Hanging Rock And Rossaa Forest Nature Reserve

  • Author: ActiveME
  • Created: August 28, 2012 10:32 am
  • Updated: December 12, 2017 11:02 am
Location: Fermanagh
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The Hanging Rock and Rossaa Forest Nature Reserves are part of the overall Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. Hanging Rock itself is a large limestone cliff with an obtuse angle. It is located near Florencecourt in County Fermanagh and is part of the Cuilcagh mountain region.Yew and juniper cling to its face. At the bottom of the cliff is one of the finest ash woodlands in Northern Ireland. It is believed that the great variety of lichens found here indicate woodland cover since ancient times. The area was clear felled in the early 1940s and has now grown back naturally.
To the west, in Rossaa Wood, oak, beech, great willow and elm have grown to full maturity and shelter a rich variety of plants. Red squirrels can occasionally be seen in the woodland while the elusive pine marten has been sighted in recent years. Hiatorically the cliff was home to eagles, hawks and jackdaws.

Local legend says that a rock dislodged from the cliff and fell onto a local salt trader taking shelter from a storm. This rock became known as the Salter's Stone or Cloghoge and sits prominently at the road side to the east of the reserve.

Gallery

1. Hanging Rock And Rossaa Forest Nature Reserve

Altitude: 105 m

The Hanging Rock and Rossaa Forest Nature Reserves are part of the overall Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. Hanging Rock itself is a large limestone cliff with an obtuse angle. It is located near Florencecourt in County Fermanagh and is part of the Cuilcagh mountain region.Yew and juniper cling to its face. At the bottom of the cliff is one of the finest ash woodlands in Northern Ireland. It is believed that the great variety of lichens found here indicate woodland cover since ancient times. The area was clear felled in the early 1940s and has now grown back naturally.
To the west, in Rossaa Wood, oak, beech, great willow and elm have grown to full maturity and shelter a rich variety of plants. Red squirrels can occasionally be seen in the woodland while the elusive pine marten has been sighted in recent years. Hiatorically the cliff was home to eagles, hawks and jackdaws.

Local legend says that a rock dislodged from the cliff and fell onto a local salt trader taking shelter from a storm. This rock became known as the Salter’s Stone or Cloghoge and sits prominently at the road side to the east of the reserve.

Gallery