National Character Area 36

Southern Pennines - Key Facts & Data

Landscape and nature conservation designations section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

The Southern Pennines lie between the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, and also Nidderdale AONB, but only 0.6 per cent of the NCA falls within these national landscape designations (Natural England, March 2011).


Designated nature conservation sites

The NCA includes the following statutory nature conservation designations (Natural England, Special Protection Areas; Special Area of Conservation; Ramsars; National Nature Reserves; Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserves, 2021):

Please note: (i) Designated areas may overlap (ii) all figures are cut to Mean High Water Line, designations that span coastal/marine areas below this line will not be included.

Condition of designated sites
All designated sites within England are covered by Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSI) units. The condition to these SSSI units within the NCA are as follows (Natural England, Sites of Special Scientific Interest Units, 2021; 2023):



Landscape and nature conservation designations map for NCA36

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Landform, geology and soils section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Elevation

The NCA is an upland area, with maximum elevation reaching 514m, but with deep valleys cut into the plateau, so that the range of elevation is 471m (Countryside Character Area Description, Southern Pennines Natural Area Profile).

Landform and process

The landform is a plateau deeply dissected by river valleys, often with distinct ‘steps’ where rivers have cut down below the level of earlier broader valleys, and showing signs of over-deepening by glacial meltwater. Most of these valleys are narrow but the Upper Aire Valley is wider, with some glacial till and moraine .

The rocks dip to the east, resulting in a series of escarpments, steep to the west and sloping away to the east, forming some prominent rocky edges (Countryside Character Area Description, Southern Pennines Natural Area Profile).

Bedrock geology

The solid geology is dominated by Carboniferous rocks. The Millstone Grit group of Namurian age comprises gritstones, sandstones and coarse grained sandstones formed by ancient river deltas. Between Todmorden and Bacup, Westphalian-age Coal Measures, a sequence of thin coals, shales and sandstones, overlies the Millstone Grit.

The geology of the area is complex as these sedimentary rocks are of widely varying thickness and are cut by many faults.

Coal and ironstone have all been worked from the rocks in the past, as well as stone for building and shales for brick making. Currently the only commercial extraction is of stone for road construction and building (Countryside Character Area Description, Southern Pennines Natural Area Profile).

A breakdown of the solid geology as a proportion of the total land area is:

  • 52 per cent sandstones (including gritstones)
  • 46 per cent mudstones and siltstones

Superficial deposits

Drift geology is relatively limited, with some alluvial deposits in the bottom of the narrow valleys and some glacial till and moraines in the larger valleys. The Upper Aire Valley contains the sediments of some glacial lakes, now buried beneath alluvium (Countryside Character Area Description, Southern Pennines Natural Area Profile).

Designated geological sites

The NCA includes the following geological sites (Natural England, Geological and Mixed Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 2021):

wdt_ID NCA_ID NAME NCAAreaHa Interest type Area (ha) 2021 Percent of NCA (2021) Count
2361NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAIN37,669.6Geological6.80.01
2371NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAIN37,669.6Mixed1,029.52.75
2382NORTHUMBERLAND SANDSTONE HILLS72,694.6Geological45.40.14
2393CHEVIOT FRINGE51,591.3Geological17.10.02
2404CHEVIOTS36,487.9Geological165.00.52
2414CHEVIOTS36,487.9Mixed3,488.99.61
2425BORDER MOORS AND FORESTS127,155.9Geological85.70.18
2435BORDER MOORS AND FORESTS127,155.9Mixed35.80.01
2446SOLWAY BASIN98,350.4Geological7.20.02
2456SOLWAY BASIN98,350.4Mixed5,569.25.74

Natural river sections and man-made exposures in particular, disused quarries, railway and canal cuttings, provide important and accessible sections allowing the interpretation, understanding and continued research into the geodiversity of the NCA.

The main grades of agricultural land in the NCA are broken down as follows (as a proportion of total land area) (Natural England, Provisional Agricultural Land Classification, 2019):


Landform, geology and soils map for NCA36

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Key waterbodies and catchments section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Major rivers/canals

The following major rivers/canals (by length) have been identified in this NCA (Natural England, data informing the 2014 National Character Area Profiles, 2010):

wdt_ID REF_CODE NAME_1 Name Length (km) SumOfShape_Length
11NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAINRiver Aln7.67,587.2
21NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAINRiver Coquet5.55,516.0
31NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND COASTAL PLAINWhiteadder Water2.92,904.9
410NORTH PENNINESBlack Burn11.911,853.4
510NORTH PENNINESCroglin Water10.010,042.3
610NORTH PENNINESCrowdundle Beck4.34,337.4
710NORTH PENNINESDevil's Water20.520,464.6
810NORTH PENNINESHarwood Beck9.79,740.2
910NORTH PENNINESRiver Allen4.94,889.0
1010NORTH PENNINESRiver Derwent15.315,268.4

Please note: other significant rivers (by volume) may also occur. Tidal stretches of rivers are not included, which may include some major rivers.

The Southern Pennines NCA forms the watershed between rivers running east to the North Sea and west to the Irish Sea and thus has many small, fast-flowing streams feeding in to the upper reaches of several main rivers. In addition there are three significant canals which cross the Pennines.

Water quality

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) are areas designated as being at risk from agricultural nitrate pollution. These can impact surface water (waterbodies and waterways located above ground) and groundwater (water bodies and waterways located below ground).

Waterbodies such as lakes can also be designated as “eutrophic waters” if the enrichment of the waterbody by nitrate pollution causes accelerated growth of algae, impacting the quality of the water and the balance of organisms within it.

The following NVZs are located within the NCA (Environment Agency, Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Designations, 2021):

Water framework directive

River basin management plans cover river basin districts and describe the challenges that threaten the water environment and how these challenges can be managed and funded. The plans include the classification of water quality of surface waters and ground waters.



Click on the Water Framework Directive layers on the below map to view the corresponding river names.

Key waterbodies and catchments map for NCA36

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Trees and woodlands section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Total woodland cover

Ancient woodland is any area that has been wooded continuously since at least 1600 AD. National Forest Inventory (NFI) woodland includes all forests and woodlands (0.5 hectares and over). The total woodland cover within the NCA is as follows (Forestry Commission, National Forest Inventory, 2020; 2023; Natural England, Ancient Woodland, 2021; 2024; this does not consider Natural England’s ‘Ancient Woodland – Revised (England) – Completed Counties’ data as this is being updated in tranches and no full dataset is yet available):

Distribution and size of woodland and trees in the landscape

Most of the woodland cover within the NCA is found on the steep valley sides, with some copses sheltering the dispersed farmsteads on higher ground.

There are only a few blocks of conifers in this area.

The woodlands found within steep ravines or cloughs, are the small remnants of ancient woodland, which would have once covered much larger areas.These clough woodlands include areas of internationally important upland oak woodland, which are characterised by a mix of tree species including birch, alder, rowan and oak (National Inventory of Woodland and Trees, Forestry Commission, 2003, Natural England, 2010).

Woodland types

A statistical breakdown of the area and type of woodland found across the NCA is detailed below (Forestry Commission, National Forest Inventory, 2020; 2023):

Area and proportion of ancient woodland and planted ancient woodland sites (PAWS) within the NCA (Natural England, Ancient Woodland, 2021; 2024):


Trees and woodlands map for NCA36

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Boundary features and patterns

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated.

Boundary features

Field boundaries are predominantly drystone walls constructed with local sandstones from the Millstone Grit and the Coal Measure Series or in some localities, limestone. Walled tracks lead from the valley bottoms to the fell tops, giving access to the open moorland for summer grazing.

Field patterns

There are very few walls on the moorlands, where ownership boundaries are often marked by lines of boundary stones. The upland pastures that fringe the moorlands are bounded by drystone walls and are generally small to medium in size, with localised areas of larger fields in regular geometric patterns dating from the 19th-century enclosures. While boundary walls are sound, internal field boundaries are often in poor condition due to lack of maintenance (Countryside Quality Counts Draft Historic Profile, Countryside Character Area Description).

Agriculture section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

The following tables provide the most recently available statistics from Defra on agriculture within the NCA.

Farm type

The following farm types are located within this NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Farm size

The following table outlines the sizes of farms within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Farm ownership

The following table outlines the ownership of farms within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Land use

The following table outlines the types of agricultural land use within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Livestock numbers

The following livestock are farmed within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Farm labour

The following table outlines the types of farm labour within the NCA (Defra, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, 2025):

Please note: (i) Some of the Census data are estimated by Defra so may not present a precise assessment of agriculture within this area (ii) Data refers to commercial holdings only (iii) Data includes land outside of the NCA where it belongs to holdings whose centre point is recorded as being within the NCA.



Note that the below map only shows agri-environment scheme coverage, and not other schemes.

Agriculture map for NCA36

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Key habitats and species section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Habitat distribution/coverage

The Southern Pennines NCA supports a range of upland habitats. These include internationally important upland heathland and blanket bog habitats on the fell tops in a habitat mosaic with stretches of purple moor-grass and lowland acidic grasslands. Other more fragmented habitats, in particular pastures and small woodlands, occur on the moorland fringes and in cloughs.

The presence of this habitat mosaic is of major importance in providing suitable conditions for an internationally important assemblage of birds including dunlin, twite, snipe, curlew, wheatear, whinchat, redshank, common sandpiper, ring ouzel and lapwing.

There are large expanses of internationally important blanket bog and upland heathland, often botanically poor and dominated by cottongrass, with Sphagnum mosses being quite rare, primarily as a result of overgrazing, overburning and atmospheric pollution. Where the blanket peats are slightly drier, heather, crowberry and bilberry become more frequent. Upland dry heath, dominated by heather, occupies the lower slopes of the moors on mineral soils or where the peat is thin. In the cloughs, which extend into the heather moorlands, a greater mix of dwarf shrubs can be found together with more lichens and mosses. The heathlands and blanket bogs, in mosaic with smaller habitat features such as upland flushes and fens, and areas of bracken / scrub, support key species including merlin, twite and ring ouzel.

Woodlands occur on the valley sides and in some cloughs and support important assemblages of birds including redstart, pied flycatcher, wood warbler, tree pipit, lesser spotted woodpecker, spotted flycatcher and marsh tit. There are some internationally important upland oak woodlands, dominated by a mixture of tree species including sessile oak, birch and rowan.

The partially restored section of the Rochdale Canal contains important habitats for submerged aquatic plants and emergent vegetation, including extensive colonies of the internationally scarce floating water plantain species (Luronium natans). Locally the canal contains the most significant stands of water violet. The site also supports a diverse assemblage of pondweeds, which reflects the quality of the water.

The valley sides and bottoms are used primarily for agricultural production as inbye pastures and meadow land. These support a range of grassland types including wet rushy pastures, and the few surviving unimproved lowland and upland meadows. These habitats provide suitable feeding and nesting habitat for a range of breeding waders including lapwing, curlew, snipe and redshank. The meadows and pastures also provide valuable feeding areas for the rare twite, although colonies are declining.

The many stone structures close to waterbodies, for example mills, factories, bridges, and culverts, provide good sites for populations of bats, especially Daubenton’s bat, while several small waterbodies like mill ponds support the vulnerable native crayfish (Southern Pennines Natural Area Profile).

Key Habitats

The NCA contains the following areas of key main habitats, as mapped by the national Priority Habitat Inventory (Natural England, Priority Habitats Inventory, 2021; 2024; Natural England, Wood Pasture and Parkland, 2020). Note: lakes and ponds were not included in 2021 data:






Key habitats and species map for NCA36

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Settlement and development patterns section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Settlement patterns

The moorlands are unpopulated, whilst there are scattered farmsteads around the moorland fringes.

Older settlements, such as Heptonstall and Luddenden, based on a dual economy of agriculture and the early home-based wool industry, are located on the shelves of land above the valleys but below the higher moorland.

Larger settlements, with terraces for workers, spread along the valleys when transport routes – canals, railways and roads – opened the valleys up and enabled the large-scale industrialisation of the textile industry (Country Quality Counts Draft Historic Profile, South Pennines Countryside Character Area Description).

Main settlements

The main conurbations all lie outside this NCA, with only Halifax partly included within it. There are extensive areas of unpopulated moorland, with scattered farmsteads around the fringes, and small towns and villages in the valleys. The largest town is Keighley, and others include Ilkley, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Littleborough, Ramsbottom and Darwen (Country Quality Counts Draft Historic Profile, South Pennines Countryside Character Area Description).

Local vernacular and building materials

The use of local hard sandstones which, are very suitable for building, in particular Millstone Grit, in all constructions, from drystone walls and farmsteads to terraced houses and factories, gives a high degree of visual coherence to the appearance of settlements and reveals a close connection with the underlying geology . Historic building traditions include the survival of 15th-century timber-framed houses due to encasing in stone. The laithe house tradition is characteristic for this area from the 17th through to the 19th century. Weavers’ houses, with their wide windows especially on the first floor, to let light in for the home-based textile industry, are found in the older settlements. During the 19th century there Now an expansion of dairy buildings and construction of some 19th-century model farms and also of striking non-conformist chapels. There is also survivalof some early cruck-framed barns to the south of the area. About 60 per cent of historic farm buildings remain unconverted. However, about 92 per cent are intact structurally, showing a positive trend (Country Quality Counts Draft Historic Profile, South Pennines Countryside Character Area Description).

Settlement and development patterns map for NCA36

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Key historic sites and features section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Origin of historic features

There are widespread Mesolithic deposits for example at Castleshaw Moor and March Hill near Marsden and Neolithic/bronze age upstanding remains in uplands. The frequent occurrence of carved rocks is characteristic, with those on Rombalds and Ilkley Moors of national significance.

There is some evidence of iron age/Romano-British settlement, including Blackstone Edge Roman road and the probable site of Olicana Fort at Ilkley.

Boundary stones on the moorlands mark out the boundaries of townships for allocating peat and grazing rights.

Packhorse routes, such as Blackstone Edge, and bridges indicate trade across the Pennines.

Drystone wall enclosures are evidence of early enclosure periods and more strikingly, 19th century Parliamentary enclosures.

Model farms for example at Dobroyd (near Todmorden).

Distinctive buildings include non-conformist chapels, weavers’ cottages in older settlements, followed by mills, factories and chimneys for example at Hebden Bridge, Todmorden.

More modern historic features include anti-tank blocks on moorland (Countryside Quality Counts Draft Historic Profile, Countryside Character Area Description).

Designated historic assets

The NCA includes the following designated historic assets (Historic England, National Heritage List for England, 2021; 2024):

Listed buildings

The NCA includes the following listed buildings (Historic England, National Heritage List for England, 2021; 2024):

Heritage at Risk Register

The NCA includes the following designated historic assets listed within the Heritage at Risk Register (Historic England, Heritage at Risk Register, 2021; 2023):



Key historic sites and features map for NCA36

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Recreation and access section contains a map

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated. The maps contain live frequently updated datasets.

Public access

The following areas of public access for recreation are located within this NCA (Natural England, 2021; National Trust, 2021):


Please note: Public access areas may overlap.
The following linear routes or public access for recreation are located within this NCA (Natural England, 2021; Sustrans; 2021):

Recreation and access map for NCA36

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Experiential qualities

Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated.

Tranquillity

Based on the CPRE map of tranquillity (2006), the areas of greatest tranquillity are unsurprisingly the moorlands and moorland fringes. The lowest scores for tranquillity are along the valley bottoms, where roads, railways, industry and housing are all squeezed in.

A breakdown of tranquillity values for this NCA are detailed in the table below (CPRE, Tranquillity Map, 2006):

Dark skies

Light pollution is a generic term referring to artificial light that shines where it is neither wanted nor needed, and can impact on people’s experience of the countryside within the NCAs. CPRE host an interactive map, depicting the light pollution and dark skies within the NCA.

Intrusion

A breakdown of intrusion values for this NCA is detailed in the table below (CPRE, Intrusion Map, 2007):