Cross Hill Quarry Local Nature Reserve

The visitor's board at Cross Hill Quarry nature reserve
A blackcap perched on a tree branch and singing

David Tipling/2020VISION

A sand martin sitting on a telephone wire and preening

Margaret Holland

Wildlife and wildflowers have reclaimed this former quarry in the heart of the Ribble Valley.

Location

Access from the West Bradford Road or via Brungerley Park
Clitheroe
Lancashire
BB7 4QF

OS Map Reference

SD 747 436
A static map of Cross Hill Quarry Local Nature Reserve

Know before you go

Size
9 hectares
P

Parking information

Cars can be parked on the West Bradford Road

Walking trails

Please be aware of steep drops from paths running above quarry face.

Access

Most of the footpaths in this mosaic of woodland and meadows are wheelchair-friendly.

Dogs

Under effective control

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

Spring to Summer

About the reserve

Colonised by orchids and teaming with butterflies, Cross Hill Quarry is a shining example of how nature reclaims the relics of our industrial past.

A mosaic of woodland and small meadows provides an exceptional refuge for wildlife. Small skipper, orange-tip and meadow brown butterflies flit through the flower-rich grasslands. In spring, black caps, willow warblers and chiffchaffs provide a soundtrack that will make your heart sing, while the nearby River Ribble acts as the backdrop to unmissable natural drama. Grey wagtails strut, sand martins hunt, herons fish and kingfishers dive, then as night falls, Daubenton’s bats skim insects from the surface of the water. Pipistrelle and noctule bats hunt along the woodland edge and out in the open areas of the reserve.

The crowning glory of Cross Hill Quarry is its plant life. Limestone species like fairy flax, mouse-ear hawkweed and lady’s bedstraw grow alongside fragrant wild herbs like thyme and marjoram. Reed canary-grass and willows flourish alongside common spotted orchids and northern marsh orchids, while lesser celandine, hedge woundwort, wild rose, woodruff and bluebells add a carpet of colour to the woodlands.

One of the reasons for such rich vegetation is Cross Hill Quarry’s unique geology. Click here or here to find out more.

Contact us

Kim Coverdale
Contact number: 07841 996722

Environmental designation

Local Nature Reserve (LNR)