The Peak District National Park - Fact Zone 21. Longdendale in the National Park

	The Park
	Tourism
	Land Use
	Conservation
	Design
	Farming
	Castleton
	Dovedale
	Upper Derwent
	Geology
	Minerals
	Nature
	Burbage Valley
	Erosion
	Bakewell
	Population
	Langsett
	The Rangers
	The Pennine Way
	The Goyt Valley
	Longdendale

The Peak District National Park covers 555 square miles (1438 square kilometres) at the southern tip of the Pennines. It lies at the junction of highland and lowland Britain.
Longdendale means a long dale (or valley). This long V-shaped valley runs from east to west across the Pennines. Five reservoirs in the valley contain the waters of the River Etherow - a tributary of the Mersey. Not far from the town of Glossop, Longdendale lies on one of the main trans-Pennine routes linking Manchester with Sheffield.

SHAPING THE LAND

Longdendale is in the Dark Peak - a horseshoe of high moorland around the central and southern limestone area of the National Park (the White Peak). The rocks under the surface of the Dark Peak are Millstone Grit (a coarse sandstone) and softer shales, which together form the highest parts of the Park. The steep cliffs of the gritstone edges are popular with climbers and the lower lying shale valleys provide the ideal landscape for water storage.
These rocks were deposited in the Carboniferous period around 250 to 280 million years ago. At this time the area was covered by the estuary of a huge river flowing down from what are now the highlands of Scotland. The sands washed down by the river formed the sandstones and the mud formed the shales. Periods of glaciation during several Ice Ages (between one million and 10,000 years ago) together with more gradual erosion, have formed the unusual landforms seen on the moorland.

The Landscape

The land around Longdendale now ranges in height from 600 metres on the hill tops, down to 150 metres in the valley bottom. The high rainfall and poor drainage results in an acid, peat-covered moorland (see Fact Sheet 13, Nature). Erosion of the peat has produced groughs (steep narrow valleys) and haggs (islands of peat that have not been eroded). In some places, erosion is removing the peat covering altogether, as at Bleaklow Head.

The vegetation of Longdendale reflects the geological mix. Oak and birch woodland once covered much of the land but from about 3,000 BC early farmers started to clear the land to grow crops. Around 2,500 years ago, the climate became wetter and cooler. The change in climate and the intensive cultivation, caused the upper limit of the woodland to retreat, leaving the high exposed moorland to be colonised by heather and grasses. Plants found on the moorland now include cotton grass, bilberry, heather, crowberry, hare’s tail, cross-leaved heath, cowberry and cloudberry and the nationally rare Labrador tea.

The highest land has a deep peat blanket dominated by cotton grass. Britain is one of the most important countries in the world for conservation of these blanket bogs.
On slopes up to around 350 metres, there is a shallow peat layer where heather is the most abundant species.
The lower slopes have a few remnants of the native woodlands and many, newer conifer plantations. Numerous springs and bogs provide ideal conditions for mosses and marsh plants, tolerant of acid conditions.

WILDLIFE

Mountain hare

Moorland areas around Longdendale support a variety of wildlife. Foxes and voles inhabit the moors and the uncommon mountain hare can be glimpsed occasionally. Birds such as the red grouse, ring ouzel, wheatear and twite can be seen. For many moorland birds e.g. the golden plover, the area is of international conservation importance. Predatory birds such as the kestrel, merlin and the short-eared owl also nest in the area. Redstart, woodpecker and flycatchers are found in the woodlands, while the grey heron can be seen anywhere in the valley. The reservoirs attract a variety of wildfowl. Mallards are the most common birds, but the valley also has teal, pochard, sandpipers, gulls and Canada geese.