Deep Dale Nature Reserve

Location: Sheldon, Peak District, Derbyshire
OS: SK 165 698
What Three Word location:///announced.hangs.paradise

Habitat: Limestone Grassland

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The Reserve

Deep Dale is one of those special places where, if you visit the right part at the right time of year, you will see swathes of colour spreading over the hillsides.

Sitting within the Peak District National Park, this grassland reserve has a rich cultural history including lead mining and the remains of a Romano-British settlement on a steep-sided hill called Fin Cop.

If you’re heading for a visit, there are many beautiful plants to keep an eye out for. Why not download our plant guide and circular walk map here.

Habitat

The reserve is an area of grassland between 150-325m above sea level.

It lies within the Peak District National Park where the underlying rock is mainly carboniferous limestone. Most of the grassland is on thin soils over this rock, and so is very calcium-rich.

At the top of the slopes the soil becomes more acidic, while at the foot the soil is deeper and more fertile. Each zone has its own flora.

Species to look out for

Cowslip Primula veris – April – May
Early-purple Orchid Orchis mascula – April – May
Mountain pansy Viola lutea – May – July
Grass-of-Parnassus Parnassia palustris July – October

Visit

Directions

From Bakewell, take the A6 towards Buxton. Approximately 3.5 miles from Bakewell you reach the White Lodge pay and display car park on the left hand side of the road.

To get to the reserve from the car park, follow the footpath leading southwards. Approximately 200 meters from the car park you reach a stile, which is one of the entrances to the reserve.