The key characteristics of Orton Fells are:

17. Orton Fells

The key characteristics of Orton Fells are:

• Rolling upland farmland with limestone outcrops, scars and pavements.

• Strong field pattern bounded by high limestone walls with isolated ash trees.

• Ancient villages, built in local limestone, surrounded by small scale field patterns of historical interest.

• Limited woodland cover in the form of sheltering clumps around farmsteads and small copses of semi-natural broadleaves, coniferous woodland and mixed woodlands.

• Moorlands and commons with remnant heather, extensive areas of limestone pavements and scars, with occasional coniferous plantations.

• Rivers with low flows due to permeable limestone bedrock.

• A rich legacy of visible archaeological remains.

• Impact of large scale limestone quarrying and the stone extraction from limestone pavements.

For further details on this character area and for an introduction to the region, please see the PDF documents in the box at the top right hand side of this page.