All over the Peak District moorlands bilberries are now in flower. The berries will ripen in August and are delicious! Bilberries are known in other parts of the country by other names such as Whinberries or Whortleberries but they are the same thing.
Billberry in flower
We saw our first Bluebells of the year on Tuesday in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District, just coming into flower. They are often a little later here than further south in the country.
Native bluebells are protected against sale by law. That means it is illegal to dig up the bulbs from the wild in order to sell them, and if you don’t own the land it is illegal to dig them up for any purpose.
Some estimates suggest the UK has up to half of the world’s total bluebell population. They like damp places without too much sunlight, so woodlands are ideal. We saw these on a bank under trees near to the village of Hope.
Bluebells
This gallery contains 2 photos.
We were treated to a lovely close up view of this Peregrine Falcon during our walk on Kinder Scout today.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
On our ‘Peakland Panoramas’ guided walk today we enjoyed some stunning views of Stanage Edge, Bamford Edge, and the surrounding hills and moorlands in the snow. I don’t think any of us expected to be walking in snow over Easter but we had a really enjoyable day.
Our ‘Peakland Panoramas’ is great without snow too! Why not give it a try? http://peakwalking.com/PeaklandPanoramas.aspx
Dew ponds are a familiar sight to anyone who walks regularly in the White Peak area of the Peak District. They were originally formed to provide a water source to farm animals in areas where water was not present naturally. It is believed that they took their name, not from the fact that they collected the dew, but from a Victorian pond maker called Mr Dew.
During the 70s and early 80s it is possible that as many as 50% of our dew ponds were lost due to infills and neglect. Dew ponds are important habitats for wildlife. In particular the great crested newt which is a protected species. They are also home to a wide variety of beetles and bugs.
Over the last few years many dew ponds have been restored as part of the Peak District bio-diversity action plan to encourage wildlife and provide breeding grounds for the great crested newts. The pond featured here is one of two near to the path through the western end of Lathkill Dale.
Dew pond in Lathkill Dale
Catkins of the Common Alder Tree
We saw our first catkins of the year today. A sure sign that spring is on its way! These are the catkins of the Common Alder Tree. Each tree bears both male and female flowers. The male catkins are dark yellow-brown in colour, and are around 4 cm long when they are fully open. The female flowers are much smaller in size, and cone-like in shape. In this photo you can see the male catkins, and the old woody cones of last years female flowers.
View from top of High Tor, Matlock Bath
High Tor is a great limestone outcrop which towers almost 400 feet about the river Derwent between Matlock and Matlock Bath. The limestone was formed about 325 – 350 million years ago when the area was at the bottom of a shallow tropical sea. Over millions of years, limey muds and the shells and skeletons of tiny sea creatures settled on the bottom and formed a thick layer of limestone. Large areas of limestone such as High Tor have been pushed upwards by land movements and further shaped by glacial meltwaters at the end of the last ice age.
You can walk up to the top of High Tor either from Starkholmes, or from the path alongside the River Derwent from Matlock. There are fine views down the Derwent Valley in both directions. You will find High Tor Grounds at the top, once a Victoria pleasure grounds laid out with romantic woodlands walks. These grounds offered an exciting ‘alpine’ route between the Victorian Spa resorts of Matlock and Matlock Bath.
A lovely winter walk!
