Influence on the landscape
Hareshaw LinnBecause of their extensive outcrop the rocks of the Yoredale Group are of fundamental importance in shaping the landscape and giving the district its distinctiveness. Glacial action and weathering of the alternately hard and soft beds within well-developed Yoredale cyclothems, particularly of the Alston Formation, has produced a highly distinctive terraced form to many of the hillsides. Limestones and many sandstones are typically resistant to erosion, compared to interbedded shales and softer sandstones. These hard beds thus tend to find expression as steeper slopes, in places marked by small rocky scars: softer beds give rise to low angled slopes or areas of ‘slack’ ground. Such terraced hill slopes are conspicuous in many parts of the district, especially around Hadrian’s Wall, in the upper parts of the North Tyne valley and around Otterburn. Hareshaw Linn, near Bellingham, is a spectacular waterfall formed by a thick sandstone. The Stainmore Formation outcrop is much concealed beneath superficial deposits, though a number of prominent sandstones give rise to distinctive ridge-like features. Conspicuous examples of sandstone crags include those of Great Wanney, Hepple Heugh, Darney Crag and Lunga Crags in the West Woodburn area and King’s and Queen’s Crags near Hadrian’s Wall. Sink holes locally mark the outcrop of the thickest limestone units, most notably the Great Limestone, but other examples of these may be seen near the A68 south of Ridsdale.
Mining and quarrying have left their mark on the landscape. The large scale working of sandstone for building stone has left substantial quarries on the hillsides around West Woodburn, and Otterburn. Relatively large quarries in the Great Limestone can be seen in the south of the district. Large scale extraction of iron ores around Ridsdale and Bellingham has left a conspicuous legacy of abandoned quarries and spoil heaps; adit mouths are still visible near Ridsdale [NY 9019 8409] and Bellingham [NY 8438 8401]. Innumerable small pits for walling and building stone, and for lime burning, are scattered across the district.
Remains of coal mining are on a modest scale. Small but obvious grey spoil heaps remain to mark the site of several mines in the Bellingham, Rochester and Longframlington areas. Extensive areas of outcrop workings and shallow bell pits can still be traced on the Fourlaws Coal in Redesdale, particulary around and across the Otterburn Ranges.
