Little Langdale
Encyclopedia
Little Langdale is a valley in the Lake District
, England
containing Little Langdale Tarn and a hamlet also called Little Langdale. A second tarn, Blea Tarn, is in a hanging valley between Little Langdale and the larger Great Langdale
to the north. Little Langdale is flanked on the south and southwest by Wetherlam
and Swirl How
and to the north and northwest by Lingmoor Fell
and Pike of Blisco
. The valley descends to join with Great Langdale above Elter Water.
route from Whitley Bay
.
Historically Little Langdale was at the intersection of packhorse
routes leading to Ravenglass
, Whitehaven
, Keswick
, Penrith
& Carlisle, Ambleside
, Hawkshead
, and Coniston
, Ulverston
, Broughton
and Barrow in Furness. Slater's Bridge which crosses the River Brathay
in 3 spans supported by a large mid-stream boulder and stone causeways is a 17th century, slate-built, former packhorse bridge on one of these routes. Today metalled roads from Little Langdale lead west over Wrynose Pass
and Hardknott towards Eskdale
, northwest by Blea Tarn to Great Langdale
, northeast to Elterwater
and east to the Skelwith Bridge
- Coniston
road.
National Cycle Network
’s Regional Route 37 between Ambleside
and Ulverston
runs through the valley.
The National Trust
owns many farms and areas of land in the valley, many of which date from the 17th century. Other than the farms and houses the village also has a Post Office open one day per week and an inn
. The Three Shires Inn was built in 1872 and is named after the Three Shires Stone
two miles (3 km) away.
The valley has an annual rainfall of 2408 mm, higher than the Lake District average, which is itself considerably wetter than the UK average. The land in Little Langdale is now mainly used for sheep and cattle farming, although until 1940 at least some of the farmland was ploughed.
The valley was used as a venue in March 2006 for practising a 'mujahidin commando raid' by a group, one of whom was later convicted for terrorism
related offences.
and slate
although there is little activity there at present. Workings in the vicinity include the extensive slate quarries at Hodge Close, Tilberthwaite and the mines on the southern slopes of Wetherlam. A nearby mine at Hawk Rigg possibly dates from the Elizabethan era and it was reported in 1709 that iron ore was mined in the area.
The rock in the valley is generally Borrowdale tuff
and rhyolite
with andesite
sills
with areas of slate, particularly to the south.
The quarry features at least 25 named rock climbing
routes
that are graded Extreme and are 30–40 m long. The spoil heaps from these mines form large banks where silver birch
and larch
now grow.
The mine workings featured the large Engine Shaft with winding and pumping gear powered by a 9.8 m overshot wheel, various other shafts and adit
s, a spall
ing floor, a crushing mill
powered by a second water-wheel, an inclined tramway
s and two precipitation tanks. There are remains of buildings including a smithy
, office, two-storey accommodation block, dry store & miners' changing house and explosives store.
At least five copper veins
were mined named the Sump, Pave York, Low Gill and Gossan Veins. By 1906 the mine was run by the Greenburn and Tilberthwaite Syndicate who were replaced in 1912 by the Langdale Silver, Lead and Copper Company. The reservoir when built in the 19th century was around 1.6 ha in area but a storm in the winter of 1979-80 caused the dam to burst reducing its height from around 7.5 m to the current 6 m. The effect of the damburst is visible in sediment cores from the downstream Little Langdale Tarn.
and Little Langdale. A carpark for twenty vehicles is sited close to the tarn with an all-ability trail leading around the tarn. The tarn is forested on its western shore with rhododendron
s also found there, the other shores being grassland. Blea Tarn was characterised in 1969 as being low in nutrients and acidic but not having suffered from fertiliser pollution
. Brown trout
, perch
and pike
can all be found in the tarn.
Blea Tarn was designated a SSSI in 1989 because of its importance for palaeo-environmental studies relating to the Devensian and Flandrian times. Pollen analysis from Blea Tarn shows evidence for elm
branches being collected as fodder
from 3300 BC and forest clearances occurring from around 3000 to 2000 BC corresponding with the dates of the Great Langdale axe factory
The nearby Side Pike SSSI was designated in 1977 as one of the few areas in the British Isles
where rock demonstrating subaerial
volcanic processes are seen. The ignimbrite
and tuff
rocks there form part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group.
The farmhouse and tarn are both mentioned in Wordsworth's 'The Solitary
'.
The tarn and approximately 30 ha of its fringing habitats were designated a SSSI in 1965. The habitat types next to the tarn are 'single-species dominant swamp, acid-poor fen, acidic species-rich marshy grassland, hay meadow and wet woodland'. It was surveyed for diatom
s in 1984 and 1999, the changes being consistent with the pH
of the lake having increased however diatoms from sediment cores indicate a decrease in tarn pH
from 6.3 to 5.8.
Little Langdale Tarn was several times larger at the end of the last ice age, the lost area has become filled with sediment and resulted in the flat farmland beside the current lake. The catchment area is a sheepfarm
of rough grassland and sphagnum
bog in the valley bottom and surrounding fellside. Sediment cores taken at the lake show a top layer of brown organic sediment followed by a grey coloured minerogenic layer rich in copper
from the mining activities at Greenburn. There is an obvious increase in the sediment accumulation rate with time - the major source being peat pipes and sheep grazing close to Wrynose Beck, a tributary of the Brathay.
of the valley is similar to other nearby valleys and includes the badger
, grey squirrel
, hare
, hedgehog
, rabbit
, roe deer
, red deer
, red fox
, stoat
, weasel
, buzzard
, cuckoo
, house martin
, peregrine
, raven
, ring ouzel
, swallow
, swift
, and slow worm. Rarely the adder
, otter
and red squirrel
are seen. Pine martin, previously rare, are no longer seen in the valley. The tarn shore supports a population of Great Crested Grebe
and the dark green fritillary butterfly.
Twenty acres of fields around the centre of the hamlet of Little Langdale were designated a SSSI in 1989 as one of the only four remaining meadows of SSSI quality in South Cumbria
. The habitat varies from floodplain near the Brathay to higher, dryer haymeadow with both being home to a wide variety of herb, grass and flower species. Grasses found in these meadows include sweet vernal-grass, wood-crane's-bill, common bent
, crested dog's tail
, red fescue, meadow fescue, Yorkshire-fog, smooth meadow-grass, rough meadow-grass
, cock's-foot, soft brome
and perennial rye-grass
. Perhaps the rarest species found there is the Globe-flower
.
axe was found on Low Fell above Greenburn Beck in 1961 and remains of an Iron Age
nucleated hillfort have been found at Castle Howe - a small mound of volcanic rock - including a hut circle and ditches cut into the rock.
The Ting Mound or Thing
Moot
at Fellfoot Farm is a deliberately terraced mound situated close to the Roman road
and other transport routes. It was used as an open-air meeting place for local government and established by Viking
settlers, presumably from the tenth century onward.
The mound is very similar to the Tynwald
Mount and was described by H. Cowper (see below)
There are remains of a medieval settlement with stone-walled houses at Seven Intakes and of a medieval farmstead with a kiln
, possibly for corn-drying, close by at Long Intakes. Other possible medieval remains have been found nearby in the valley.
Many farmhouses in the area date from the 17th century. A chapel is said to have once stood close to the Bield and Tarn at Chapel Mire.
. Slee had many still
s for distilling moonshine
whisky
hidden in caves and quarries around the area, including one in a cave in Moss Rigg quarry and transported the liquor over Wrynose and Hardknott to Ravenglass
. In 1840 Slee built Greenbank Farm in the valley.
The Bield (a northern English dialect word for house), a 17th century farmhouse, was home to the Brazilian sculptress Josefina de Vasconcellos
for much of her life.
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
containing Little Langdale Tarn and a hamlet also called Little Langdale. A second tarn, Blea Tarn, is in a hanging valley between Little Langdale and the larger Great Langdale
Great Langdale
Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in the county of Cumbria, in the northwest of England. It is often simply referred to as Langdale, the epithet Great distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale....
to the north. Little Langdale is flanked on the south and southwest by Wetherlam
Wetherlam
Wetherlam is a mountain in the English Lake District. It is the most northerly of the Coniston Fells, the range of fells to the north-west of Coniston village; its north-east slopes descend to Little Langdale.-Topography:...
and Swirl How
Swirl How
Swirl How is a fell in the English Lake District. It stands between Coniston and the Duddon Valley in the southern part of the District.The Coniston Fells form the watershed between Coniston Water and the Duddon valley to the west. The range begins at Wrynose Pass and runs south for around...
and to the north and northwest by Lingmoor Fell
Lingmoor Fell
Lingmoor Fell is a fell in the English Lake District, situated eight kilometres west of Ambleside. The fell reaches a modest height of 469 m and divides the valleys of Great Langdale and Little Langdale. The fell's name originates from the Old Norse word lyng meaning “heather covered”...
and Pike of Blisco
Pike of Blisco
Pike of Blisco, or Pike o' Blisco, is a mountain in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. Located between the valleys of Great Langdale and Little Langdale, its relative isolation from neighbouring fells together with slopes falling away immediately from the summit in all directions mean it has...
. The valley descends to join with Great Langdale above Elter Water.
Description
Langdale was previously known as Langdene meaning 'far away wooded valley' and referring to its distance along the flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
route from Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
.
Historically Little Langdale was at the intersection of packhorse
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
routes leading to Ravenglass
Ravenglass
Ravenglass is a small coastal village and natural harbour in Cumbria, England. It is the only coastal town within the Lake District National Park...
, Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
, Keswick
Keswick
-Geography:A place in Australia:*Keswick, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide**Keswick railway station, Adelaide**Adelaide Parklands Terminal A place in Canada:*Keswick, Ontario...
, Penrith
Penrith
Penrith may be:*Penrith, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia**Penrith Panthers, rugby league team**Penrith Stadium, home ground of the Penrith Panthers**Penrith Bears, ice-hockey team**City of Penrith, local government area...
& Carlisle, Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
, Hawkshead
Hawkshead
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in the Cumbria, England. It is one of the main tourist honeypots in the South Lakeland area, and is dependent on the local tourist trade...
, and Coniston
Coniston
-Relating to Coniston, Cumbria, England:*Coniston, Cumbria, a village*Coniston Fells, a chain of hills and mountains in the Furness Fells, in the Lake District**Coniston Old Man , the highest peak in the Coniston Fells....
, Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....
, Broughton
Broughton
-Places:Canada* Broughton, Nova Scotia* Broughton Archipelago, British ColumbiaEngland* Broughton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire* Broughton, Cambridgeshire* Broughton, Craven, North Yorkshire* Broughton, Cumbria* Broughton, Greater Manchester...
and Barrow in Furness. Slater's Bridge which crosses the River Brathay
River Brathay
The Brathay is a river of north-west England. Its name comes from Old Norse and means broad river. It rises at a point 1289 feet above sea level near the Three Shire Stone at the highest point of Wrynose Pass in the Lake District...
in 3 spans supported by a large mid-stream boulder and stone causeways is a 17th century, slate-built, former packhorse bridge on one of these routes. Today metalled roads from Little Langdale lead west over Wrynose Pass
Wrynose Pass
The Wrynose Pass is a mountain pass in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England between the Duddon Valley and Little Langdale.-Road:...
and Hardknott towards Eskdale
Eskdale, Cumbria
Eskdale is a glacial valley and civil parish in the western Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It forms part of the Borough of Copeland, and has a population of 264....
, northwest by Blea Tarn to Great Langdale
Great Langdale
Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in the county of Cumbria, in the northwest of England. It is often simply referred to as Langdale, the epithet Great distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale....
, northeast to Elterwater
Elterwater
Elter Water is a small lake that lies half a mile south-east of the village of Elterwater. Both are situated in the valley of Great Langdale in the English Lake District...
and east to the Skelwith Bridge
Skelwith Bridge
Skelwith Bridge is a small village in the southern area of the Lake District in Cumbria, North West England. It is located around 3 miles south of Grasmere and is nearby the waterfalls of Skelwith Force and Colwith Force. The nearest lakes to the village are Elter Water to the north-west and...
- Coniston
Coniston
-Relating to Coniston, Cumbria, England:*Coniston, Cumbria, a village*Coniston Fells, a chain of hills and mountains in the Furness Fells, in the Lake District**Coniston Old Man , the highest peak in the Coniston Fells....
road.
National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
’s Regional Route 37 between Ambleside
Ambleside
Ambleside is a town in Cumbria, in North West England.Historically within the county of Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake...
and Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....
runs through the valley.
The National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
owns many farms and areas of land in the valley, many of which date from the 17th century. Other than the farms and houses the village also has a Post Office open one day per week and an inn
INN
InterNetNews is a Usenet news server package, originally released by Rich Salz in 1991, and presented at the Summer 1992 USENIX conference in San Antonio, Texas...
. The Three Shires Inn was built in 1872 and is named after the Three Shires Stone
Three Shire Stone (Lake District)
The Three Shire Stone is a boundary stone that marks the location where the historic English counties of Lancashire, Cumberland and Westmorland meet...
two miles (3 km) away.
The valley has an annual rainfall of 2408 mm, higher than the Lake District average, which is itself considerably wetter than the UK average. The land in Little Langdale is now mainly used for sheep and cattle farming, although until 1940 at least some of the farmland was ploughed.
The valley was used as a venue in March 2006 for practising a 'mujahidin commando raid' by a group, one of whom was later convicted for terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
related offences.
Mining
Little Langdale has been heavily mined and quarried over the last several hundred years particularly for copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
although there is little activity there at present. Workings in the vicinity include the extensive slate quarries at Hodge Close, Tilberthwaite and the mines on the southern slopes of Wetherlam. A nearby mine at Hawk Rigg possibly dates from the Elizabethan era and it was reported in 1709 that iron ore was mined in the area.
The rock in the valley is generally Borrowdale tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
and rhyolite
Rhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
with andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
sills
Sill (geology)
In geology, a sill is a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. The term sill is synonymous with concordant intrusive sheet...
with areas of slate, particularly to the south.
Cathedral Quarries
Cathedral Quarries (Grid NY308028), a set of disused inter-linked quarries for green slate, is above the valley in Atkinson Coppice. The quarry site is now managed by the National Trust and can be entered by the public. It features various chambers and tunnels, including one which is 400 feet (121.9 m) long. The quarry's main attraction, 'The Cathedral', is a 40 feet (12.2 m) high main chamber lit by two windows with a huge rock pillar supporting the roof. Some of the quarry smaller chambers are closed off for safety or have already collapsed.The quarry features at least 25 named rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
routes
Climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and, once committed to that ascent, can be difficult to stop or return. Choice of route can be critically important...
that are graded Extreme and are 30–40 m long. The spoil heaps from these mines form large banks where silver birch
Silver Birch
Betula pendula is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus...
and larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
now grow.
Greenburn Mine
Greenburn Mine (also known as New Coniston Mine), close to Greenburn Beck and the disused Greenburn reservoir, is 'widely regarded as the best preserved copper mine in the Lake District.' The mine was mostly worked in the mid-19th century but may have been operated from the late 17th century. It closed in 1865 but later re-opened with activity possibly until 1940. The shafts of the mine reached a depth of 700 ft (213.4 m) below ground level.The mine workings featured the large Engine Shaft with winding and pumping gear powered by a 9.8 m overshot wheel, various other shafts and adit
Adit
An adit is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, and ventilated.-Construction:...
s, a spall
Spall
Spall are flakes of a material that are broken off a larger solid body and can be produced by a variety of mechanisms, including as a result of projectile impact, corrosion, weathering, cavitation, or excessive rolling pressure...
ing floor, a crushing mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
powered by a second water-wheel, an inclined tramway
Tramway
Tramway may refer to:* Tramway , a lightly laid railway for uses such as logging or mining * A system of trams * Aerial tramway...
s and two precipitation tanks. There are remains of buildings including a smithy
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
, office, two-storey accommodation block, dry store & miners' changing house and explosives store.
At least five copper veins
Vein (geology)
In geology, a vein is a distinct sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock. Veins form when mineral constituents carried by an aqueous solution within the rock mass are deposited through precipitation...
were mined named the Sump, Pave York, Low Gill and Gossan Veins. By 1906 the mine was run by the Greenburn and Tilberthwaite Syndicate who were replaced in 1912 by the Langdale Silver, Lead and Copper Company. The reservoir when built in the 19th century was around 1.6 ha in area but a storm in the winter of 1979-80 caused the dam to burst reducing its height from around 7.5 m to the current 6 m. The effect of the damburst is visible in sediment cores from the downstream Little Langdale Tarn.
Blea Tarn
Blea Tarn situated in a small hanging valley between Great LangdaleGreat Langdale
Great Langdale is a valley in the Lake District National Park in the county of Cumbria, in the northwest of England. It is often simply referred to as Langdale, the epithet Great distinguishing it from the neighbouring valley of Little Langdale....
and Little Langdale. A carpark for twenty vehicles is sited close to the tarn with an all-ability trail leading around the tarn. The tarn is forested on its western shore with rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s also found there, the other shores being grassland. Blea Tarn was characterised in 1969 as being low in nutrients and acidic but not having suffered from fertiliser pollution
Eutrophication
Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...
. Brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
and pike
Pike
-Transit:*Pike or toll road, a course in which fees are collected. Sometimes a historical name of what once was a toll road.-Fish:*Esox, genus of pikes**Northern pike, common north hemisphere pike*Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct freshwater fish...
can all be found in the tarn.
Blea Tarn was designated a SSSI in 1989 because of its importance for palaeo-environmental studies relating to the Devensian and Flandrian times. Pollen analysis from Blea Tarn shows evidence for elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
branches being collected as fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
from 3300 BC and forest clearances occurring from around 3000 to 2000 BC corresponding with the dates of the Great Langdale axe factory
Langdale axe industry
The Langdale axe industry is the name given by archaeologists to the centre of a specialised stone tool manufacturing at Great Langdale in England's Lake District during the Neolithic period .The area has outcrops of fine-grained greenstone suitable for making polished axes which have been...
The nearby Side Pike SSSI was designated in 1977 as one of the few areas in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
where rock demonstrating subaerial
Subaerial
The term subaerial is mainly used in geology to describe events or structures that are located at the Earth's surface...
volcanic processes are seen. The ignimbrite
Ignimbrite
An ignimbrite is the deposit of a pyroclastic density current, or pyroclastic flow, a hot suspension of particles and gases that flows rapidly from a volcano, driven by a greater density than the surrounding atmosphere....
and tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
rocks there form part of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group.
Farmhouse
The farmhouse was built in the 17th century, with a later 19th Century addition, and is currently listed at Grade II. It is a National Trust property rented to a local family and is no longer a working farm.The farmhouse and tarn are both mentioned in Wordsworth's 'The Solitary
The Excursion
The Excursion: Being a portion of The Recluse, a poem is a long poem by Romantic poet William Wordsworth and was first published in 1814 . It was intended to be the second part of The Recluse, an unfinished larger work that was also meant to include The Prelude, Wordsworth's other long poem, which...
'.
Little Langdale Tarn
Little Langdale Tarn is a natural tarn within a marshy area of the valley. The area around the tarn is managed by the National Trust and has no public access. It is typical Southern Cumbrian meso-oligotrophic tarn, whilst not at a particularly high altitude itself it has a mean catchment altitude 520 m.The tarn and approximately 30 ha of its fringing habitats were designated a SSSI in 1965. The habitat types next to the tarn are 'single-species dominant swamp, acid-poor fen, acidic species-rich marshy grassland, hay meadow and wet woodland'. It was surveyed for diatom
Diatom
Diatoms are a major group of algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans , zigzags , or stellate colonies . Diatoms are producers within the food chain...
s in 1984 and 1999, the changes being consistent with the pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
of the lake having increased however diatoms from sediment cores indicate a decrease in tarn pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
from 6.3 to 5.8.
Little Langdale Tarn was several times larger at the end of the last ice age, the lost area has become filled with sediment and resulted in the flat farmland beside the current lake. The catchment area is a sheepfarm
Sheep husbandry
Sheep husbandry is a subcategory of animal husbandry specifically dealing with the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. Sheep farming is primarily based on raising lambs for meat, or raising sheep for wool. Sheep may also be raised for milk or to sell to other farmers.-Shelter and...
of rough grassland and sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
bog in the valley bottom and surrounding fellside. Sediment cores taken at the lake show a top layer of brown organic sediment followed by a grey coloured minerogenic layer rich in copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
from the mining activities at Greenburn. There is an obvious increase in the sediment accumulation rate with time - the major source being peat pipes and sheep grazing close to Wrynose Beck, a tributary of the Brathay.
Fauna and Flora
The wild faunaFauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of the valley is similar to other nearby valleys and includes the badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
, grey squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
, hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
, hedgehog
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
, roe deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
, red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
, red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
, stoat
Stoat
The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...
, weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
, buzzard
Buzzard
A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
, cuckoo
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
, house martin
House Martin
The Common House Martin , sometimes called the Northern House Martin or, particularly in Europe, just House Martin, is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia...
, peregrine
Peregrine
Peregrine, Latin Peregrinus, is a name originally meaning "one from abroad", that is, a foreigner, traveller, or pilgrim. It may refer to:- Birds :* Peregrine Falcon, a bird of prey* The Peregrine Fund, a bird conservation organization- People :...
, raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
, ring ouzel
Ring Ouzel
The Ring Ouzel is a European member of the thrush family Turdidae.It is the mountain equivalent of the closely related Common Blackbird, and breeds in gullies, rocky areas or scree slopes....
, swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
, swift
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
, and slow worm. Rarely the adder
Adder
Adder may refer to:Snakes:* Any of several groups of venomous snakes of the Viperidae family including Vipera berus, the common European adder, found in Europe and northern Asia...
, otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
and red squirrel
Red Squirrel
The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus common throughout Eurasia...
are seen. Pine martin, previously rare, are no longer seen in the valley. The tarn shore supports a population of Great Crested Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
The Great Crested Grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds.- Description :The Great Crested Grebe is long with a wingspan. It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations...
and the dark green fritillary butterfly.
Twenty acres of fields around the centre of the hamlet of Little Langdale were designated a SSSI in 1989 as one of the only four remaining meadows of SSSI quality in South Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. The habitat varies from floodplain near the Brathay to higher, dryer haymeadow with both being home to a wide variety of herb, grass and flower species. Grasses found in these meadows include sweet vernal-grass, wood-crane's-bill, common bent
Agrostis capillaris
Agrostis capillaris is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family . It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world...
, crested dog's tail
Cynosurus cristatus
-Introduction:Crested Dog’s-tail is an ornamental plant, but also found in the wild typically in species rich grassland. It is a perennial short-lived plant characterised by a seed head that is flat on one side. It thrives in a variety of soil types but avoids the acid and calcerous extremes of...
, red fescue, meadow fescue, Yorkshire-fog, smooth meadow-grass, rough meadow-grass
Poa trivialis
Poa trivialis , is a perennial plant, and is regarded in the USA as an ornamental plant and is of the Poa family.-Description:...
, cock's-foot, soft brome
Bromus hordeaceus
Bromus hordeaceus, the Soft Brome, is an annual or biennial species of plant in the true grass family . It is also known in North America as Bull Grass, Soft Cheat or Soft Chess....
and perennial rye-grass
Lolium perenne
Lolium perenne, common name Perennial Ryegrass, is a grass from the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but is widely cultivated and naturalised around the world.-Description:...
. Perhaps the rarest species found there is the Globe-flower
Globe-flower
The Globe-flower, Trollius europaeus, is a perennial plant of the family Ranunculaceae. The plant is native of Europe and Western Asia and is a protected species in Bulgaria.-Description:...
.
History
The valley has a long history of inhabitation, a socketed Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
axe was found on Low Fell above Greenburn Beck in 1961 and remains of an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
nucleated hillfort have been found at Castle Howe - a small mound of volcanic rock - including a hut circle and ditches cut into the rock.
The Ting Mound or Thing
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
Moot
Moot hill
A moot hill or mons placiti is a hill or mound historically used as an assembly or meeting place. In early medieval Britain, such hills were used for "moots", meetings of local people to settle local business. Among other things, proclamations might be read; decisions might be taken; court cases...
at Fellfoot Farm is a deliberately terraced mound situated close to the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
and other transport routes. It was used as an open-air meeting place for local government and established by Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
settlers, presumably from the tenth century onward.
The mound is very similar to the Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
Mount and was described by H. Cowper (see below)
There are remains of a medieval settlement with stone-walled houses at Seven Intakes and of a medieval farmstead with a kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
, possibly for corn-drying, close by at Long Intakes. Other possible medieval remains have been found nearby in the valley.
Many farmhouses in the area date from the 17th century. A chapel is said to have once stood close to the Bield and Tarn at Chapel Mire.
Famous Residents
Little Langdale was home to the notorious 19th century smuggler Lanty SleeLanty Slee
Lancelot 'Lanty' Slee was a Lake District farmer, quarryman and notorious smuggler. The name 'Lanty' is a diminutive for Lancelot used in the Lake District.-Life:...
. Slee had many still
Still
A still is a permanent apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor...
s for distilling moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
hidden in caves and quarries around the area, including one in a cave in Moss Rigg quarry and transported the liquor over Wrynose and Hardknott to Ravenglass
Ravenglass
Ravenglass is a small coastal village and natural harbour in Cumbria, England. It is the only coastal town within the Lake District National Park...
. In 1840 Slee built Greenbank Farm in the valley.
The Bield (a northern English dialect word for house), a 17th century farmhouse, was home to the Brazilian sculptress Josefina de Vasconcellos
Josefina de Vasconcellos
Josefina Alys Hermes de Vasconcellos was an English sculptor of Brazilian origin. She was at one time the world's oldest living sculptor. She lived in Cumbria much of her working life...
for much of her life.