Going to see a 'pavement' might not sound like much of a fun day out. How about limestone pavements in the Yorkshire Dales? They're one of those features we perhaps take for granted, but they're quite rare, and also a very special habitat.
The majority of them in Britain are to be found in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Cumbria. The most favourite limestone pavement is the one above Malham Cove. You can also find them in other areas of Malhamdale, Ribblesdale near Ingleton and White Scar Cave, Crummackdale, and above Austwick on Moughton. They're often on the top of scars or limestone cliffs, a startling plateau of limestone rock, weathered by centuries of wind and rain.
Limestone pavements were first formed by ice sheets which effectively scoured the limestone rock. The block-like pavement effect comes from the clints and grikes in the blocks of limestone. The clints are the flat slabs of limestone and the grikes the cracks between them which have been widened by water over time. It's this combination that makes such an important habitat. Plants that love light grow along the clints and those that prefer shade grow in the grikes, out of reach of grazing animals. Several ferns such as hart's-tongue, limestone fern, buckler-fern and holly fern all grow there as well as plants like rock-rose and bloody crane's-bill.
Where's your favourite bit of limestone pavement? Any photos to share?