Wild Ingleborough - Ribblehead to Salt Lake Quarry

Saturday 26th July 2025

Leader: Bruce Brown

Earlier this year we enjoyed a talk about the Wild Ingleborough Project and today was an opportunity to experience this landscape for ourselves. Some of us arrived by train, enjoying a scenic journey through the Dales to disembark at Ribblehead with a large number of walkers. The walkers headed for the hills while we were just a stone’s throw from the disused quarry where we would be spending the morning. It was a relaxing start to the day, identifying plants on the trackside while we waited for others to arrive. We were especially pleased to find Brittle Bladder Fern (Cystopteris fragilis) on the walls of the railway bridge, which we were also to find later on.

Bruce gave a brief introductory talk before we headed through a gate into a delightful meadow with a diverse mix of species including Northern Dock (Rumex longifolius), Autumn Hawkbit (Scorzoneroides autumnalis), Common Twayblade (Neottia ovata), Water Avens (Geum rivale) and Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa). A red-coloured waxcap nestled in amongst the sward.

A little further on, a few Autumn Gentian (Gentianella amarella) were found, including one that was tantalisingly almost in flower. Wild Thyme (Thymus drucei) and Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) were nearby.

We headed down into a wet area of the quarry, passing our first Bird's-eye Primrose (Primula farinosa) in full flower, to plants including Tufted Forget-me-not (Myosotis laxa), Common Marsh-bedstraw (Galium palustre), Common Spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris) and Bottle Sedge (Carex rostrata). A couple of patches of Marsh Helleborine (Epipactis palustris) were much admired.

Bruce showed us a stand of Northern Spike-rush (Eleocharis mamillata), which is a species I’ve not seen before. Compared with the very similar Common Spike-rush, the stems are a paler yellow-green and the spikelets are more conical. Fen Bedstraw (Galium uliginosum) was another nice find, it’s leaves tipped with an obvious prickle (aka mucronate tip). We also saw Pyrenean Scurvygrass (Cochlearia pyrenaica ssp. pyrenaica) and, unusually for this time of year, a Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) in flower.

Although we could have spent more time exploring this quarry, Bruce was keen to show us another quarry a short walk away, so we negotiated stone steps over a wall into Salt Lake Quarry, a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve. After lunch we were treated to another set of interesting plants including Wood Crane's-bill (Geranium sylvaticum), Hairy Rock-cress (Arabis hirsuta), Rigid Buckler-fern (Dryopteris submontana) and Burnet-saxifrage (Pimpinella saxifraga).

The numerous Fragrant-orchids were puzzled over, with amusing discussions on people's opinions on what the flowers smelt of. I think we had both Chalk Fragrant-orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea) and Marsh Fragrant-orchid (Gymnadenia densiflora). The latter is supposed to have a more clove-like smell compared with the sweet smell of Chalk Fragrant-orchid, but we also examined the details of the flower shapes.

A couple of flower spikes of the delicate Marsh Arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris) were found in a wetter area of the quarry. Grasses included Heath-grass (Danthonia decumbens), Meadow Oat-grass (Helictochloa pratensis) and Yellow Oat-grass (Trisetum flavescens).

Nyree identified some of the moths we encountered including Gold Spangle, Antler and Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

We circled back to the car park via meadows above the quarry with not many additions to our plant list but some fine views of the peaks of Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent and Whernside. Unfortunately, our journey home didn’t run so smoothly with cancellations and delays on the trains - I can see why people could be put off public transport!  A good day all the same.

Text by Susan

Photographs Susan, Tom, Ann, Nyree and Laurence