Farndale Local Nature Reserve is a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in the valley of

Farndale Farndale is a valley and community in Ryedale district, North Yorkshire, England, which is known for the daffodils which flower each spring along a stretch of the River Dove. The valley is in the North York Moors National Park, some nort ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...

, England. It is located within the

North York Moors National Park North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...

region and is looked after by the North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA). The LNR attracts thousands of visitors in the springtime, who go to see the wild daffodils on display in the valley.

History

The Farndale Local Nature Reserve was designated under Section 21 of the

National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the National Parks Commission which later became the Countryside Commission and then the Countryside Agency, which becam ...

on 12 March 1956. Local Nature Reserves are places with wildlife or geology that are of special interest locally. The Farndale Local Nature Reserve constitutes the majority of

, which is a dale within the

North York Moors The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a National Park in 1952, through the National Parks and A ...

National Park. It was created in 1956 to protect the wild daffodils (

narcissus pseudonarcissus ''Narcissus pseudonarcissus'' (commonly known as wild daffodil or Lent lily) (Welsh: Cennin Pedr) is a perennial flowering plant. This species has pale yellow tepals, with a darker central trumpet. The long, narrow leaves are slightly greyis ...

), for which the dale is famed. The Local Nature Reserve, which covers over , also includes the larger part of Farndale Site of Special Scientific Interest measured at . Over 40,000 people visit the dale in the springtime to walk along the River Dove and see the daffodils. The variety of daffodil that grows wild in the valley, has shorter stems than the cultivated variety and are believed to have been planted by monks in medieval times. The daffodils are also known as ''Lent Lilies'' in Farndale and they usually appear around

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and L ...

. The LNR and wild daffodils at Farndale regularly receive positive recommendations for tourists and visitors in the

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...

and Visit England guides.

References

Nature reserves in North Yorkshire Local Nature Reserves in North Yorkshire {{Europe-protected-area-stub