Spread around the north of England and parts of Wales and Scotland is one of the UK’s most unusual habitats – limestone pavement. They have the feel of a lunar landscape, the expanses of grey rock stretching out ahead of you, punctuated by deep cracks, pits and hollows that give the impression of a giant marble run, or the patterning on a mammoth’s tooth.
Fifty years on from a report that led to the protection of limestone pavements, Scott Petrek explores the different pavements across the UK, the species they support, the threats they face and their future conservation.