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Wildlife and nature at Brimham Rocks

Low sun over the moorland at Brimham Rocks, Nidderdale, North Yorkshire.
Low sun over the moorland at Brimham Rocks | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

Brimham Rocks is a widely unique habitat home to a variety of plants and animals. Discover the abundance of wildlife that calls Brimham Rocks home, from ground-nesting birds such as cuckoos and curlews to a beautiful area of heather moorland.

Brimham Rocks provide a wonderful place for an adventure for all the family but please explore safely

The rocks and paths can become slippery when wet. Always keep a close eye on children, there are sudden drops and steep slopes across the site. If you need assistance, please call the emergency services (999) and ask for mountain rescue.

Wildlife at Brimham Rocks

The woodland and heather moorland at Brimham Rocks is a unique habitat, home to a variety of plants and offers shelter to numerous insects and ground nesting birds. Discover what you may come across on a stroll across the moor.

Pied flycatcher sitting on a branch at Brimham Rocks
Pied flycatcher at Brimham Rocks | © Joe Fryer
Cattle grazing on Brimham Rocks moorland
Belted galloway cattle grazing on Brimham's moor | © Paul Harris

Heather Moorland

Although the titular rocks are the reason many visit, Brimham Rocks also features a beautiful area of heather moorland. It is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its globally significant plant life. Three types of heather make up the moorland at Brimham Rocks.

Heather moorland is internationally important because it is rare worldwide and is mostly found in northern Britain. Moorland is a patchwork of dwarf shrubs such as heather and bilberry. It is an open landscape into which we don’t want to introduce shade and must remove trees so the peat does not dry out.

Moorland is a semi-natural habitat created by the removal of woodland by humans thousands of years ago.

Discover the different types of heather at Brimham Rocks

Sprigs of pale purple Ling heather on Lundy Island
Ling heather | © National Trust Images/Nick Upton

Common heather (ling)

Common heather (Calluna vulgaris) flowers from August onwards and is the most common type of heather found at Brimham Rocks. It is often referred to as ling, a name that comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for fire – 'lig'. This reflects that historically it was used for fuel to build fires. Other uses include broom making, basket making and as a flavouring in beer. The leaves are so small and close to the stem that they almost look like scales overlapping one another. The tiny flowers are pale purple and it is possible to tell the petals apart upon close inspection.

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Purple Moor Grass

Purple Moor Grass commonly grows on the barer patches of heathland, in woodland areas and around the rocks. Brimham Rocks is also home to Yorkshire’s largest colonies of Bog Asphodel found on wetter parts of the heathland and during the summer months, Heath Spotted and Common Spotted orchids can also be seen in these areas too.

Berries

On the heathland parts of Brimham, the dominant ground cover is heather along with patches of bilberry bushes and some bell heather. You can find cowberries and lingonberries here too, which are a northern moorland species found mostly in Yorkshire.

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More wildlife you could spot nearby

Nidderdale National Landscape is full of contrasts and rich in wildlife and Brimham Rocks is home to only a fraction of what you could find. Windswept moorlands and steep river valleys merge into gently rolling pastoral scenes, peaceful woodlands and tranquil expanses of water.

Visit the Nidderdale National Landscape website to discover where you could explore next in the Nidderdale Valley.

Stacked rock formation at Brimham Rocks, with blue sky above

Discover more at Brimham Rocks

Find out how to get to Brimham Rocks, where to park, the things to see and do and more.

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