The Peak District National Park - Fact Zone 9. Upper Derwent Valley 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

LANDSCAPE AND LAND USE ......

Moorland

After the last ice age - about 14,000 years ago - woodland spread over the Peak District. about 4 - 5,000 years ago, hunter/gatherers spread over the area, cutting and burning the trees to create clearings for hunting. this clearing of the land and the change in the climate, which was becoming cooler and wetter, produced peat bogs on flat areas. (Peat is the remains of sphagnum moss, preserved by acid, wet conditions).

A Grough

The vegetation of the peat bogs consists mainly of cotton grass. Groughs (gullies) and haggs (islands of peat left when most has eroded away) often have crowberry and bilberry growing on their edges where the peat is drier. On the better drained land heather, bilberry, cowberry, bracken, mat grass and purple moor grass for the vegetation.

Grouse, which are shot by parties of hunters between 12 August and 10 December, feed n the young heather and nest in the taller patches. The heather moors are managed for grouse by burning small patches in winter (to encourage new young shoots to grow). Much of the moorland has been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its special vegetation and rare birds, such as the golden plover. It has been proposed as a Special Protection Area for birds under a European Directive.

Farming

Moorland around the Derwent Valley

The farmers in this area are usually tenants. The typical hill farm has sheep and some cattle. there is enclosed land and some reclaimed moorland near to the farm and the farmer has grazing rights on the higher moorland. The sheep spend most of their lives on the moorland and high rough pastures. They are brought down for lambing, shearing and dipping. The white-faced woodland sheep is traditional to this area. The cattle are store cattle which are bred for beef but which are sold on to more fertile lowland farms at about six months old to be fattened.

Woodland and Forest

The original woodlands of the valley have been reduced by cutting and grazing and are now confined to a few areas. Ladybower Clough is one such area. These woods are protected from grazing so that trees such as sessile oak, birch and rowan can regenerate from seed.

The Severn Trent Water Company owns 829 hectares of planted woodland and the Forestry Commission owns another 430 hectares. Most of these woodlands are conifers (larch, pine and spruce) with some broadleaved trees such as oak, beech and sycamore. As trees are cut for timber, young trees are planted. Conifers are not natural in the Peak District, but provide a habitat for some birds of prey and a few smaller birds.

Water

As the reservoirs hold very acid water, they support little wildlife except for some wildfowl such as red-breasted mergansers. Trout are put into the reservoirs for anglers. Common sandpipers nest on the shores but are easily disturbed - leaflets now encourage anglers and picnickers to leave them in peace when the are rearing young. The streams often have grey wagtails and dippers.





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