Muker meadows, Swaledale
The Muker area is one of the best places to see upland hay meadows from public footpaths in the Yorkshire Dales. Some of the meadows at Muker are protected as part of the Muker meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Northern Pennine Dales Meadows Special Area of Conservation (SAC). They are species-rich with a very wide range of wildflowers and grasses including Wood Crane’s-bill, Melancholy Thistle, Yellow Rattle, Pignut, Lady’s Mantles, Rough Hawkbit, Cat’s-ear and Sweet Vernal Grass.
Four meadows at Muker were named as one of 60 Coronation Meadows in 2013 by HRH The Prince of Wales. These meadows are celebrated as the surviving “jewels in the crown”, places where people can enjoy the riot of colour and abundance of wildlife. They are also used as ‘donor’ meadows to provide seed for the restoration of new meadows in the same area. Find out more about why meadow restoration is so important.
Muker meadows walk
A flagged footpath from the nearby village of Muker enables summer visitors to experience the colours, sounds and scents of the meadows and a quintessential aspect of the Dales.
The best time to visit a meadow is in June, as most of the wildflowers will be flowering by then. Bear in mind that hay cutting usually starts around mid July depending on the weather. Meadows provide winter fodder for livestock so please stay on the public rights of way and walk in single file (there is no ‘right to roam’ through meadows).
Help save our meadows
The loss of species-rich meadows and grasslands is unparalleled in the history of nature conservation in the UK. When Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust first started restoring hay meadows in 2006, less than four square miles of species-rich hay meadow habitat remained in the whole of the UK.
Since then we've been working hard to conserve and restore hay meadows and protect the wildlife they support. Working alongside farmers and partners 805 hectares (that's over 3 square miles!) of degraded meadows across the Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland are now on the road to being restored - helping to bring this precious habitat back from the brink.
The support of local communities and people like you is critical to ensure the survival of our meadows. It is brilliant to see people coming together to champion our wildflower habitats and to take action to protect and restore them. Find out how you can be part of it...
Give a Living Bouquet wildflower gift for £25 and help restore wildflower meadows in the Yorkshire Dales, home to bumblebees, birds and butterflies.
Find out how to bring bees, pollinators and other wildlife into your garden, with our gardening guides and follow our videos to create your own wildflower meadow.
Inspire children to explore the magical world of bees. Our bee box is packed with everything you need to discover bees from magnifying glass to wildflower seeds.
