Dark Peak Walks. Paul Besley

Normans arrived in AD1086 at the settlement of Pechesers (literally translated as Peak’s Arse or Peak’s Tail), now known as Castleton. There, William Peveril, son of William the Conqueror, built Peveril Castle above Cave Dale as a stronghold and means of increasing his power and control over the area, while also serving as a prison for offenders. The site of the castle gave the Normans control of the Peak Forest, which stretched from the Derwent Valley in the northeast to the Goyt Valley in the west, including a large area of what is now the Dark Peak.

      The enclosures

      The 13th century witnessed the first major change to the landscape in the form of enclosures. Enclosure removed land from the community and placed it in the hands of the Lords and those who controlled areas of population. The primary reason for enclosure was profit from improved agricultural activities. The people who tended to lose out were the labourers and landless who were forced off the land and often into the towns. The first areas of land to be enclosed were those close to settlements and these can be easily identified as long narrow fields with straight boundaries. The next enclosures were more regular, rectangular shapes further up the valley slopes. The final enclosures occurred much later in the 19th century with the high moorlands being enclosed for sheep farming. Again, these are easily identified by very long stone walls that seem to stretch forever and lead nowhere useful!

      The Industrial Revolution

      Industry within the Dark Peak has been centred on the main areas of habitation. The very nature of the land and its geology precluded most mining activities, with the exception of small-scale coal mining on the western fringes and in the Longdendale Valley. It was not until the 17th century that industrial activity on a large scale became common. The availability of water powerful enough to work textile mills lead to the area becoming an important producer of cotton and woollen cloth, especially over on the western edge, which was bounded by the great industrial base of Lancashire. The position of the Dark Peak in the middle of the country and the plentiful supply of gritstone resulted in the export of stone wheels for milling flour and other crushing processes. Gritstone proved itself to be a good milling material but an even better source of building material, making it very attractive to the growing cities that surrounded the Dark Peak.

      The ballooning population of the cities also led to an increased demand for water. The answer was the huge reservoirs; for a time the longest single chain in the world was in Longdendale (Walk 18). The reservoirs of the Upper Derwent Valley were completed in the 20th century and supplied much of the Midlands and Sheffield. As industry’s reliance on water power diminished, the rivers returned to being habitats for wildlife. The water companies are now major landholders, owning much of the land around the reservoirs. Originally the land was bought to safeguard the quality of the water; now it is seen as a major recreational asset.

      Derwent Reservoir in the autumn (Walk 12)

      The rise of national parks

      The 19th and 20th centuries brought about big changes to the uplands and moors. Enclosures had taken what was once common land from the people and placed it into the hands of wealthy individuals. Originally it had been for sheep grazing, enabling large herds to be grazed at little cost. The introduction of red grouse for sport shooting shifted the economic balance: sheep did not bring in the same amount of income per hectare as red grouse, so the sheep and sheep farmers were removed and replaced with the grouse and gamekeeper. Enclosure also restricted access onto the moors and the introduction of shooting moors curtailed access for the vast majority of people. At a time when working classes were gaining a better standard of living, enabling them to travel and explore the countryside, they were prevented from doing so by private landowners. In conjunction, the political landscape was changing and a more socially inclusive attitude was developing. The fact that the high moors of the Dark Peak were closed to public access particularly annoyed and irritated the walkers of Manchester and Sheffield and it brought about a series of trespasses.

      The most famous of these was the Mass Trespass of 1932 (Walk 22), when hundreds of walkers walked up onto Kinder Scout against the wishes of the Duke of Devonshire and the instructions of the police. As a result of that day six people were tried and five were convicted of trespass and imprisoned. After the war various reports were produced on social matters. Arthur Hobhouse, a Liberal politician, produced a report in 1947 proposing the establishment of a series of national parks and detailing their uses. This resulted in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949, establishing 12 national parks across the country. They were chosen because of their outstanding natural beauty and unique identity. The first to open was the Peak National Park, now Peak District National Park, on 17April 1951.

      You may think mass trespasses are long in the past, but that is not the case. The last mass trespass to take place in the Dark Peak took place in 1985 on Bamford Moor (Walk 8), as this was closed to the public unless they had the permission of the landowner. Today that is not the case. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act of 2000 finally gave walkers the right to walk unfettered on open access land. There is, of course, a fly in the ointment. Landowners have the right to close their land to the public by giving special notice for a limited number of days per year. If you are walking on the moors it is always worth checking to see whether there are any closures. It may well be due to sport shooting.

      AIRCRAFT CRASH SITES

      The Dark Peak has an unusual and sad side. There are a large number of aircraft crash sites upon the high moors: many are military, a few are civilian. Remnants of the planes are still easily visible at many of the sites; others there is just a change in the landscape. Due to the flat nature of the high moorlands, especially Bleaklow, Kinder and Howden, navigational problems were encountered in poor weather and bad visibility. Misjudging the height, many planes simply hit the moorland, spreading wreckage and debris over a wide area. The sites are often used as a navigation exercise and are of historical interest. The earliest crash happened in 1918. The most famous and frequented one is on Bleaklow (Walk 20), where a USAF B29 crashed and has left extensive debris. As it was a military flight a service is now held each year on Remembrance Day. Grid references to sites that are near the walks can be found in Appendix C. Should you choose to visit any of the sites, please be respectful and do not remove any material.

      B29 Superfortress wreckage (Walk 20)

The future

      The Dark Peak is a unique landscape within Britain and as such is designated as a National Character Area with a Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation, and almost 50 per cent of the National Character Area has been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

      Today, many agencies are involved in the conservation of the area, ensuring that it remains special for generations to come. The National Trust, the RSPB, the Peak District National Park, the Wildlife Trust and Moors For The Future are changing the landscape, providing new woodlands of indigenous species and increasing the diversity of plants and wildlife.

      The National Trust now owns large areas and its High Peak Estate and the Marsden Estates cover a large proportion of the Dark Peak. The Trust has a 50-year plan to promote and encourage care of this special landscape. They will develop healthy blanket bogs to increase the production of new peat and also trap millions of tonnes of carbon that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere. The plan calls for an increase in the diversity of wildlife and birds of prey, along with the planting of thousands of native shrubs and trees in the valleys and cloughs.

      The water companies, Yorkshire Water, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities, are encouraging people to visit the reservoirs and surrounding moors for recreational purposes, building trails and infrastructure to enable everyone to enjoy this unique landscape. At the same time they are working to increase the diversity of wildlife and plants in the woodlands and on the moors that surround their operations.

      Probably the biggest single project for the Dark Peak to date is the one being carried out by Moors For The Future: the restoration of the peat landscape. Repairing the damage done by years