NORTHUMBERLAND WILDLIFE TRUST
Nearest Town: Elsdon
OS Map: Elsdon (OS 50 000 Sheet 81)
This 3.5ha SSSI is a strip of land straddling the Mill Burn as it falls though the edge of Harwood Forest.
Location and access: The site is 5km east of Elsdon, near Whiskershiels Farm. Access is by permit only. To get there, turn off the B6341 just north of the small bridge in Elsdon, signposted ‘Eastnook’. Pass through the white metal gate (no through road) and continue through the farm. At the fork in the road bear right towards Eastnook. The reserve lies 250 metres south of Whiskershiel farm. Walk through the plantation on the right to enter the reserve. Car parking is available immediately after the gate on the track side. Please do not block vehicular access through gate
The burn flows over outcrops of limestone, which support some of the best limestone grassland and calcareous flushes in the county. Butterwort is common on the wet edges of the burn, and uncommon species such as green spleenwort fern, grass-of-Parnassus, early marsh orchid and blue moor grass also occur. Adders frequent the site and the golden ringed dragonfly has been recorded. There are also a number of interesting freshwater species in the burn. Part of the site has been fenced to enable limited grazing on the bracken-dominated southern section. This will help to increase the area of species-rich grassland.