Hack Fall Wood

Also within

North Yorkshire County Nidderdale Scenic Area

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

Bracken scrub, Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Gorge / Ravine

Landscape processes: Coastal, Fluvial

Description

Description Hack Fall Wood occupies the steep north and east facing slopes of the Hack Fall Gorge, along the River Ure north west of Ripon. It is important as a largely undisturbed example of ancient semi natural broadleaved woodland and it contains a wide range of plant communities. Such ancient woodlands are a diminishing resource in great Britain due to agricultural reclamation and replanting with softwoods. Local variations in geology within the gorge are reflected in the variety of plant associations within the wood. Where the underlying Brimham Grits are exposed as cliffs, acidic woodland is dominated by sessile oak Quercus petraea and silver birch Betula pendula with rowan Sorbus aucuparia and holly Ilex aquifolium. The ground flora is typical of this community with great wood rush Luzula sylvatica, wavy hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa, bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus, heather Calluna vulgaris, hard fern Blechnum spicant and small cowwheat Melampyrum sylvaticum. The more gentle middle slopes of Ure Shell Beds support a mosaic of woodland communities which favour less acidic conditions. Ash Fraxinus excelsior, wych elm Ulmus glabra and sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus dominate the canopy here with a well developed shrub layer which includes hazel Corylus avellana and guelder rose Viburnum opulus. The ground flora is characteristic of old, established woodland with dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis, ramsons Allium ursinum, woodruff Galium odoratum, enchanter's nightshade Circaea lutetiana, wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, primrose Primula vulgaris and the uncommon toothwort Lathraea squamaria and herb paris Paris quadrifolia. A series of calcareous springs give rise to a large number of small streams, pools and to extensive flushing. Steep rocky stream sides support an abundance of ferns including hart's tongue Asplenium scolopendrium, polypody Polypodium vulgare and male fern Dryopteris filix-mas and a rich moss flora. Where conditions are wettest alder Alnus glutinosa, bird cherry Prunus padus and spindle Euonymus europaeus are common and the ground flora is particularly rich being dominated by meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria, great horsetail Equisetum telmateia, pendulous sedge Carex pendula and tufted hair grass Deschampsia cespitosa. At the southern end of the site small leaved lime Tilia cordata is common in the open canopy and the wood fescue Festuca altissima, a species which has a very local distribution in great Britain, is abundant on the cliff faces and precipitous slopes down to the river bank. In the northern half of the site dutch elm disease has killed stands of wych elm leaving open clearings which have been colonised by bracken Pteridium aquilinum, bramble Rubus fruticosus and rosebay willowherb Chamerion angustifolium. Two locally rare animals, Malacolimax tenellus , a mollusc and a beetle Platycis minutus have been recorded in the site.

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