# List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham

This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in County Durham, England. It excludes SSSIs situated in that area south of the River Tyne that is now part of the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear as well as the area north of the River Tees which, prior to 1996, formed part of the county of Cleveland.
As of July 2010, County Durham has 88 sites that have been designated as SSSIs, of which 67 have been designated for their biological interest, 16 for their geological interest, and 5 for both.
Five of these sites are shared with an adjacent county:
* Moorhouse and Cross Fell with Cumbria;
* Derwent Gorge and Horsleyhope Ravine, Hexhamshire Moors and Muggleswick, Stanhope and Edmundbyers Commons and Blanchland Moor with Northumberland;
* Durham Coast with both Cleveland (in the south) and Tyne and Wear (in the north).

## Designation of SSSIs

Sites of Special Scientific Interest are areas that have been selected for special protection because of their floral, faunal or geological significance. The concept was first given a statutory basis in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, the relevant provisions of which were repeated in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Under the 1949 Act, responsibility for selecting and notifying SSSIs in England was delegated to the newly created Nature Conservancy, which was replaced in 1973 by the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC). In 1991, the NCC was split up, its responsibilities in England being passed to English Nature which, in turn, was amalgamated into a new body, Natural England, in 2006.
The process for establishing an SSSI is as follows:
* When a site has been identified, Natural England notifies the landowner, the occupier (if different) and the local planning authority (plus relevant government departments and agencies);
* Owners and occupiers are given time to lodge objections or make representations concerning the restrictions imposed on an SSSI;
* The Board of Natural England considers these responses and decides whether to confirm or withdraw the SSSI notification.
The initial notification of a site is accompanied by a citation sheet, which outlines the reasons for the notification: the data in the following list is summarised from these individual citation sheets.

## Reasons for notification as SSSI

Of the 88 SSSIs designated in County Durham, 67 have been designated for their biological interest, 16 for their geological interest, and five for both biological and geological interest.

### Biological

While many of the SSSIs designated for biological reasons cover a variety of habitats, most have been designated primarily for one (or more) of a small number of reasons, as detailed in the individual citation sheets:
* Habitats
   * Moorland (upland heath and bogs) – Bollihope, Pikestone, Eggleston and Woodland Fells, Bowes Moor, Cotherstone Moor, Hexhamshire Moors, Lune Forest, Moorhouse and Cross Fell, Muggleswick, Stanhope and Edmundbyers Commons and Blanchland Moor, Upper Teesdale
   * Lowland heath – Green Croft and Langley Moor, Hesledon Moor West, Waldridge Fell
   * Wetlands (carr, fen, etc) – Burnhope Burn, Butterby Oxbow, Causey Bank Mires, Frog Wood Bog, Hell Kettles, Hesledon Moor East, Hesledon Moor West, Hisehope Burn Valley, Hulam Fen, Middleton Quarry, Pike Whin Bog, Pow Hill Bog, Railway Stell West, Redcar Field, The Carrs, Waldridge Fell, Witton-le-Wear
   * Semi-natural woodland – Backstone Bank and Baal Hill Woods, Baldersdale Woodlands, Brignall Banks, Castle Eden Dene, Derwent Gorge and Horsleyhope Ravine, Hawthorn Dene, Hisehope Burn Valley, Hunder Beck Juniper, Shipley and Great Woods, Slit Woods, Westernhope Burn Wood
   * Magnesian limestone grassland – Bishop Middleham Quarry, Cassop Vale, Charity Land, Dabble Bank, Durham Coast, Fishburn Grassland, Hawthorn Dene, Hesledon Moor East, Pig Hill, Pittington Hill, Quarrington Hill Grasslands, Raisby Hill Grassland, Sherburn Hill, The Bottoms, Thrislington Plantation, Town Kelloe Bank, Trimdon Limestone Quarry, Tuthill Quarry, Wingate Quarry
   * Hay meadows – Bowlees and Friar House Meadows, Cornriggs Meadows, Far High House Meadows, Grains o' th' Beck Meadows, Hannah's Meadows, Low Redford Meadows, Mere Beck Meadows, Middle Crossthwaite, Middle Side and Stonygill Meadows, Newton Ketton Meadow, Rigg Farm and Stake Hill Meadows, West Newlandside Meadows, West Park Meadows
   * Open water – Brasside Pond, The Carrs, Witton-le-Wear
* Fauna
   * Breeding birds – Bollihope, Pikestone, Eggleston and Woodland Fells, Bowes Moor, Cotherstone Moor, Durham Coast, Hexhamshire Moors, Lune Forest, Moorhouse and Cross Fell, Muggleswick, Stanhope and Edmundbyers Commons and Blanchland Moor, Teesdale Allotments, Upper Teesdale
   * Invertebrates – Bishop Middleham Quarry, Cassop Vale, Durham Coast, Green Croft and Langley Moor, Hexhamshire Moors, Middleton Quarry, Moorhouse and Cross Fell, Pig Hill, Quarrington Hill Grasslands, Raisby Hill Grassland, Sherburn Hill, Thrislington Plantation, Town Kelloe Bank, Upper Teesdale, Waldridge Fell

### Geological

The surface geology of County Durham is largely confined to rocks dating from the Carboniferous and Permian periods. In the west of the county, outcrops of Dinantian limestones are found in the river valleys, while the upland areas are underlain by the younger Namurian Millstone Grit Series. To the east, these rocks dip beneath the Westphalian Coal Measures, which underlay a broad swathe in the centre of the county. Further east, the Coal Measures are overlain by Permian Magnesian Limestone, which forms a low plateau across the eastern part of the county. Igneous intrusions are a prominent feature of the geology and gave rise to extensive mining for lead and other minerals, especially in the upper Weardale area in the west of the county.
Although each SSSI designated for geological reasons has its own distinctive features, they fall into a small number of broad categories, as indicated in the individual citation sheets:
* Stratigraphy
   * Sedimentary – Botany Hill, Crag Gill, Crime Rigg, Durham Coast, Hawthorn Quarry, Raisby Hill Quarry, Rogerley Quarry, Sleightholme Beck Gorge – The Troughs, Stony Cut, Cold Hesledon, Trimdon Limestone Quarry, Yoden Village Quarry
   * Igneous – Greenfoot Quarry, Moorhouse and Cross Fell, Upper Teesdale, West Rigg Open Cutting
* Mineralogy – Close House Mine, Foster's Hush, Moorhouse and Cross Fell, Old Moss Lead Vein, Upper Teesdale, West Rigg Open Cutting
* Palaeontology – Middridge Quarry
* Quaternary events – Durham Coast, Upper Teesdale
* Geomorphology
   * Cave development – Fairy Holes Cave, God's Bridge, Moorhouse and Cross Fell
   * Coastal – Durham Coast
   * Periglacial – Moorhouse and Cross Fell
   * Fluvial – Moorhouse and Cross Fell

## Area covered

From its inception, English Nature classified sites using the 1974–1996 county system. As Natural England uses the same system, it is also adopted in the following list. As a result, some sites that lie within the ceremonial county of Durham and might therefore be expected to be listed here will be found instead in either the Cleveland or the Tyne and Wear lists.
For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.

## Sites

* B
* C
* D
* F
* G
* H
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* Q
* R
* S
* T
* U
* W
* Y
| Site name | Reason for designation | Reason for designation | Area | Area | Grid reference | Year in which notified | Map |
| Site name | Biological interest | Geological interest | Hectares | Acres | Grid reference | Year in which notified | Map |
| Backstone Bank and Baal Hill Woods | Y | | 46.5 | 114.9 | NZ068399 | 1987 | Map |
| Baldersdale Woodlands | Y | | 19.6 | 48.4 | NY992200 | 1991 | Map |
| Bishop Middleham Quarry | Y | | 8.6 | 21.3 | NZ332326 | 1968 | Map |
| Bollihope, Pikestone, Eggleston and Woodland Fells | Y | | 7,949.2 | 19,643.2 | NZ005300 | 1996 | Map |
| Botany Hill | | Y | 3.8 | 9.3 | NY955205 | 1984 | Map |
| Bowes Moor | Y | | 4,457.7 | 11,014.9 | NY923104 | 1989 | Map |
| Bowlees and Friar House Meadows | Y | | 5.6 | 13.9 | NY898283 NY902282 | 1991 | Map |
| Brasside Pond | Y | | 25.1 | 62.0 | NZ292452 | 1966 | Map |
| Brignall Banks | Y | | 85.0 | 210.0 | NZ063113 | 1987 | Map |
| Burnhope Burn | Y | | 5.1 | 12.6 | NZ029507 | 1987 | Map |
| Butterby Oxbow | Y | | 7.3 | 18.0 | NZ275390 | 1957 | Map |
| Cassop Vale | Y | | 40.9 | 101.0 | NZ335387 | 1958 | Map |
| Castle Eden Dene | Y | | 193.0 | 476.8 | NZ434396 | 1984 | Map |
| Causey Bank Mires | Y | | 6.8 | 16.8 | NZ206564 | 1987 | Map |
| Charity Land | Y | | 5.8 | 14.4 | NZ375345 | 1999 | Map |
| Close House Mine | | Y | 3.4 | 8.3 | NY849228 | 1995 | Map |
| Cornriggs Meadows | Y | | 15.2 | 37.5 | NY846416 | 1989 | Map |
| Cotherstone Moor | Y | | 2,449.5 | 6,050.1 | NY940170 | 1955 | Map |
| Crag Gill | | Y | 2.3 | 5.7 | NZ026235 | 1984 | Map |
| Crime Rigg and Sherburn Hill Quarries | | Y | 23.2 | 57.4 | NZ344416 | 1968 | Map |
| Dabble Bank | Y | | 4.1 | 10.2 | NZ364434 | 2002 | Map |
| Derwent Gorge and Horsleyhope Ravine | Y | | 49.0 34.0 | 121.0 84.0 | NZ052493 NZ063483 | 1976 | Map |
| Durham Coast | Y | Y | 765.4 | 1,891.4 | NZ381685 – NZ495362 | 1960 | Map |
| Fairy Holes Cave | | Y | 208.8 | 515.9 | NY936357 | 1961 | Map |
| Far High House Meadows | Y | | 5.5 | 13.6 | NY839383 | 1990 | Map |
| Fishburn Grassland | Y | | 1.1 | 2.8 | NZ362328 | 1992 | Map |
| Foster's Hush | | Y | 1.3 | 3.2 | NY859204 | | Map |
| Frog Wood Bog | Y | | 3.2 | 7.9 | NZ069303 | 1989 | Map |
| God's Bridge | | Y | 9.3 | 22.9 | NY957126 | 1986 | Map |
| Grains o' th' Beck Meadows | Y | | 12.3 | 30.4 | NY872209 | 1989 | Map |
| Green Croft and Langley Moor | Y | | 6.5 9.0 12.2 | 16.1 22.2 30.2 | NZ169507 NZ166511 NZ186505 | 1989 | Map |
| Greenfoot Quarry | | Y | 0.9 | 2.2 | NY982392 | 1984 | Map |
| Hannah's Meadows | Y | | 7.1 | 17.5 | NY935185 | | Map |
| Hawthorn Dene | Y | | 64.1 | 158.4 | NZ435458 | 1968 | Map |
| Hawthorn Quarry | | Y | 9.8 | 24.2 | NZ435463 | 1990 | Map |
| Hell Kettles | Y | | 3.4 | 8.4 | NZ281109 | 1976 | Map |
| Hesledon Moor East | Y | | 6.0 | 14.8 | NZ399466 | 1998 | Map |
| Hesledon Moor West | Y | | 7.4 | 18.2 | NZ386453 | 1984 | Map |
| Hexhamshire Moors | Y | | 9,433.9 | 23,311.7 | NY870530 | 1998 | Map |
| Hisehope Burn Valley | Y | | 14.9 | 36.9 | NZ041477 NZ047473 | 1988 | Map |
| Hulam Fen | Y | | 0.2 | 0.5 | NZ439374 | 1986 | Map |
| Hunder Beck Juniper | Y | | 3.5 | 8.5 | NY931178 | 1994 | Map |
| Kilmond Scar | Y | | 4.5 | 11.1 | NZ028134 | 1963 | Map |
| Low Redford Meadows | Y | | 9.3 | 22.9 | NZ077309 NZ084309 | 1991 | Map |
| Lune Forest | Y | | 6,333.4 | 15,650.3 | NY850200 | 1998 | Map |
| Mere Beck Meadows | Y | | 6.6 | 16.3 | NY951186 | 1989 | Map |
| Middle Crossthwaite | Y | | 24.1 | 59.5 | NY931256 | 1991 | Map |
| Middle Side and Stonygill Meadows | Y | | 17.3 | 42.7 | NY933262 NY927264 | 1991 | Map |
| Middleton Quarry | Y | | 6.0 | 14.8 | NY948245 | 1964 | Map |
| Middridge Quarry | | Y | 1.9 | 4.7 | NZ248252 | 1979 | Map |
| Moorhouse and Cross Fell | Y | Y | 13,707.0 | 33,870.0 | NY715365 | 1951 / 1963 | Map |
| Muggleswick, Stanhope and Edmundbyers Commons and Blanchland Moor | Y | | 9,118.1 | 22,531.4 | NY990450 NY950520 | 1997 | Map |
| Neasham Fen | Y | | 2.5 | 6.1 | NZ331115 | 1992 | Map |
| Newton Ketton Meadow | Y | | 1.8 | 4.5 | NZ322207 | 1989 | Map |
| Old Moss Lead Vein | | Y | 0.6 | 1.5 | NY820433 | 1961 | Map |
| Park End Wood | Y | | 10.3 | 25.5 | NY924260 | 1964 | Map |
| Pig Hill | Y | | 12.6 | 31.2 | NZ365444 NZ366445 | 1992 | Map |
| Pike Whin Bog | Y | | 1.3 | 3.1 | NZ415334 | 1984 | Map |
| Pittington Hill | Y | | 6.4 | 15.8 | NZ321447 | 1987 | Map |
| Pow Hill Bog | Y | | 6.7 | 16.6 | NZ009518 | 1986 | Map |
| Quarrington Hill Grasslands | Y | | 4.5 | 11.1 | NZ333373 NZ340374 NZ341375 | 2000 | Map |
| Railway Stell West | Y | | 4.6 | 11.4 | NZ319270 – NZ313247 | 1986 | Map |
| Raisby Hill Grassland | Y | | 15.1 | 37.4 | NZ335354 | 1984 | Map |
| Raisby Hill Quarry | | Y | 52.4 | 129.5 | NZ342353 | 1957 | Map |
| Redcar Field | Y | | 0.7 | 1.6 | NZ292198 | 1985 | Map |
| Rigg Farm and Stake Hill Meadows | Y | | 14.7 | 36.3 | NY933224 | 1989 | Map |
| Rogerley Quarry | | Y | 5.6 | 13.8 | NZ015379 – NZ021374 | 1984 | Map |
| Sherburn Hill | Y | | 16.7 | 41.2 | NZ329417 | 1985 | Map |
| Shipley and Great Woods | Y | | 63.4 | 156.5 | NY966119 | 1975 | Map |
| Sleightholme Beck Gorge - The Troughs | Y | Y | 7.5 | 18.5 | NY966119 | 1976 | Map |
| Slit Woods | Y | | 14.1 | 34.8 | NY906390 | 1976 | Map |
| Stony Cut, Cold Hesledon | | Y | 0.8 | 2.1 | NZ418473 | 1996 | Map |
| Teesdale Allotments | Y | | 1,308.3 | 3,231.6 | NY930290 | 1994 | Map |
| The Bottoms | Y | | 2.2 | 5.2 | NZ361381 | 1999 | Map |
| The Carrs | Y | | 12.9 | 31.9 | NZ301327 | 1988 | Map |
| Thrislington Plantation | Y | | 22.7 | 56.1 | NZ316327 | 1962 | Map |
| Town Kelloe Bank | Y | | 6.0 | 15.0 | NZ359373 | 1976 | Map |
| Trimdon Limestone Quarry | Y | Y | 0.8 | 2.0 | NZ362353 | 1992 | Map |
| Tuthill Quarry | Y | | 10.7 | 26.5 | NZ388429 | 1994 | Map |
| Upper Teesdale | Y | Y | 14,035.6 | 34,681.9 | NY830320 | 1951 | Map |
| Waldridge Fell | Y | | 113.5 | 280.4 | NZ250498 | 1965 | Map |
| West Newlandside Meadows | Y | | 12.5 | 30.8 | NY972374 | 1990 | Map |
| West Park Meadows | Y | | 6.7 | 16.6 | NY940229 | 1989 | Map |
| West Rigg Open Cutting | | Y | 4.8 | 11.9 | NY911391 | 1989 | Map |
| Westernhope Burn Wood | Y | | 11.8 | 29.1 | NY935371 | 1976 | Map |
| Wingate Quarry | Y | | 23.4 | 57.7 | NZ373375 | 1984 | Map |
| Witton-le-Wear | Y | | 36.2 | 89.4 | NZ163313 | 1966 | Map |
| Yoden Village Quarry | | Y | 0.4 | 1.0 | NZ436417 | 1988 | Map |