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.

Kitchen Garden Fun Day at Longshaw

The Kitchen Garden volunteers at the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate in the Peak District are opening the garden up for an afternoon of hands-on family activities, on Sunday 1^st September from 12.00 to 4.00 pm.

Visitors of all ages are welcome to come and explore the garden, join in some fun hands-on activities, such as printing with veg and vegetable heads, sowing seeds or having a go at the garden quiz. There will be plenty for everyone to do, and the event is a drop-in event with free activities. 

Longshaw’s Kitchen Garden was set up as a project run by a team of volunteers, and has grown in abundance, producing fantastic crops of healthy and tasty fruit and vegetables.  Lots of the seasonal produce is served in the Longshaw Visitor Centre as a part of the daily menu, and this year visitors to the event will also be able to enjoy a special dish on the day. Plants grown at Longshaw will also be on sale.

Community & Learning Officer, Jenny Gerrans, says:  “The Kitchen Garden Open Day gives people a chance to have a look at how fruit and vegetables grow, and may inspire people to grow their own food at home or on an allotment.   The friendly team of volunteers have lined up an excellent range of activities so why not come to Longshaw and pop in to the kitchen garden to see what’s on offer?”

The Kitchen Garden Open Day is on Sunday 1^st September 12pm – 4pm, and is a drop-in event.  The Kitchen Garden is just behind the Longshaw Visitor Centre. The event is free. For more information please contact the National Trust in the Peak District on peakdistrict@nationaltrust.org.uk.

The Hidden Peak sportive returns!

Our annual sportive is returning to the Peak District on 20 October 2013. Starting at Lady Manners School in Bakwell, 3 routes will take you round some stunning places in the Peak District. Go to our partners site, Dakr and White Challenge Events, for more details and to book your place: www.darkandwhite.co.uk

We have an allotment plot in Sheffield

National Trust Peak District become tenants of a Sheffield Allotment plot in Partnership with Sheffield Organic Food Initiative (SOFI).

The National Trust have just signed the tenancy agreement on an allotment on the Hagg Lane Site, Sheffield. This is an exciting new project set up by the National Trust, Peak District team and the Sheffield Organic Food Initiative. 

The objective of the site is to create a shared community growing space, working in conjunction with Sheffield Organic Food Initiative, which also engages with younger volunteers. Together they will develop the site into an Edible Food Garden where mainly perennial fruit and vegetables are grown. This type of gardening mimics the structure and function of forest ecosystems, and requires choosing and planting a range of diverse and productive crops for food, wood, dyes, herbs and so on. It can also include spaces for relaxing and growing vegetables.

Currently the site is over grown but has many fruit trees and bushes and some structural features and volunteers are sought to get involved in tidying up the plot and helping with the planning for the sites development. It is on the Hagg Lane site over looking Rivelin Valley and has good links to public transport meaning it will be easy for the local community to get involved which we are actively encouraging.

Rachel Mora-Bannon, Peak District Volunteer Programmes Manager says’ We are really excited about this partnership in Sheffield. We are going to take some of the expertise in fruit and vegetable gardening we have gained in the Longshaw Kitchen Garden and share it with the young people of Sheffield. Working with SOFI and their knowledge in organic gardening and permaculture will enable us to explore new techniques away from more traditional gardening.’ 

Individuals who are interested in volunteering on the project are invited to contact Rachel by email at rachel.mora-bannon@nationaltrust.org.uk.