Escapes and Photography: Dovedale and Thorpe Cloud

This is a lovely blog about walking in Dovedale by JanaRuzena Photography

Escapes and Photography: Dovedale and Thorpe Cloud: Dovedale is a beautiful area on the southern part of the Peak District. It is a valley with the river Dove running through it for about ...

Reaching the summit - Kinder Jack

‘Kinder Jack’ made the summit

Thursday 10 October 2013: Friends help Jack Thompson to the top of Kinder Scout

Keen walker and mountaineer Jack Thompson (89) from Dronfield had his greatest wish fulfilled on Thursday 10 October when he was helped to the top of his favourite peak, Kinder Scout, by fellow walkers and Rangers from the National Trust.  

Mr Thompson loves Kinder. He was a regular rambler with the St John’s Church Dronfield walking group until health problems, age and limited mobility meant he had to stop. He asked his friends, who nick-name him ‘Kinder Jack’, to arrange a visit before he reaches his 90^th birthday next February. The National Trust agreed to help but recommended an autumn trip to avoid potentially hazardous winter conditions.

National Trust Rangers for Kinder and Edale Mark Leah and Myles Brazil have volunteered their time to make Jack’s wish to stand on Kinder again come true. They drove the small walking party in a Landrover at 11am from Hayfield to Edale Cross and then accompanied them the short distance on foot to Kinder Low.

Joining Jack on this special occasion were members of the St John’s Church walking group Christine and Brian Sleath, David Grainger and Wendy Hudson. Also in the party, and supplying the birthday cake, was  Cynthia Ramsden from Holmesfield who climbed Mont Blanc with Jack in August 1999. 

Happy 90th Birthday Jack!

Secret Dovedale Walk

On Sunday 6^th October we took a Secret Walk through Dovedale as part of the Great British Walk.

Starting at Milldale we crossed over Viators Bridge then heard about the history of fishing in the dale from local expert Tony Bridgedd, then walked along the valley beside the river Dove. The children ticked off ‘make a grass trumpet’ on the 50 Things list and then we stopped by Ravenstor, where geologist Mike Allen showed the children and adults where to look for fossils, the remains of the marine environment that existed 350 million years ago! That ticked off another on the 50 Things list, ‘hunt for fossils and bones’. Simon the Ranger pointed out some dippers on the river, before our exploration into Dove Holes – caves created by water a long time ago. Then it was up hill, through nettles, over stones and past trees and fungi, up to the top of The Nabs, where we all stopped to look at the amazing views. From there, it was along the tops of the hills then down towards Milldale using the old packhorse route. We were greeted by homemade cakes and drinks at the end of the walk, the chocolate cake was a hit with the children, and everyone enjoyed a sit down by the river. 

Thank you to everyone who came along to discover a new part of Dovedale, there is nothing better than a walk in the Peak District on a sunny Sunday afternoon!

Find out more about 50 things to do before you're 11 3/4 by going to the website: www.50things.org.uk 

Cyclists invited to ride The Hidden Peak

An exciting cycling event, The National Trust's The Hidden Peak, will take place on the 20 October 2013 in the Peak District, starting and finishing at Lady Manners School in Bakewell. 

Now in its third year, this popular sportive has three fabulous new routes which will be fully signed for riders to follow, each going through some of England’s most stunning countryside and offering riders the opportunity to explore areas they may never have been to before. From the green valleys of the White Peak to the atmospheric gritstone edges of the Dark Peak, riders can take in some of the most fantastic roads in the area on what promises to be a challenging and rewarding ride. 

The routes comprise of a 40k (25 mile) circuit in the limestone country of the White Peak, ideally suited to those who might be doing their first sportive; an 80k (50 mile) medium route showcasing some of the best of the Central Peak District; and last but not least a challenging 130k (80 mile) ride for the more experienced sportive rider, through the very best of the Dark and White Peak.

National Trust Rangers, staff, and volunteers will be on hand along the route to keep cyclists well-fuelled (with snacks and drinks at feed stations) and point them in the right direction.  Dark Peak Ranger Myles Brazil says: “It’s a fantastic event not just for hardened sportive riders but for anyone who wants a great day out exploring and discovering the more hidden parts of the Peaks. This will be our third sportive and we hope to build on the success of the previous years.”

Last year’s sportive enjoyed great success, with participants describing the route as ‘fantastic’, ‘challenging’, ‘beautiful’, ‘scenic’ and ‘exhilarating’. Taking in some iconic sights as well as undiscovered back roads, The Hidden Peak promises to please those looking for something out of the ordinary.

The sportive is coordinated in partnership with Dark & White Challenge Events, a Peak District based events organiser which specialises in putting people through their paces in the stunning Peak landscape.

For further details about The Hidden Peak routes, charges and entry details please visit http://www.darkandwhite.co.uk.

 

Hedge-laying in the Peak District

High Peak Moors Vision & Plan

50-Year Project Aims To Breathe New Life Into The Uplands

The National Trust’s “biggest and most ambitious” landscape-scale nature conservation initiative is being launched in the Peak District today. 

It aims to inspire people and involve them in restoring a landscape of healthy peat bogs, diverse heaths and natural woodland rich in wildlife.

With input from a wide range of people and organisations, the Trust has mapped out a bold new 50-year vision for 10,000 hectares (40 square miles) of land it looks after in the High Peak moors.  

They cover boulder-strewn landscapes of rocky tors, dramatic valleys and cloughs and mile upon mile of wild and remote bog and heath. The iconic Kinder Scout and the spectacular Upper Derwent Valley are perhaps the best known parts, essential elements of the much loved Peak District National Park, which is visited by more than 10 million people each year.

A remarkable landscape is made all the more special by the fact it is nestled between Sheffield and Manchester close to the homes of millions of people.

Jon Stewart, National Trust General Manager for the Peak District, said: “This dramatic, beautiful and fragile landscape is the ideal place for the biggest and most ambitious work that the Trust has ever undertaken to develop a clear road map for one of its upland estates. 

“Whilst there is much to celebrate about the moors and their valley-sides there are massive management challenges such as eroding peat, drying out bog, lost woodland, suppressed heathland vegetation and maintaining good access.  We want to work with those who care for and have a stake in their future to address these challenges.”

Conservation work will restore habitats such as bogs and heaths on the moor tops and heathland and woodlands in steep valleys, known as cloughs. 

The blanket bogs, rich in peat, on the moors are of national and international significance.  It’s vital that this fragile habitat is maintained because severe erosion can release carbon into the atmosphere and have a knock-on effect on the quality of drinking water from peat ending up in reservoirs.  

The peat found in the uplands of the UK has as much carbon as the forests of Britain and France combined and the High Peak moors alone store the equivalent of two years carbon emissions from the city of Sheffield.

A priority for the vision will be to keep the bogs wet through for example blocking gullies that have eroded the landscape and making sure that there is plenty of vegetation cover.  Work has already begun on this on the plateau of Kinder Scout.

Work will also begin to increase the spread of trees and shrubs – both naturally and through planting – in the valleys to help restore lost wildlife habitat and a key part of the landscape, improve water quality and help conserve soils.

By creating the right conditions it will be possible for valued species such as birds of prey, red grouse and mountain hare to call the High Peak moors home in the decades to come.

One longer term measure of the success of the vision would be creating the right conditions for the black grouse to return to the moors; an upland bird that disappeared from the Peak District in the 1990s. 

Jon Stewart added: “We have learnt a huge amount about how managing these moors to boost their wildlife and restore the landscape can also have massive benefits for our drinking water quality, flood management, carbon storage and people’s enjoyment, health and well-being.”

“They are in effect a life support system.  Managing the moors in tune with these benefits we believe provides the best way forward for those making their living from the moors as well. “

“So this vision is all about working with people to care for the land whether that be our farm tenants, partners or the many people that passionately love the Peak District to restore the landscape and habitats, provide fantastic access to a wild place, deliver better water quality and care for the carbon in these upland soils.”

To view the plan and the summary document please go to www.high-peak-moors.co.uk

Bird hide repairs earlier in 2013

Snake/Derwent LTV repairing the door latch earlier in 2013 on the Alport bird hide which has, against all the odds, survived the harsh Peak District winter.  The hide provides somewhere to view nesting birds at Alport Castles or welcome relief from the driving rain!

Fence repairs earlier on this year

Snake/Derwent rangers and volunteers earlier this year repairing some post and rail fencing which forms part of the boundary between Blackden View Farm and Ashop moor.  One of the many boundaries which suffered in the snow this winter.  In the background is the Snake Valley and you can just make out the tip of Fairbrook Naze.