Thursday 16th January 2014
It's been a mild winter so far with lots of rain up here in Lancashire, but no way has it been as wet as some of our southern counties which have suffered such bad and distressing flooding.
We've had a bracing walk today up onto our South Pennine Moors, its a wild and fairly remote area and it's the nearest thing we have to wilderness but it is a wonderful unspoilt area and a site of special scientific interest. The area is covered in blanket bog and in the summer drifts of cotton grass cover the area, in a good year almost like a light snowfall. Today care had to be taken to avoid sinking into the bogs. The ground dries out as you reach the ridge where the grit stone outcrops are exposed this area is named the Dove Stones on the map.
Back of Boulsworth Hill
Dove Stone Ridge
Today the only sound being carried across the moor was that of the Red Grouse
Looking east across the moor into Yorkshire above Hebden Bridge
Looking west into Lancashire towards Burnley
After the last Ice Age the weather became warmer and drier than it is at present and forests covered the upland areas. After a few thousand years the climate changed to the wetter conditions that prevail today. This slowly change the structure of the ground and it became too wet so the forests slowly rotted and the area change into Blanket Bog which still covers the moors today.
We found evidence of this down below the ridge were the moorland rivers have cut channels through the peat to expose the trees that once covered this area.
The bark is still recognizable, I'm fairly sure it's the Silver Birch tree
Some type of lichen on growing on the peat
Finally on a lighter note... the Snow Drops in my garden have
almost opened it's at least a month earlier than last year.
It's been a mild winter so far with lots of rain up here in Lancashire, but no way has it been as wet as some of our southern counties which have suffered such bad and distressing flooding.
We've had a bracing walk today up onto our South Pennine Moors, its a wild and fairly remote area and it's the nearest thing we have to wilderness but it is a wonderful unspoilt area and a site of special scientific interest. The area is covered in blanket bog and in the summer drifts of cotton grass cover the area, in a good year almost like a light snowfall. Today care had to be taken to avoid sinking into the bogs. The ground dries out as you reach the ridge where the grit stone outcrops are exposed this area is named the Dove Stones on the map.
After the last Ice Age the weather became warmer and drier than it is at present and forests covered the upland areas. After a few thousand years the climate changed to the wetter conditions that prevail today. This slowly change the structure of the ground and it became too wet so the forests slowly rotted and the area change into Blanket Bog which still covers the moors today.
We found evidence of this down below the ridge were the moorland rivers have cut channels through the peat to expose the trees that once covered this area.
Finally on a lighter note... the Snow Drops in my garden have
Looks like a wild and windy place....
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