Baldersdale Woodlands

54°34′32″N 2°0′47″W / 54.57556°N 2.01306°W / 54.57556; -2.01306Area19.6 ha (48 acres)Established1991Governing bodyNatural EnglandWebsiteBaldersdale Woodlands SSSI

Baldersdale Woodlands is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Teesdale district of south-west County Durham, England. It consists primarily of ancient, semi-natural woodland growing on steep valley slopes, including scree, on both banks of the River Balder over a stretch of some 3 km, upstream (i.e. west) of the village of Cotherstone. The site has a rich faunal assemblage and the woodland and associated stretch of the river is home to a variety of birds, including dipper and goosander. ^[1]

In part, the site derives its importance from the proximity of similarly protected sites in other valleys in the River Tees catchment area; the Shipley and Great Woods SSSI occupies a similar position in the valley of the Tees immediately north of Cotherstone.^{[citation needed]}

The condition of the site was last assessed by Natural England in September 2009, when it was mostly rated as "favourable"; a small area, just over 10 percent of the total area, is suffering from cattle grazing but was rated as "recovering".^{[citation needed]}