Barnack Hills and Holes (SSSI and NNR)
Location and Access Information
Grid Reference: TF 076047
The undulating topography at Barnack
is a result of medieval limestone quarrying.
The reserve is situated in the village of Barnack, 11km north-west of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. The site is open all the year round and parking is available at several points close by, although visitors are encouraged to use the car park on Wittering Road. Cycle parking is also provided.
Barnack Hills and Holes NNR page
View the site map on Nature on the Map
.
Geological Interest
Barnack Hills and Holes is an area of limestone grassland which has developed on the site of disused quarry workings. The stone that was quarried here belongs to the Jurassic (205-142 million years ago) Lincolnshire Limestone, a buff-yellow limestone that was originally deposited in a shallow, tropical sea. The stone has been extensively quarried in the area since Roman times and was used in the construction of many of the local village houses and nearby Peterborough Cathedral. The old workings at Barnack now support some of the most species-rich grassland in eastern England, including several species of orchids, purple milk-vetch, common rock-rose and an abundance of pasque flower, for which the site is particularly well known.
