Cook Mire

Coastal Marsh, Saltings in Westmorland Eden

England

Cook Mire

The Fat Lamb
The Fat Lamb Credit: Roger Cornfoot

Cook Mire, located in Westmorland, is a coastal marsh and saltings area renowned for its unique ecological features. Situated on the northwestern coast of England, this expansive wetland covers an area of approximately 500 acres and is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its diverse flora and fauna.

The marshland of Cook Mire is characterized by its rich peat soil, which is constantly saturated with water from nearby estuaries and the sea. This creates a perfect habitat for a wide range of plant species, including saltmarsh grasses, sea lavender, and thrift. These plants not only provide a stunning display of color, but they also play a crucial role in stabilizing the soil and preventing coastal erosion.

The saltings of Cook Mire are particularly noteworthy, as they are home to a variety of salt-tolerant plants and wildlife. Common sightings include wading birds such as redshanks, curlews, and oystercatchers, which feed on the abundant invertebrates that inhabit the mudflats. Additionally, the marshlands attract numerous species of waterfowl, including teal and shelducks, especially during the winter months.

Visitors to Cook Mire can explore the area via a network of footpaths and observation points, allowing them to observe the diverse wildlife in their natural habitat. The wetland also offers breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding coastline and the nearby Lake District National Park.

Due to its ecological importance, Cook Mire is subject to conservation efforts and strict regulations to ensure the preservation of its unique ecosystem.

If you have any feedback on the listing, please let us know in the comments section below.

Cook Mire Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 54.419952/-2.3878086 or Grid Reference NY7402. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

The Fat Lamb
The Fat Lamb
Quarry, Ash Fell Edge
Quarry, Ash Fell Edge
Limekiln, Wharton Fell
Limekiln, Wharton Fell
Pudding Howe Hill
Pudding Howe Hill
Limekiln, Pudding Howe Hill
Limekiln, Pudding Howe Hill
Bridleway from Greengate to Tommy Road It looks as though most traffic on this bit of CROW Access Land follows the drystone wall down towards Tommy Road, but the bridleway heads more to the right and becomes rather indistinct, though there are the remains of a finger post just where the faint path hits the tarmac. Ahead is Greenlaw Rigg of Little Fell, a good place to get blown around on this day of very blustery wind.
Bridleway from Greengate to Tommy Road
It looks as though most traffic on this bit of CROW Access Land follows the drystone wall down towards Tommy Road, but the bridleway heads more to the right and becomes rather indistinct, though there are the remains of a finger post just where the faint path hits the tarmac. Ahead is Greenlaw Rigg of Little Fell, a good place to get blown around on this day of very blustery wind.
Looking down to shakeholes on Wharton Fell The Dent fault lies between the photographer and the tarn in the distance, and Carbonerfous strata have been bent up against the fault to lie almost vertically - BGS sheet 40, Kirkby Stephen, shows the dip as 80° beneath my feet. The extensive line of shakeholes lies above the Great Scar Limestone at 310m, and water sinking here probably comes out of springs to the north, to flow into the River Eden. Just beyond the wall, beneath the crowded tree shelters of new plantings, the underlying geology is the somewhat older Ashfell Sandstone formation which is impervious, but the tarn itself and much of the marshy ground is on glacial till so the bedrock is not exposed at all.
Looking down to shakeholes on Wharton Fell
The Dent fault lies between the photographer and the tarn in the distance, and Carbonerfous strata have been bent up against the fault to lie almost vertically - BGS sheet 40, Kirkby Stephen, shows the dip as 80° beneath my feet. The extensive line of shakeholes lies above the Great Scar Limestone at 310m, and water sinking here probably comes out of springs to the north, to flow into the River Eden. Just beyond the wall, beneath the crowded tree shelters of new plantings, the underlying geology is the somewhat older Ashfell Sandstone formation which is impervious, but the tarn itself and much of the marshy ground is on glacial till so the bedrock is not exposed at all.
Sheepfold on Greenlaw Rigg The sheepfold has been built in a deep sheltered hollow, but behind and to the left is a big pile of limestone partly grassed over, suggesting that something else is going on here besides just sheltering livestock. No antiquity or mining is indicated on the map just here, but there are a number of pillow mounds, cairns and tumuli within two or three kilometres to the northwest and northeast, and old mine workings just across the Eden valley. Perhaps these are related.
Sheepfold on Greenlaw Rigg
The sheepfold has been built in a deep sheltered hollow, but behind and to the left is a big pile of limestone partly grassed over, suggesting that something else is going on here besides just sheltering livestock. No antiquity or mining is indicated on the map just here, but there are a number of pillow mounds, cairns and tumuli within two or three kilometres to the northwest and northeast, and old mine workings just across the Eden valley. Perhaps these are related.
Moor Pot From the SW, a quite substantial stream has formed and cut down into the drift. If it continued, it would form the headwaters of High Intake Gill, but at this point, its path has crossed a limestone bed (most probably the Underset Limestone) and formed a substantial sink. The weather has been quite wet and there's quite a lot of water disappearing here with no sign of the sink backing up. The Underset Limestone is quite a thin bed, but because the limestone dips so steeply this close to the Dent Fault, the waters are likely to emerge from springs in the Eden Valley perhaps as much as 150m lower. That's a lot of depth potential for a system so far from the usual haunts of cavers, I am surprised there's no sign of the sink having been the subject of exploration attempts by digging.
Moor Pot
From the SW, a quite substantial stream has formed and cut down into the drift. If it continued, it would form the headwaters of High Intake Gill, but at this point, its path has crossed a limestone bed (most probably the Underset Limestone) and formed a substantial sink. The weather has been quite wet and there's quite a lot of water disappearing here with no sign of the sink backing up. The Underset Limestone is quite a thin bed, but because the limestone dips so steeply this close to the Dent Fault, the waters are likely to emerge from springs in the Eden Valley perhaps as much as 150m lower. That's a lot of depth potential for a system so far from the usual haunts of cavers, I am surprised there's no sign of the sink having been the subject of exploration attempts by digging.
Gated entry to property at Ellergill Ellergill is a farm lying to the west of the A683. The wall with its gateway lies beyond a small area of moorland which is classified as access land under the year 2000 CROW Act.
Gated entry to property at Ellergill
Ellergill is a farm lying to the west of the A683. The wall with its gateway lies beyond a small area of moorland which is classified as access land under the year 2000 CROW Act.
Lowland Bristol VRT on the A683 approaching the Fat Lamb Country Inn This image was captured on the regular Cumbria Easter Rally service to the Fat Lamb Country Inn near Ravenstonedale.  As shown on the destination screen, Swinton is a village in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders.

This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Lowland Bristol VRT on the A683 approaching the Fat Lamb Country Inn
This image was captured on the regular Cumbria Easter Rally service to the Fat Lamb Country Inn near Ravenstonedale. As shown on the destination screen, Swinton is a village in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders. This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Leyland Atlantean at the Fat Lamb Country Inn A Leyland Atlantean in Ribble National Bus Company (NBC) livery at the Fat Lamb Country Inn.

This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Leyland Atlantean at the Fat Lamb Country Inn
A Leyland Atlantean in Ribble National Bus Company (NBC) livery at the Fat Lamb Country Inn. This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Leyland National approaching the Fat Lamb Country Inn New to Cumberland Motor Services in April 1979 and originally working out of Workington depot, it is now under the care of Workington Transport Heritage Trust.

This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Leyland National approaching the Fat Lamb Country Inn
New to Cumberland Motor Services in April 1979 and originally working out of Workington depot, it is now under the care of Workington Transport Heritage Trust. This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Leopard on Egdale Lane A Leyland Leopard in Highland Scottish livery powers up the incline to the Fat Lamb Country Inn near Ravenstonedale.

This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Leopard on Egdale Lane
A Leyland Leopard in Highland Scottish livery powers up the incline to the Fat Lamb Country Inn near Ravenstonedale. This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Leyland RT nearing the Fat Lamb Country Inn A Park-bodied Leyland RT approaching the Fat Lamb Country Inn at the terminus of services from Brough during the Cumbria Easter Rally 2022.

This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
Leyland RT nearing the Fat Lamb Country Inn
A Park-bodied Leyland RT approaching the Fat Lamb Country Inn at the terminus of services from Brough during the Cumbria Easter Rally 2022. This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
A pastoral scene by Egdale Lane Despite a slight haze, a beautiful morning in the Eden Valley.

This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
A pastoral scene by Egdale Lane
Despite a slight haze, a beautiful morning in the Eden Valley. This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
AEC Reliance arriving at the Fat Lamb Country Inn WJC (Wee John's Coaches) AEC Reliance arriving at the Fat Lamb Country Inn from Brough on the first morning of the Cumbria Easter Rally 2022.

This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
AEC Reliance arriving at the Fat Lamb Country Inn
WJC (Wee John's Coaches) AEC Reliance arriving at the Fat Lamb Country Inn from Brough on the first morning of the Cumbria Easter Rally 2022. This photograph was taken during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020/21/22.
View towards Tarnmire
View towards Tarnmire
Show me another place!

Cook Mire is located at Grid Ref: NY7402 (Lat: 54.419952, Lng: -2.3878086)

Administrative County: Cumbria

District: Eden

Police Authority: Cumbria

What 3 Words

///fractions.opponent.jumped. Near Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

Nearby Locations

Heckgill Mire Cook Mire

Related Wikis

Ravenstonedale

Ravenstonedale is a village and large civil parish in Cumbria, on the watershed between the River Lune and River Eden. The village lies 4 miles (6 km)...

Ravenstonedale Priory

Ravenstonedale Priory was a Gilbertine priory in Cumbria, England. It was founded in the reign of Henry II, when Torphin, son of Robert, son of Copsus...

St Oswald's Church, Ravenstonedale

St Oswald's Church is in the village of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Appleby, the archdeaconry...

Pendragon Castle

Pendragon Castle is a ruin located in Mallerstang Dale, Cumbria, south of Kirkby Stephen, and close to the hamlet of Outhgill (at grid reference NY781025...

Mallerstang

Mallerstang is a civil parish in the extreme east of Cumbria, and, geographically, a dale at the head of the upper Eden Valley. Originally part of Westmorland...

Outhgill

Outhgill is a hamlet in Mallerstang, Cumbria, England. It lies about 5 miles (8 km) south of Kirkby Stephen. It is the main hamlet in the dale of Mallerstang...

Wharton Hall

Wharton Hall in Wharton, Cumbria, England, is a medieval fortified manor house. == History == At the heart of Wharton Hall is a 15th-century hall, built...

Kirkby Stephen railway station

Kirkby Stephen is a railway station in Eden in Cumbria, England, on the Settle and Carlisle Line, which runs between Carlisle and Leeds via Settle. The...

Nearby Amenities

Located within 500m of 54.419952,-2.3878086
Bullhouse Hill
Ele: 304
Natural: peak
Source: OS OpenData StreetView
Lat/Long: 54.4234838/-2.3855211
Heckgill Mire
Natural: wetland
Source: OS_OpenData_StreetView
Wetland: bog
Lat/Long: 54.41712/-2.3833258
Flass
Place: locality
Source: OS_OpenData_StreetView
Lat/Long: 54.4196027/-2.3872506
Natural: sinkhole
Lat/Long: 54.4190025/-2.3922357
Natural: sinkhole
Lat/Long: 54.4200107/-2.390585
Natural: sinkhole
Lat/Long: 54.4189061/-2.3922516
Natural: sinkhole
Lat/Long: 54.4187931/-2.3925148
Natural: sinkhole
Lat/Long: 54.4199487/-2.3926088
Natural: sinkhole
Lat/Long: 54.4202403/-2.3916188
Natural: sinkhole
Lat/Long: 54.4202804/-2.3912993
Cook Mire
Natural: wetland
Wetland: bog
Lat/Long: 54.4205653/-2.383016
The data included in this document is from www.openstreetmap.org. The data is made available under ODbL.

Have you been to Cook Mire?

Leave your review of Cook Mire below (or comments, questions and feedback).