern Fennoscandia, south from the Alps up to the Balkan.The wingspan is 34-39 mm...
, and Dingy Shell, Euchoeca nebulata
Euchoeca nebulata
The Dingy Shell is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in the Palearctic ecozone.The wingspan is 23–25 mm. The moth flies from April to September depending on the location.The larvae feed on Birch and Alder....
, and a butterfly, the Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi. Another butterfly, the Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Boloria selene, used to be common at Waldridge Fell but within County Durham is now confined to only four locations, all on heathland at around 300 metres asl.
The most notable plant species are found in the alder woodland along the spring-lines on the lower valley slopes. They include Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis, and Narrow Buckler Fern, Dryopteris carthusiana
Dryopteris carthusiana
Dryopteris carthusiana H.P. Fuchs is a species of fern native to damp forests throughout the Holarctic Kingdom...
, Hemlock Water Dropwort
Water dropwort
The water dropworts, Oenanthe , are a genus of plants in the family Apiaceae. Most of the species grow in damp ground, in marshes or in water....
, Oenanthe crocata, and Smooth-stalked Sedge, Carex laevigata
Carex laevigata
Carex laevigata is a species of sedge. It lives in moist, shady environment in the lowlands of Western and Central Europe, particularly in alder–ash woodland. It is distinguished from similar species, such as C. binervis and C. distans by the presence of tiny red dots on the utricles...
, all of which are rare or have a localised distribution in North-east England.
Rare plants that occur in Wanister Bog include Devil's-bit Scabious, Succisa pratensis
Succisa pratensis
Succisa pratensis Moench, also known as Devil's-bit Scabious, is a flowering plant of the genus Succisa in the family Dipsacaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has 4 lobed flowers, whereas Small Scabious and Field scabious have 5 lobes and hence it has been placed in a separate...
, and Marsh Violet, Viola palustris
Viola palustris
Viola palustris is a perennial forb of the genus Viola. It inhabits moist meadows, marshes, and streambanks in northern parts of North America and Eurasia....
. The former is the foodplant of the Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas aurinia, and the Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, Hemaris tityus
Hemaris tityus
Hemaris tityus, the Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, is one of two similar species of sphingid moth occurring in Britain that closely mimic a bumblebee. It has a wide range, from Ireland across temperate Europe to the Ural Mountains, western Siberia, Novosibirsk and the Altai...
, while the latter is the food plant of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Boloria euphrosyne, and the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary.
The Fell is believed to support a significant population of the Slow Worm, Anguis fragilis
Anguis fragilis
Anguis fragilis, or slow worm, slow-worm or slowworm, is a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It is also sometimes referred to as the blindworm or blind worm, though the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds considers this to be incorrect.Slow worms are semi-fossorial lizards spending much...
, a protected species in the UK.
Other uses
Waldridge Fell SSSI is broadly coterminous with Waldridge Fell Country Park, which is a popular recreational facility for walkers, dog-owners and country-lovers. The road between Chester-le-Street and EdmondsleyEdmondsley
Edmondsley is a small village in County Durham, England. It is situated a few miles south-west of Chester-le-Street, near the villages of Craghead and Sacriston....
cuts across the northern part of the fell and there are several car parks, from which footpaths radiate over the area, including one all-weather footpath for the disabled.
Coal-mining took place on and around Waldridge Fell until late in the 20th century—the last mine in the area, Smithydene drift mine—did not close until 1992. Evidence of coal mining activities is still visible in the form of waste tips, subsidence, and the remains of the old waggonway along which the coal was transported.
Conservation issues
The Fell is actively managed by Durham County Council, in an effort to maintain a broad range of heathland species, including such desirable species as Heath Bedstraw, Galium saxatileGalium saxatile
Galium saxatile or Heath Bedstraw is a plant species of the genus Galium. It is related to Cleavers ....
, and Common Tormentil, Potentilla erecta. Bracken is particularly troublesome because it crowds out the heather and associated species. The County Council has used a combination of burning and selective herbicides to control the bracken, and in 2007 embarked on a three-year trial of a more environmentally-friendly method, using heavy horses to pull a roller that crushes the bracken.
These measures have not been entirely successful; areas that have been burnt are susceptible to invasion by Rosebay Willowherb, Epilobium angustifolium, while crushed areas have been colonised by the alien invasive Heath Star Moss, Campylopus introflexus
Campylopus introflexus
Campylopus introflexus is a species of moss. It has a native southern hemisphere distribution in southern South America, southern part of Africa, southern and eastern Australia, and Atlantic and Pacific islands such as New Zealand, New Caledonia and the South Sandwich Islands. It is a neophyte in...
.
The last time Natural England
Natural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
surveyed the condition of Wanister Bog, it was losing water through a breach in the surrounding bund and, despite active management, the wetland was being invaded by Salix scrub and saplings. To remedy this, Durham County Council has gained approval for a 10-year programme which will involve fencing the bog and introducing highland cattle. It is hoped that a combination of grazing and trampling by the cattle will restore the bog to a favourable condition. Grazing is already being used successfully on the adjacent Daisy Hill LNR, but could not be introduced to Wanister Bog any earlier because Waldridge Fell is common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
and approval to fence off part of the common could not be sought until other management options had been tried and shown to be ineffective.