Category: The Peak District

The Peak District

The Peak District, The White Peak, Wild Flowers and Trees2 Comments

Spring Flowers in Deepdale

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Yesterday was our first ‘Spring Flowers’ walk of the year and what a treat we had in Deepdale and Great Shacklow Wood! Deepdale is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the rich variety of flora that thrive in its limestone soils.  It is owned and managed by the charity Plantlife International.  There are said to be over a million Cowslips in the dale.  We didn’t count them yesterday!  Having seen the carpet of delicate yellow flowers up the side of the valley though, I can well believe it. Early Purple Orchids were also out, and other pretty … Continue reading Spring Flowers in Deepdale

Birds, The Dark Peak, The Peak District, Wild Flowers and Trees, WildlifeLeave a comment

A wonderful walk!

richardpeakwalkingadventures

Eyam Moor Every year the Peak District Tourist Board organise a two week long walking festival in the Peak District and today was our first walk in the 2011 festival.   On a beautiful sunny day we walked from Hathersage, over the stepping stones over the river Derwent where we saw some newly hatched ducklings.  Then up onto Offerton Moor and Smelting Hill, with a wealth of spring flowers to see on the way, including at lower levels bluebells, wood anemones, celandine, and wild primroses.  As we got higher onto the moorland, the bilberries were in flower along with cowberries and of course gorse … Continue reading A wonderful walk!

Birds, Conservation and Environmental Issues, History, The Dark Peak, The Peak District, Wild Flowers and Trees, WildlifeLeave a comment

Heather Burning

richardpeakwalkingadventures

They have started burning the heather on the peakland moors.  It has been customary for centuries to burn small patches of heather during the early part of the year.  This started in the days when grouse shooting was important to the local economy.  To thrive, Red Grouse need a mixture of different heights of heather and low growing plants.  They nest in the older deep heather and feed on the new shoots of young heather.  As these birds never travel very far from their birth place, the buring of heather in small patches ensures that they always have the right mixture of … Continue reading Heather Burning

Conservation and Environmental Issues, The Dark Peak, The Peak DistrictLeave a comment

Major conservation work on Kinder Scout

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Kinder Scout is one of the most iconic landscapes in the Peak District because of its vast open moorland, the wildlife that it is home to and because it was the setting for the Mass Trespass in 1932.  However, it is also one of the most damaged areas of moorland in the UK and its future is in jeopardy as a result of catastrophic wildlfires, a long history of overgrazing, air pollution and the routes that thousands of visitors have taken.  There are currently proposals for a major programme of conservation work to restore the area so that it can … Continue reading Major conservation work on Kinder Scout

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Autumn Berries

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View Full Album   There is an old wives tale that says if there are a lot of berries on the trees in then we are in for a bad winter.  In autumn 2009 the trees and bushes in the Peak District were quite literally hanging with berries, and the winter of 2009/1010 turned out to be the worst that we have had for 20 years.    This year there again seems to be a lot of berries on trees such as Mountain Ash, Elderberry, Holly, Hawthorne, and on the wild roses.  Does that mean we are in for another … Continue reading Autumn Berries

The Dark Peak, The Peak District, Wild Flowers and TreesLeave a comment

Ling Heather on the Moors

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View Full Album August is a great month to see the Peak District moorlands in their full glory, covered in flowering ling heather.  Whole hillsides take on a purple appearance whilst closer inspection reveals tiny clusters of flowers.   It is also a good time for insects such as bees which are attracted by the heather.    We actually have three different types of heather in the Peak District:  Bell Heather, Cross Leaved Heather, and Ling Heather.  The first two are well worth seeking out, but it is the latter that is the most common which creates the beautiful purple … Continue reading Ling Heather on the Moors

Birds, The Dark Peak, The Peak District, Wild Flowers and Trees, WildlifeLeave a comment

The high moorlands in July

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After several days of rain, the high moorlands in the Peak District are looking beautiful.  The peat bogs which has been drying out are now wet and spongy again.  Ling heather is just starting to come into flower, and bilberry bushes are starting to bear fruit.  We have seen an unusually large number of young red grouse this week on Stanage Edge, Bamford Moor, and on Kinder Scout.  We have also seen several Golden Plover, known as the ‘watchmen of the moors’.     Continue reading The high moorlands in July

Conservation and Environmental Issues, The Dark Peak, The Peak DistrictLeave a comment

Moorland drying out

richardpeakwalkingadventures

The recent warm, dry weather has been great for walking, but is not so good for the delicate ecosystems of our high moorlands.  Peat bogs on high moorland areas such as Kinder Scout and Bleaklow are becoming really dry.  Areas of peat are more prone to erosion when they dried out, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and resulting in a reduction in vegetation.  There is also the increased risk of fire.  A lot of work has been done in recent years by organisations such as the Moors for the Future Partnership in blocking gullies and restoring vegetation in an … Continue reading Moorland drying out