# List of local nature reserves in North Yorkshire

This is a list of local nature reserves (LNR) in North Yorkshire. The list accounts for the post-1974 area of North Yorkshire, and includes the local authority areas of Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland as well as the City of York. As such, it includes areas in places such as Harrogate, that prior to 1974, were in the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Local nature reserves (LNRs) are designated by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have a legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it or having an agreement with the owner. LNRs are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically, and local authorities have a duty to care for them. They can apply local bye-laws to manage and protect LNRs. As of May 2018, North Yorkshire has 18 designated local nature reserves.

## Sites

| Site | Area | Location | Declaring authority | Coordinates | Description |
| Acomb Wood and Meadow | 4.32 acres (1.75 ha) | Acomb | York City Council | 53°56′14.0″N 1°07′59.0″W﻿ / ﻿53.937222°N 1.133056°W﻿ / 53.937222; -1.133056 | Site was designated in March 2007. |
| Ballowfield | 2.3 acres (0.93 hectares) | Carperby | Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority | 54°18′18.5″N 2°01′28.5″W﻿ / ﻿54.305139°N 2.024583°W﻿ / 54.305139; -2.024583 | The site is noted for its Spring Sandwort population (Metallophytes) which are in abundance on former lead workings, especially at Ballowfield, but quite rare across Britain. |
| Barlow Common | 90 acres (36.6 hectares) | Barlow | North Yorkshire Council | 53°45′04.9″N 1°02′38.2″W﻿ / ﻿53.751361°N 1.043944°W﻿ / 53.751361; -1.043944 | The site was used as a spoil and ballast tip by the railways until 1983. A lake was created as part of the remediation of the site and Selby District Council took over running the site in 1986 (the site is now run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust). It was declared a LNR in 2002. |
| Birk Crag | 27 acres (11 ha) | Harrogate | North Yorkshire Council | 53°59′12.3″N 1°34′43.3″W﻿ / ﻿53.986750°N 1.578694°W﻿ / 53.986750; -1.578694 | Birk Crag is 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south west of Harrogate and is one of only two places in Britain that has a resident population of the endangered click beetle. The site was designated as an LNR in January 1993. |
| Cleatop Park | 35.8 acres (14.47 hectares) | Settle | Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority | 54°02′41.5″N 2°16′37.6″W﻿ / ﻿54.044861°N 2.277111°W﻿ / 54.044861; -2.277111 | Just over 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Settle, the reserve was designated in June 2006. |
| Clifton Backies | 45.9 acres (18.58 hectares) | York | York City Council | 53°58′44.8″N 1°05′31.2″W﻿ / ﻿53.979111°N 1.092000°W﻿ / 53.979111; -1.092000 | Largely sited on a former RAF Clifton airfield, the site was designated in 2002. |
| Farndale Local Nature Reserve | 157 hectares (388 acres) | Farndale | North York Moors National Park Authority | 54°21′32.1″N 0°58′18.8″W﻿ / ﻿54.358917°N 0.971889°W﻿ / 54.358917; -0.971889 | Farndale was designated as an LNR in 1955 |
| Foxglove Covert | 100 acres (40 ha) | Catterick Garrison | North Yorkshire Council | 54°22′05.7″N 1°45′15.0″W﻿ / ﻿54.368250°N 1.754167°W﻿ / 54.368250; -1.754167 | Opened in 1992, visitors need to go through the Garrison security to access the reserve. Site was the first LNR on Ministry of Defence land and the first LNR in Richmondshire. |
| Freeholders Wood and Riddings Field | 31 acres (13 ha) | Aysgarth | Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority | 54°17′44.6″N 1°58′48.7″W﻿ / ﻿54.295722°N 1.980194°W﻿ / 54.295722; -1.980194 | Is located on the northern side of the River Ure east of Aysgarth. The woodlands are hundreds of years old. |
| Hell Wath | 21.9 acres (8.88 hectares) | Ripon | North Yorkshire Council | 54°07′45.2″N 1°32′18.7″W﻿ / ﻿54.129222°N 1.538528°W﻿ / 54.129222; -1.538528 | Designated in 1993, Hell Wath is a nature reserve to the west of the city of Ripon and alongside the River Skell. |
| Hob Moor | 89 acres (36 hectares) | York | York City Council | 53°56′48.7″N 1°06′47.4″W﻿ / ﻿53.946861°N 1.113167°W﻿ / 53.946861; -1.113167 | Designated in 2003, Hob Moor is one of the Strays of York; and ancient common just south west of the city centre of York. The moor has cattle grazing upon it and has not been improved or had fertiliser spread over it in its history. |
| Hookstone Wood | 18.7 acres (7.56 hectares) | Harrogate | North Yorkshire Council | 53°58′50.2″N 1°30′57.6″W﻿ / ﻿53.980611°N 1.516000°W﻿ / 53.980611; -1.516000 | 2 miles (3.2 km) south-east of Harrogate town centre, Hookstone Wood is an important woodland site for damselflies and dragonflies. The site was designated in 1993. |
| Langcliffe and Attermire | 50 acres (20 ha) | Langcliffe | Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority | 54°04′41.9″N 2°14′48.4″W﻿ / ﻿54.078306°N 2.246778°W﻿ / 54.078306; -2.246778 | Declared in 2004, the reserve is noted for its stone and the grasses and flowers that grow in and around them. |
| Nosterfield | 60 acres (24 ha) | West Tanfield | North Yorkshire Council | 54°12′42.3″N 1°34′34.3″W﻿ / ﻿54.211750°N 1.576194°W﻿ / 54.211750; -1.576194 | Nosterfield is a former sand and gravel quarry north east of West Tanfield and just west of Thornborough Henges. It was declared in June 2006 and is run by the Lower Ure Conservation Trust (LUCT). The first Bittern recorded in North Yorkshire was at Nosterfield. |
| Quarry Moor | 23 acres (9.2 hectares) | Ripon | North Yorkshire Council | 54°07′11.5″N 1°31′40.5″W﻿ / ﻿54.119861°N 1.527917°W﻿ / 54.119861; -1.527917 | The site was donated to the city in 1945 and designated as an LNR in January 2001. It is of national significance because of its magnesian limestone bedrock which allows diverse plants to grow. The site is owned and operated by Ripon City Council. |
| St Nicholas Fields | 24 acres (9.7 ha) | York | City of York Council | 53°57′27.0″N 1°03′43.1″W﻿ / ﻿53.957500°N 1.061972°W﻿ / 53.957500; -1.061972 | Opened in 2004, St Nicholas Fields was previously the landfill site for the City of York. It stopped receiving waste in 1974 and during the 1980s was subject to a clean-up campaign. It was awarded LNR status in 2004 |
| The Dell | 14 acres (5.5 hectares) | Eastfield, Scarborough | North Yorkshire Council | 54°15′36.9″N 0°25′39.7″W﻿ / ﻿54.260250°N 0.427694°W﻿ / 54.260250; -0.427694 | Designated in October 2012, The Dell is an urban fringe that has been adorned with chainsaw sculptures. |