| Arnside and Silverdale National Landscape | |
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 Location of the National Landscape in England | |
| Location | Cumbria andLancashire, England |
| Coordinates | 54°10′35″N2°47′29″W / 54.17639°N 2.79139°W /54.17639; -2.79139 |
| Area | 75 km2 (29 sq mi) |
| Established | 1972 |
| Website | arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk |
Arnside and Silverdale National Landscape (legally and previously known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or AONB) in England, is on the border betweenLancashire andCumbria, adjoiningMorecambe Bay. One of the smallestNational Landscapes, it covers 29 square miles (75 km2) between theKent Estuary, theRiver Keer and theA6 road. It was designated in 1972.
The area is characterised by low hills ofCarboniferous Limestone, includingArnside Knott (522 feet) andWarton Crag (535 feet), interspersed with grassland. Much of the area is covered bydeciduous woodland, in whichash,oak, andhazel predominate. The coastal area contains large extents ofsalt marsh, although these are under threat from the shifting channel of theKent Estuary.[1]
TheLeighton Moss nature reserve, owned by theRSPB, is the largest area ofreedbeds inNorth West England, and is anImportant Bird Area.[1] Thebittern, one of the resident species, has been adopted as the logo of the AONB. In addition, there are fifteenSSSIs in the area; one of these, Gait BarrowsNational Nature Reserve, is home to some rare species ofbutterfly including thehigh brown fritillary.
Arnside andSilverdale are the main villages in the area. Other settlements includeWarton,Yealand Redmayne,Beetham andStorth.
The AONB is supported by the Landscape Trust, a registered charity with over 1000 members. Its activities include ownership and management of several nature reserves and the production of a journalKeer to Kent.[2]
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