Hutton Roof Crags

Hutton Roof Crags
Limestone pavement on the top of Hutton Roof Crags
Highest point
Elevation	274 m (899 ft)
Prominence	c. 176 m
Parent peak	Grayrigg Forest
Listing	Marilyn
Geography
Location	Cumbria, England
OS grid	SD556775
Topo map	OS Landranger 97

Hutton Roof Crags is a hill in south-eastern Cumbria in north-west England, located near to the village of Hutton Roof. It has extensive areas of limestone pavement as well as grassland and woodland. The hill forms the Hutton Roof Crags Site of Special Scientific Interest and is part of the Morecambe Bay Pavements Special Area of Conservation. A significant proportion of the UK's 20 km² of limestone pavement is to be found on Hutton Roof Crags and the neighbouring Farleton Knott.

Although part of the hill is grass grazed by sheep, and part is forested, much remains open common land, and it is here that most of the limestone pavement is to be found. However, much has been removed over the years for many purposes including building, agricultural fertiliser, and production of millstones, but is now protected by law and it is an offence to remove any. The limestone is over 300 metres thick, and was laid down during the Carboniferous period some 350 million years ago. The limestone pavements here occupy an intermediate position between the low-lying pavements of Gait Barrows some 8 km to the west, and those on Ingleborough, 19 km to the east.

Hutton Roof National Nature Reserve is managed by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust,^[1] which leases Park Wood and Hutton Roof Common from Natural England and Hutton Roof Parish Council respectively.^[2]

Plants including rigid buckler fern, angular Solomon's seal, limestone fern, and dark red helleborine are to be found on the pavement. The nationally scarce rigid buckler-fern Dryopteris submontana is abundant on Hutton Roof Crags. Blue moor grass is also nationally scarce but abundant here.

The name Hutton Roof Crags is believed to derive from the Old English language, and means "crags on hill near farmstead of Rolf".

Access is possible via the public footpath running across the north of the fell, but is probably easier through the woods to the south-west.

The extensive low limestone outcrops make the Hutton Roof Crags a popular site for bouldering.^[3]

References

Coordinates: 54°11′29″N 2°40′55″W / 54.19133°N 2.68196°W / 54.19133; -2.68196

Marilyns of Northern England
1. Northumberland	The Cheviot Housedon Hill Long Crag Peel Fell Ros Hill Shillhope Law Sighty Crag Tosson Hill
2. Northern Lakeland	Binsey Blencathra Knott Skiddaw
3. Western Lakeland	Blake Fell Dale Head Dent Grasmoor Great Gable Grisedale Pike High Stile Kirk Fell Lord's Seat Low Fell Mellbreak Pillar Robinson Seatallan Swinside Watch Hill
4. Central and Southern Lakeland	Black Combe Claife Heights Coniston Old Man Hard Knott Harter Fell High Raise High Rigg Holme Fell Illgill Head Kirkby Moor Lingmoor Fell Loughrigg Fell Muncaster Fell Pike of Blisco Scafell Pike Top o' Selside Whitfell
5. Eastern Lakeland	Arnside Knott Fairfield Grayrigg Forest Great Mell Fell Gummer's How Hallin Fell Helvellyn High Street Hutton Roof Crags Lambrigg Fell Little Mell Fell Place Fell Red Screes St Sunday Crag Seat Sandal Stony Cove Pike Tarn Crag Wansfell Whitbarrow
6. North Pennines and Durham	Burnhope Seat Cold Fell Cross Fell Dufton Pike Mickle Fell
7. Northern Yorkshire Dales	Baugh Fell The Calf Great Shunner Fell Hoove Kisdon Nine Standards Rigg Rogan's Seat Wild Boar Fell Yarlside
8. Southern Yorkshire Dales	Aye Gill Pike Birks Fell Buckden Pike Calf Top Cracoe Fell Dodd Fell Hill Fountains Fell Great Coum Great Knoutberry Hill Great Whernside Ingleborough Pen-y-ghent Rombald's Moor Sharp Haw Whernside
9. North York Moors to the Humber	Bishop Wilton Wold Cringle Moor Gisborough Moor Urra Moor
10. Forest of Bowland	Easington Fell Fair Snape Fell Longridge Fell Ward's Stone White Hill