Muker Wildflower Meadows
OS grid reference:- SD 910 979
The village of Muker, a traditional Dales village in beautiful Swaledale provides one of the best places to see upland wild flower meadows from public footpaths in the Yorkshire Dales.
Wild flowers in this concentration are now a rarity in Britain and are the result of years of management from the local Dales farmers who cut the fields back at the end of June in the traditional way to provide fodder for their livestock during the winter months. Some of them are protected as part of the Muker Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Four meadows at Muker were named as one of 60 'Coronation Meadows' in 2013 by the Prince of Wales.
The 12 fields at Muker offer a wide range of wild flowers which include cat's ear, wood crane's bill, buttercups, lady's mantle, yellow rattle, rough hawkbit, sweet vernal grass, pignut and melancholy thistle as well as a wide range of pollinating insects, birds and small mammals . Six of the fields have flagged paths, some are inaccessible but viewable whilst the first two are suitable for wheelchairs or pushchair visitors. The best time to view the meadows is in June.