Rothwell Gullett
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An enchanting glimpse into an old ironstone quarry with a mystical quality |
Rothwell Gullet provides an unexpected delight to those who make the effort to seek it out. It is well-wooded, and the dark, damp undergrowth holds a mass of wood avens and dog's mercury, together with primrose, wood anemone and male fern. Equally spectacular are the rock walls – the remains of the ironstone face at the quarry bottom – where you will find swathes of hart’s-tongue fern, an attractive plant which adds greatly to the atmosphere of the site.
The grassland area, to the west of the gullet, is surrounded by scrub and hedgerows. A range of plants can be found, including glaucous sedge, meadow vetchling and hop trefoil. At the entrance is a large patch of wild privet, which attracts a range of butterflies, including common blue, small heath and green hairstreak. Burnet moths are also common in late June and July.
The mixture of open grassland and scrub provides ideal cover and feeding areas for a number of species of birds. Bats, foxes and badgers often visit.
Plants: Hart’s tongue fern Birds: Treecreeper |
Plants: Hart’s-tongue fern, wood avens, dogs mercury, primrose, wood anemone, male fern, common spotted-orchid Insects: Emperor dragonfly Birds: Thrushes, tits Mammals: Badger |
Plants: Hart’s-tongue fern, meadow vetchling, field scabious Insects: Common blue, small heath and green hairstreak butterflies, emperor dragonfly, burnet moth Birds: Thrushes, tits |
Plants: Hart’s-tongue fern |