Castle Eden Dene is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve in the Easington district of County Durham,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It is located mostly in

Peterlee Peterlee is a town in County Durham, England. It lies between Sunderland to the north, Hartlepool to the south, the Durham Coast to the east and Durham to the west. It gained town status in 1948 under the New Towns Act 1946. The act also cr ...

, between the A19 and

A1086 road A1, A-1, A01 or A.1. may refer to: Education * A1, the Basic Language Certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages * Language A1, the former name for "Language A: literature", one of the IB Group 1 subjects * A1, a ...

s. The

dene The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" h ...

is the largest, and biologically the richest, of a series of deep ravines that have been incised through the

Magnesian Limestone The Magnesian Limestone is a suite of carbonate rocks in north-east England dating from the Permian period. The outcrop stretches from Nottingham northwards through Yorkshire and into County Durham where it is exposed along the coast between ...

and overlying

boulder clay Boulder clay is an unsorted agglomeration of clastic sediment that is unstratified and structureless and contains gravel of various sizes, shapes, and compositions distributed at random in a fine-grained matrix. The fine-grained matrix consists ...

of coastal Durham by streams flowing into the North Sea. It is the largest area of semi-natural woodland in north-east England and, because the steep valley sides are mostly inaccessible, it has suffered relatively little from human interference. The majority of the woodland is dominated by ash, ''

Fraxinus excelsior ''Fraxinus excelsior'', known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus and Albo ...

'', and wych elm, '' Ulmus glabra'', though sycamore, '' Acer pseudoplatanus'' is well-established and yew, ''

Taxus baccata ''Taxus baccata'' is a species of evergreen tree in the family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the famil ...

'', is common. The yew is said to have given the dene its name, "Eden" being derived from the earlier "Yoden", or ''Yew dene'', though an alternative explanation is that "Eden" and "Yoden" derive from Old English ''Idun'', itself a derivative of Indo-European ''pid'', meaning "a spring, water". Over 450 species of plants have been recorded in the wood, many of which are typical of ancient woodlands that date back to pre-medieval times. The ground-flora is dominated by

ramsons ''Allium ursinum'', known as wild garlic, ramsons, cowleekes, cows's leek, cowleek, buckrams, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, Eurasian wild garlic or bear's garlic, is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amary ...

, or wild garlic, ''Allium ursinum'', with its characteristic garlic-like aroma; dog's mercury, ''

Mercurialis perennis ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.Sanicula europaea'', are also common, while locally-rare species include lily-of-the-valley, ''

Convallaria majalis Lily of the valley (''Convallaria majalis'' (), sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperate N ...

'', herb paris, ''

Paris quadrifolia ''Paris quadrifolia'', the herb Paris or true lover's knot, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It occurs in temperate and cool areas throughout Eurasia, from Spain to Yakutia, and from Iceland to Mongolia. It prefers ...

'', bird's-nest orchid, '' Neottia nidus-avis'', and round-leaved wintergreen, '' Pyrola rotundifolia''. In early spring, the woodland floor is scattered with the yellow flowers of primrose, ''

Primula vulgaris ''Primula vulgaris'', the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia.''Flora Europaea'Primula vulgaris''/ref> The common nam ...

'', and lesser celandine, '' Ranunculus ficaria'', and the white flowers of wood anemone, ''

Anemone nemorosa ''Anemonoides nemorosa'' (syn. ''Anemone nemorosa''), the wood anemone, is an early-spring flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to Europe. Other common names include windflower, European thimbleweed, and smell fox, an all ...

'', which give way in late spring to thick carpets of bluebells, '' Hyacinthoides non-scripta''. The Dene is a popular venue for walkers and there are several entrances, from Peterlee and Horden to the north, Castle Eden, Blackhall and Heselden to the south, and from the A19 and A1086 roads. Natural England, which manages the area in partnership with local councils, has done much to improve access within the dene, both by strengthening the paths and bridges across the burn and by creating better drainage around the paths. Despite this, heavy rain storms can severely disrupt access to some areas. Storms in July 2009 and November 2012 have left several areas inaccessible and some stretches of path may have to be closed permanently because of the instability of the valley slopes. Similarly, although Castle Eden Burn is seasonal, and there is often no running water at the bottom of the ravine, the culvert which carries the burn under the A1086 road can become blocked with logs after heavy rain storms. To minimise accidents and to avoid damage to the plants and the dene itself, Natural England advises walkers not to stray from the paths and prohibits the use of bicycles within the reserve.

Pictures

File:Information_board_at_entrance_to_Castle_Eden_Dene_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1473198.jpg, Information board at entrance to Castle Eden Dene File:A1086tunnel.jpg, The culvert under the

carrying the burn and the main footpath linking Castle Eden Dene to the beach at Denemouth

References

Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve
{{Authority control National nature reserves in England Nature reserves in County Durham Sites of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham Special Areas of Conservation in England Peterlee