Gowerdale
Private Property of Hawnby and Arden Estate
This private estate does have a limited public access via footpaths which are taken by this route from the car parking area and then down into Gowerdale skirting the valley as far as Sunny Bank,
This area has always been a known location for the rare Duke of Burgundy but in recent times scrub encrouchment has reduced the amount of available area but this is now being reversed by extensive management by Butterfly Conservation volunteers each winter.
Sections:
S1+S2 are intensively farmed agricultural field margins and have a good numbers of species like Ringlet, Meadow Brown
S3 is moorland edge and has very good numbers of threatened Small Heath, Small Copper and Green Hairstreaks.
As we approach the woodland in S4 Duke of Burgundy , Wall, Dark-green Fritillaries, Dingy Skipper and a array of grassland species like Smal lHeath Small Copper and Common Blue which continue in S5.
