UWFS Botany Group Fungal Foray 16 October 2026

Botany Group — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:47:07 +0000

HEALTH WARNING: NEVER EAT FUNGI FOUND IN THE WILD.

Conditions for fungi having improved over the Autumn, Jo Prowse kindly led a small group on a fungal foray around Hebden. We met outside the Old School Tea Room at Hebden in glorious autumn sunshine and walked down through fields towards the river. We were soon rewarded with some great examples of different types of fungi, some in profusion.

Some of the highlights included a large patch of Shaggy Scalycap Pholiota squarrosa under a dying ash tree. We also saw various bracket fungi including Horse’s Hoof Fomes fomentarius and later Dryad’s Saddle Cerioporus squamosus as well as the bracket-like Oysterlings Sarcomyxaceae and Turkey Tail Trametes versicolor. In a wooded area, we spotted a purplish-fungi, Collybia sordida and in the fields by the River Wharfe, we found examples of Meadow Waxcap Cuphophyllus pratensis and a large brittlestem, the Charcoal Burner Russula cyanothnxa.

Some of our finds even stumped Jo – at least temporarily. Having taken samples home and conducted spore prints, she was able to identify a Goldleaf Shield, Pluteus romelli with its yellow cap amongst others.

We had a wonderful morning testing our observation skills and learning some of the basics about how to identify fungi and where to look for them. Thank you Jo for a lovely day.

Report by Jane Welsh. Photographs by Jo Prowse, Richard Ingram and Jane Welsh

Horse’s Hoof Fomes fomentarius

Cerioporus squamosus

Collybia sordida

Charcoal Burner Russula cyanoxantha

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Walk: Circular from Grassington via Hole Bottom, Mossy Moor Ridge and Hebden

Keith Parker — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 15:34:25 +0000

Edge Lane © UWFS

Under a mizzling low cloud, fifteen stalwart walkers set off from Grassington, up Intake Lane and joined Edge Lane which led us to the junction with Tinkers Lane.

Here we peeled off across rough turf and descended across two more fields to approach the 17^th century house of Hole Bottom, which was bought by the 5^th Duke of Devonshire in 1796 for his Mine Agent, resold in 1887 to the Joy family.

The Duke also had a bellows-operated smelt mill here, just a footprint now by the little bridge which spans the Hebden Beck. Also here is ‘Maimie’s Cottage’ which was the setting for William Riley’s novel ‘Jerry and Ben’.

Carr Scar rises craggily beyond the beck, a millstone grit mass which was the product of a single river delta which extended across much of the Dales. The thickness of the deltaic sands in Carr Scar is immense and is comparable with Brimham Rocks. We walked along the Miners’ Road, following the Beck, passing the Rocking Stone and a plunging waterfall, to reach the leadmining dressing floors, where there is still much evidence of the past hard-worked industry.

We turned up Bolton Gill on our right, then right again to proceed along the Mossy Moor Ridge. The remnants of pillars which supported a 600 metre ore-carrying power cable from the Bolton Haw 250ft. deep shaft to Hole Bottom, which had been driven by waterwheels, could be seen above us.

The soggy path along the Ridge led us past the moorland reservoir which once served early corn mills and the leadmines, and a stone circle (possibly Bronze age). Sunshine began to break through as we reached the 17^th century Scar Top House, (atop Carr Scar) where we had lunch, before gently descending into Hebden and out onto the path leading us back to High Lane and Grassington. Despite much unfavourable weather, the 6.5 mile walk was a satisfying pre-Christmas exercise.

Phyllida Oates