Hay meadows are plentiful around Muker and Ramps Holme. The fields are known for the rich lushness of their wild flowers, each field having its own hay barn. Flowers in such density are rarely known elsewhere. The predominently yellow flowers such as lady's mantle, also include cranes bill and melancholy thistle. Other flowers include eyebright, lesser butterfly orchid and burnt orchid.

Summer in Muker sees more and more wild flowers blooming. Their irridescent florid lustre and wonderful mellow meadows appeal to the eyes, and the birds and insects can be seen and heard as a constant choral background wherever you walk.

High Oxnop is on the south side of the River Swale south west of Kearton's Wood. From High Oxnop, looking east, is Satron Side and Satron Moor. Oxnop Beck threads through its tree-lined valley in the middle distance.

The meadows arounds Gunnerside, like Muker, benefit from regular Swaledale winter floodings, which enrich the soil with fresh nutrients. In addition local conservationists have been at work, assisting the local farmers in producing the conditions necessary for dense floral growth. This aids the farmer, who will cut the fields for hay af the end of June.

Gunnerside Bottoms is strikingly garlanded with yellow wildflower meadows. The wild flowers' swathe of yellow can be seen extending up the valley sides. Only very fertile meadows are suitable as hay meadows, and they must also be sheltered and flat enough to cut the hay. All these requirements are present along much of Swaledale.

Hay meadows in Reeth array their golden blooms, covering the fields below Low Fremington and follow the trees lining Arkle Beck all the way to its confluence with the River Swale. In the Swaledale valley bottoms the soil is deep, fertile and sheltered. Cattle graze for part of the year, fertilzing the ground, and then are moved higher up while the meadows grow.

In the early summer months Wensleydale, the valley south of Swaledale, also contains many blossoming hay meadows.