Shipley and Great Woods

Also within

Durham County

Condition (Natural England)

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Habitats

Ancient woodland, Coastal vegetated shingle, Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Gorge / Ravine · Rock Type: Limestone

Landscape processes: Coastal

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

Description

Area, 63.35 ha. 156.50 ac. Description Situated on the steep valley slopes, cliffs and boulder screes of a ravine cut through the underlying limestones, sandstones and grit stones, by the River Tees, Shipley and great Woods is one of the most important woodland sites in North East England. The structure of the woodland and its biological diversity clearly indicate the presence of ancient woodland. On limestone soils and elsewhere on the lower slopes, ash Fraxinus excelsior and wych elm Ulmus glabra are dominant over a discontinuous shrub layer containing hazel Corylus avellana, holly Ilex aquifolium, bird cherry Prunus padus and yew Taxus baccata. The ground flora contains a rich association of woodland species characteristic of base rich soils, including ramsons Allium ursinum, wood forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica, wood cranes’s bill Geranium sylvaticum, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa and sanicle Sanicula europaea, as well as the local species, herb paris Paris quadrifolia broad leaved helleborine Epipactis helleborine, toothwort Lathraea squamaria and wood fescue Festuca altissima. On acidic soils sessile oak Quercus petraea woodland is developed, which on the upper freely draining slopes has a ground flora containing heather Calluna vulgaris, bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus, wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa, common cow wheat Melampyrum pratense and the local stag’s horn clubmoss Lycopodium clavatum. Downslope and on cliff ledges, the vegetation is dominated by great wood rush Luzula sylvatica. Along streams and in other flushed areas, alder Alnus glutinosa woodland occurs with opposite leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium in the ground flora. Shipley and great Woods support the richest assemblage of woodland lichens known in North East England. Many of the species are nationally or regionally rare and characteristic of ancient woodland, including Lobaria pulmonaria, L. laetevirens, Pachyphiale cornea, Catillaria sphaeroides, Bacidia epixanthoides and B. affinis. In addition over 100 moss and liverwort species are recorded from this site. The invertebrate fauna includes the local woodland mollusc Limax cinereoniger. The woodland bird community contains pied flycatcher, redstart, blackcap, wood warbler and nuthatch. Beside the River Tees, seasonally inundated shingle banks and rock ledges support open vegetation containing tea leaved willow Salix phylicifolia and an association of species similar to that found on limestone in Upper Teesdale, including sea plantain Plantago maritima, northern bedstraw Galium boreale, blue moor grass Sesleria caerulea and a small population of the nationally rare shrubby cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

Plant communities