Birkwith Caves and Fell

The Birkwith Caves are situated within the Great Scar Limestone Group. This cave system has over 4.5 km of known passages between the sink known as Red Moss Pot and the resurgence known as Birkwith Cave. The position of these caves above the water table is referred to as a perched aquifer. The Birkwith Caves show the importance of shale beds in the development of cave systems.^[3]

Plant species within the limestone pavement habitat include fairy flax and salad burnet, as well as the fern species green spleenwort and brittle bladder-fern. Plant species in wet grassland include selfheal, sneezewort, devil's-bit-scabious, lesser spearwort, marsh lousewort, marsh valerian, bird's-eye primrose and globeflower. In patches of woodland, tree species include ash, bird cherry and hazel and herbaceous species include dog's mercury, giant bellflower, lady's bedstraw and small scabious. In wet woodland, herbs include marsh-marigold, wild angelica, meadowsweet and wild basil.^[1]

54°11′09″N 2°18′01″W / 54.185698°N 2.3003054°W / 54.185698; -2.3003054