Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Castle Eden Dene NNR is 3½ miles long and the largest of a series of valleys which run down to the coast between Sunderland and Hartlepool, reaching the sea at Denemouth. This mysterious tangled landscape of trees, rocky outcrops and steep cliffs all housed within a deep gorge is a rare survivor of the ‘wildwood’ which once covered much of Britain. Ten thousand years of uninterrupted growth of yew, oak, ash and dying elm create a perfect home for many plants and animals. The reserve covers 221 hectares of woodland and lowland grassland, where post-glacial meltwaters carved out spectacular cliffs in the soft Magnesian limestone. Often there is no river in the bottom of the gorge, as Castle Eden Burn is now seasonal and disappears into the limestone during the summer. Castle Eden Dene is home to an extraordinary variety of more than 450 species of plants, woodland birds and mammals including roe deer and fox.

Location

Castle Eden

About the area

County Durham reaches halfway across England, from the North Pennines in the west, to the sea in the east. Much of it is very sparsely inhabited, and is naturally beautiful; a mix of rolling hills, monumental valleys, lush farmland and unforgiving moors.

Explore County Durham

Nearby places to stay

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Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve

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Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve

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