Local Wildlife Site

Wildlife

Railway Mead is bounded by mature hedgerows of mainly oak and blackthorn. Its grassland supports abundant common knapweed, lady's bedstraw and white clover, as well as autumn hawkbit, burnet saxifrage and tormentil. Green woodpeckers are regularly seen in this area.Mad Field Covert is an oak and ash woodland over elder, blackthorn and hazel. At ground level plants include bramble, nettle, giant fescue and herb robert.The River Pinn's banks are lined by alder, crack willow and white willow interspersed with ash, English elm, field maple and dogwood. In one section, the river flows through woodland of oak with hornbeam, wild cherry and sweet chestnut. Riverbank plants include hemlock, hairy brome and wood meadow-grass along with bramble and Himalayan balsam. In the water are fennel-leaved pondweed, water chickweed and fool's water-cress. The banks and island of the riverside pond support reed sweet-grass and soft rush with scattered purple loosestrife and hemlock water-dropwort. The pond is home to kingfisher, mallard, moorhen and coot, along with speckled wood butterflies and ruddy darter dragonflies.

Facilities

Information; car parking; cycle paths; historic features; playground. Part of the Celandine riverside walk runs along the River Pinn in this site.