Why manage meadows?
Meadow habitat has declined by over 90% since the 1930s making it one of the rarest habitats in the UK and a priority for conservation and enhancement in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Many once abundant plants are now in danger of extinction; and the loss of this habitat means that pollinators, small mammals, invertebrates, and the wealth of other insect, bird and wildlife that depend on it is also in decline.
The Yorkshire Dales have some of the finest surviving upland meadows due to traditional farming practices, in particular the late cutting of the crop in July or August which allows meadow flowers to flower and set seed. All year management is essential to maintain the meadow habitat and information on how to create and maintain meadows can be found at:
Yorkshire Dales National Park Hay Time Project
Information on Yorkshire Dales meadows can be found at
Wildflower meadows Yorkshire Dales | YDMT
Muker Meadows – Yorkshire Dales National Park : Yorkshire Dales National Park
Meadow Magic
The meadow magic project started in 2022 with the aim of helping people restore small parcels of grassland to meadow.
Meadow habitat has declined by over 90% since the 1930s which has resulted in a decline in the diversity of our plant life. Many once abundant plants are now in danger of extinction; and this loss of this habitat means that pollinators, small mammals, invertebrates, and the wealth of other insect, bird and wildlife that depend on it is also in decline.
We help to implement a traditional meadow maintenance programme which allows wild flowers, sedges and grasses to seed ready for the following year. We can help with ongoing maintenance using our walk-behind alpine tractor, and our band of incredible volunteers to cut, row and make hay.
If you would like to volunteer to help, please email info@sustainableswaledale.org for further information. Or get in touch via our Sustainable Swaledale Facebook page.
One Acre Meadow
We ran our One Acre Meadow project in 2023-2024 funded by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. The intention was to encourage people with small plots of land across Arkengarthdale and Swaledale—from a one metre square garden patch to half acre of grass—to sow a traditional wildflower meadow; that when added together would make one acre.
The first year saw over two acres being sown, made up from plots of varying sizes. Success rates varied but most saw at least two to three wildflower species establishing, including lots of yellow rattle (which is needed to weaken the grass and make way for more flowers in year two).
In year two, more sites signed up, spreading out into Wensleydale and beyond. Although the funding has now ceased, the meadows continue to mature.
Assisting the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust Hay Time project
More recently the group has been helping the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) in their work restoring a couple of meadows as part of the Hay Time project run with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. Some Sustainable Swaledale members received training in identifying meadow plants (flowers and grasses) and surveying techniques and helped survey specific meadows in Swaledale in the summer of 2025. Using sample plots, the number of species with a 1m by 1m square were counted and this helps the YDMT assess the biodiversity of the meadows. Where meadows are assessed to need additional species, volunteers helped to add plug plants to the meadows.
Find out more about the YDMT’s meadow survey work in 2025 including a case study of a Muker meadow which members helped to survey and then plug plant.
Ellen Milner, the YDMT Hay Time Officer has been interviewed on the YDMT meadows project as part of a series of blogs by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority FiPL team. Called the FiPL Diaries with Amy Hughes, there are 12 episodes looking at how FiPL money has been used to support projects. Episode 5 covers Habitats and includes Ellen talking about meadow restoration (starts at 6.10 and finishes at 22.27). There is a shout out to Sustainable Swaledale volunteers plug planting at 10.25. The episode is available on YouTube at: The FiPL Farm Diaries with Amy Hughes | Episode 5 – Habitat