The Magpie's Hoard

Holkham Beach

 

Low tide on the beach at Holkham in Norfolk. 

Blue Sky Walking

This weekend we had virtually cloud-free blue skies, so I spent both days out walking in the Peak District: Saturday in the Dark Peak; Sunday in the White Peak.

Saturday's route: Whirlow Brook Park - Limb Valley - Houndkirk Road - Burbage Moor - Fox House.

Sunday's route: Bakewell - Ashford - Monsal Head - Miller's Dale - White Lodge.

Low Water

About a month ago I took this photo of the lowest of the three reservoirs at Redmires on the western outskirts of Sheffield. At the time it struck me as odd that the reservoir was nearly empty. Although there had been a lot of talk about water shortages in the media, most of the other reservoirs in the south Pennines were full to overflowing.

The mystery has now been solved. According to a press release from Yorkshire Water, the reservoir was deliberately drawn down to allow CCTV equipment to survey the outlet tunnel and associated pipework.

Apparently the upper reservoir at Redmires is also to be drained in August so that a geo-physical survey of the embankment can be undertaken. This promises to be quite spectacular as it is a much bigger reservoir. Who knows what secrets may be lurking in its depths?

The exposed mud may atttract some interesting migrant waders this autumn, so I must keep an eye on Sheffield Bird Study Group's Redmires pages.

Wildness & Wet

What would the world be, once bereft   
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,   
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)

Yesterday I went to a conference about the conservation of the UK's dwindling wetlands. I found it very interesting, particularly the presentation about The Great Fen Project, which aims to bring 'wildness and wet' back to 3,000 hectares of Huntingdonshire.

The highlight of the day was a visit to the Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve (better known as Thorne & Hatfield Moors). I haven't been there for about 5 years, so I was fascinated to hear about the work that's being done to restore the areas devastated by peat extraction. I must make another visit this summer... if I can face the prospect of being eaten alive by horse-flies!

[horse-flies = Tabanidae]

Two Faces

Two contrasting faces of the Peak District National Park, both photographed this afternoon. Above: Peveril Castle. Below: Hope Cement Works.

The Invisible River

This photo shows the River Lathkill in Derbyshire... or rather the dried up bed of the River Lathkill. The river has done its famous disappearing trick again.

English Nature, which manages Lathkill Dale as a National Nature Reserve, is trying to work out why the river vanishes without trace every few years. A popular theory is that it leaks away into old mine shafts.

Some years ago a team of volunteers put a lot of effort into lining the bed of the river with clay to prevent the water from leaking away. Sadly, the problem now seems to be worse than ever.

Foolow to Tideswell

When I peeked through the curtains yesterday morning, I witnessed a rare phenomenon: blue skies and sunshine on a Bank Holiday Monday!

Liz and I decided to make the most of this unique occurrence and caught a bus out to Foolow in the Peak District National Park. From there we walked across the fields to the head of Cressbrook Dale, on a path which must have more stiles than any other in Derbyshire.

We entered the National Nature Reserve and walked down the dale past Peter's Stone. The slopes of the dale were dotted with cowslips and early purple orchids. There seems to be a bumper crop of orchids this year. As we climbed the hillside towards Wardlow we also noticed huge drifts of wood anemones - more than we've ever seen there before.

After a brief stop to catch our breaths and gawp at the view, we dropped gradually back down into the wooded lower part of the dale. The valley bottom was carpeted with ramsons, which flavoured the air with their garlic scent. The ash trees, which dominate these woods, won't come into leaf until late May. The absence of leaf cover allows sunlight to reach the woodland floor. Bright yellow brimstone butterflies danced about in the sunny glades.

At Cressbrook Mill we turned right into Miller's Dale and followed the River Wye upstream, pausing by Water-cum-Jolly to look at a coot's nest which held six tiny chicks. The parent birds seemed to be trying to coax them out on to the open water. Further on, three buzzards wheeled high overhead making their cat-like calls. They were joined by a raven, which did its best to drive them away but the odds were against it.

We made our way up Tideswell Dale and across the fields to Tideswell itself. As we entered outskirts of the village, the heavens opened. By the time we reached the bus stop Liz and I were both drenched. Business as usual for a Bank Holiday Monday!

 

Cutthroat Bridge to Low Bradfield

Yesterday Liz and I had a bracing walk along Derwent Edge in a howling gale. As my dad would say, it certainly blew away the cobwebs!

We caught a bus out to Cutthroat Bridge on the A57. From there it's a long, steady climb up to Derwent Edge. Once you reach the top you're rewarded with dramatic views across the Derwent Valley and the hills beyond. Yesterday it was a little too breezy to stand around admiring the scenery, but here's a picture I took a few years ago in more temperate conditions.

Scattered along Derwent Edge are a number unusual rock formations, with curious names like the Salt Cellar, the Cakes of Bread and the Dove Stone. They are gritstone tors, similar to the granite tors of Dartmoor. Some of them have Victorian graffiti carved into their surfaces.

We followed the path along Derwent Edge for a couple of miles, then turned off just before Back Tor. As we dropped down on to the track known as Foulstone Road, the wind dropped and the skies cleared. It felt like spring again! We spotted about a dozen mountain hares, their coats midway between winter white and summer brown. Sadly, they were too far away to get a decent photo.

We made our way down through the woods and along the road to Brogging End, near Strines Reservoir. This is the home of the roughest, toughest chickens in the whole of the Pennines. They range freely through the forestry plantation, looking not unlike their junglefowl ancestors.

As we passed by yesterday, most of the hens were enjoying an afternoon dust-bath whilst the cockerel stood guard, preening himself in a shaft of sunlight.

Lower down the valley, towards Dale Dike, the fields were full of sheep with new-born lambs. We stopped to watch as the youngsters gambolled about on wobbly legs.

As we walked along the lane to Low Bradfield to catch the bus home, we spotted the first swallow of the year. Summer won't be long now!

Lodge Moor to Hathersage

Yesterday we had a bracing walk from Lodge Moor to Hathersage via Stanage Edge. Due to the weather (and other factors) we haven't been able to get out for many walks so far this year.

There was quite a lot of snow on the moors ("significant accumulations" as they say at the Met Office). It was a bit dodgy coming down off Stanage Edge in a controlled way - we nearly ended up in Hathersage a lot sooner than we expected!

Agden & Rocher

The view across Agden Reservoir, looking towards Rocher Head.

This is a favourite area for Sunday afternoon walks, being just a short bus ride from our home. When I have time, I will write a longer blog entry about it.