The Land of the Lune - Drakkar Press

66 Chapter 4: Upper Rawtheydale
Sally Beck
Sally Beck arises 4km north in the fields above
Studfold. Under normal conditions, it receives
numerous becks flowing from Harter Fell on the west
but nothing at all from Fell End Clouds on the east.
This is because the Clouds are formed of limestone, into
which rainwater disappears.
The limestone does not really form terraces like we
saw on Orton Scar because it is too distorted. It occurs
as small cliffs and scattered, rocky outcrops. There are
two well-preserved limekilns, with evidence of old mine
workings, and in the middle of the Clouds there’s an
intriguing enclosed field containing the ruins of old walls
(shown on page 61). The Clouds have been made a Site
of Special Scientific Interest, mainly because of their
flora, which, because the Clouds are heavily grazed, is
largely restricted to the recesses of the grikes. There are,
for example, seventeen species of fern, including the rare
rigid buckler fern, holly fern, and green spleenwort.
This is Chapter 4 of The Land of the Lune (2nd edition), http://www.drakkar.co.uk/landofthelune.html, Copyright © 2010 John Self