Great Asby Scar NNR
Great Asby Scar NNR contains some of the best examples of limestone pavement in Britain.
County: Cumbria
Main habitats: Limestone Pavement
Area: 307 Ha
Site map: Nature on the Map
The pavement has been formed by the weathering of limestone to create deep fissures (grikes) that divide the limestone into blocks called clints.
The shaded, humid condition of the deeper grikes resemble those of the woodland floor, and many woodland plants can be found growing here. These include hart's-tongue fern, wood anemone, dog's mercury and the scarce rigid buckler fern and limestone fern. The pavement also supports scarce herbs such as angular Solomon's-seal and bloody crane's-bill.
Vegetation within the grikes rarely grows above the clint surface due to grazing pressure. For this reason trees are rarely found, but stunted hawthorn, hazel and ash occur in grikes.
The pavements are set among areas of grassland, bracken and heath. The herb-rich limestone grasslands are dominated by blue moor-grass and abundant rock rose, thyme and fairy flax.
The site can be enjoyed all year, but the summer months are best for limestone pavement flora. Visitors are reminded that the reserve is an upland area and weather conditions can deteriorate rapidly at any time of the year.
Location and access
The reserve is 4 km south west of the village of Great Asby and 4 km north east of Orton village.
We encourage the use of sustainable transport whenever possible.
By cycle
Great Asby and Orton are both on Route 68 (Walney to Weir) of the Sustrans National Cycle Network.
By train
The nearest train station is Kirkby Stephen, 10 km to the south east.
By bus
For details of local bus services go to the Travel Search website.
By car
By car, access to the reserve is via minor roads from the B6260, A685 and A66.
Facilities
The nearest toilet and refreshment facilities are in local towns and villages.
There are a number of waymarked public rights of way across the reserve that can be accessed via Great Asby and Orton.
