 |
|||
 |
THE PENNINE WAY IN THE PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK
In 1951 the Peak National Park became Britain’s first National Park. Before that, most of the highest and wildest parts of the Peak were forbidden to the walker - 37 square miles of Bleaklow and 15 square miles of Kinder Scout were uncrossed by a public path.
The Pennine Way was Britain’s first long distance footpath and remains its most popular.
 |
|
In the 1950's
|
Its route was planned to keep to the crest of the Pennines as far as possible linking up old footpaths and bridleways, packhorse and drove roads, shepherds’ and miners’ tracks.
The Pennine Way (Southern Section Route)
The Pennine Way runs through the bleak areas of open moorland which form part of the Dark Peak landscape in the Peak District National Park. The underlying gritstone and shale rocks give rise to an acid infertile soil and a sparse vegetation mainly of grasses, bilberry and heather.
 |
In fact the formation of the peat bogs of the uplands was the result of early people clearing woodland to graze their animals. This gradually impoverished the soil.
The onset of a colder, wetter climate in the British Isles from about 600 BC led to a decrease in tree growth and the formation of peat
Popularity
The Pennine Way passes through some of the most spectacular landscapes in the Peak District National Park.
These wild uplands were considered bleak and unattractive in earlier centuries, but during the 20th century became popular weekend escape routes for workers in the industrial cities such as Manchester and Sheffield.
Over one million upland walks are taken every year in the Park, of which nearly half are on the hills of the Dark Peak.
Over 10,000 people will walk the entire route of the Pennine Way every year and 20 times that number will walk parts of it. The most popular parts of the Pennine Way are those falling inside the Peak Park.
The Pennine Way is a challenging walk even for the most experienced walker. It demands a good degree of fitness, stamina and suitable clothing, including strong footwear. The Pennine Way can prove an endurance test for the fittest person.
 |
|
|
Erosion
Extensive areas of the Peak District now suffer severe erosion. This is a particular problem on the deep blanket peats found on fragile moorland plateaux like Kinder Scout and Bleaklow.
Wind, rain and frost are the natural forces of erosion and have greatest effect on bare ground, where vegetation has already been removed. Human influence is often the cause of the removal of vegetation.
There are a number of causes of widespread erosion:
- Atmospheric pollution from factory chimneys, domestic fires and power stations, which turns to acid rain. Nearly all the sphagnum moss, which formed the peat, has been killed. The sphagnum used to form a giant sponge which protected the surface of the peat. Vehicle exhaust gases are an increasing problem including nitrogen oxides.
- Accidental (or deliberate) summer fires which destroy the vegetation, the dormant seeds in the peat surface and often the peat itself. (Controlled winter burns to manage heather do not have these results.)
- Overgrazing by sheep which prevents regeneration by removing seedheads and plucking seedlings from soft peat. There are now three times as many sheep grazing the moorlands as there were in 1950.
- However the greatest cause of the erosion of the peat on and around the Pennine Way is people pressure exerted by the many thousands of walkers who cross the moorland every year. At the southern-most end, on the Kinder Plateau in particular, the combination of heavy pressure from walkers coming from the nearby cities for a day’s walk, together with those walking the full Way leads to severe damage to the fragile terrain.
Other soils and vegetation may be able to cope with increasing numbers of visitors but the fragile peat bogs cannot. A few thousand footsteps a year may be enough to destroy the vegetation. Why should this be the case?
- Moorland vegetation, such as heather and cottongrass grows very slowly and is easily damaged by trampling. The low temperatures and frost and snow in the winter do not allow the vegetation enough time to recover each year. This leaves the peat exposed.
- When the exposed peat (the moorland soil) is wet it can be easily churned up by feet and is washed away by heavy rain. When it is dry it is blown away as a fine dust.
- Walking over soft waterlogged peat, particularly after heavy rain, is difficult and unpleasant, even dangerous and walkers try to avoid the worst sections by walking on the firmer ground to the sides of the path. This increases the size of the damaged area.
- Some paths are not well defined and so the trampled area spreads as walkers find the easiest path.
- Organised events such as sponsored walks and fun runs can put as much pressure on a path as a year of normal use.
Condition Survey
In 1989 a full Condition Survey was undertaken. The purpose of the survey was to provide detailed information on the condition of the route and the likely costs of restoration.
It was found that the area south of the M62 (which includes the section in the Peak District National Park) was the most severely worn, with an average worn or trampled width of 12.5 metres. On the Kinder Plateau, trampling was evident over a width of 700 metres! The damaged area was five times as great as that found in the last condition survey in 1971. The Survey also found that almost a third of the route was misaligned - it did not follow the official route of the Pennine Way.
It was estimated that restoration costs would be an average of £12 per metre for the whole length of the Way. For the section lying in the Park , restoration costs would be more than double this amount.
The outcome of all the studies, was a decision that an effective restoration project should be set up to:
- Protect and restore the fragile soil and vegetation.
- Provide a durable walking surface by using established and experimental techniques.
- Ensure all work is in harmony with the wild and unspoilt landscape.
- Ensure the route follows rights of way.
Restoration Team
In 1991 a full-time restoration team was set up, consisting of the Pennine Way Manager, a Supervisor, a four member Pennine Way Maintenance Team and a Pennine Way Alignment Officer to handle the legal aspects. This team is employed by the Peak District National Park and funded by the Countryside Commission. The Team’s brief is to investigate and implement restoration projects on the southern end of the Pennine Way where it falls within the Peak Park. Where the Pennine Way crosses National Trust Estates some of the maintenance work is subcontracted to a five member National Trust Estate Team. Very little of the work on the Pennine Way is done by volunteers.
POINTS TO CONSIDER