The heather beetle, Lochmaea suturalis, is a small, unassuming olive-brown leaf beetle measuring about 6mm, and it has long been a part of our moorland ecosystems. While unremarkable in appearance, this native insect can wreak havoc when its populations surge, causing devastating outbreaks that threaten heather moorlands, their biodiversity, and the communities that depend onContinue reading “Heather Beetle Outbreaks, a Brief Study of the Ecology of Lochmaea suturalis and Effects of Population Outbreaks on Moorland Habitats and Communities”
Category Archives: Forest of Bowland
Dunsop Bridge’s Beginnings
Part of a Series of Notes about Dunsop Bridge and other Hodder Valley Communities At the heart of Great Britain, in the centre of the Forest of Bowland, sits the pretty, well-kept village of Dunsop Bridge. Just 9 miles northwest of the Ribble valley town of Clitheroe, this tiny settlement is often celebrated as theContinue reading “Dunsop Bridge’s Beginnings”
Northwest Walks: Grit Fell, the Three Sisters and the Three Chairs
In the far Northwest of the Bowland fells the geology and scenery dramatically changes to the extent that it feels like an entirely different part of the country. The peaty earth is thinner, the gritstone below exposed to the northern gales, the backdrop is of that of the wide, sweeping, Morecambe bay and Fylde plainsContinue reading “Northwest Walks: Grit Fell, the Three Sisters and the Three Chairs”
HARP in Bowland; The Refurbishment of the Haweswater Aqueduct and its impacts on the communities of the Hodder Valley
The Haweswater Aqueduct delivers water from Haweswater Reservoir in the Lake District to over two million people throughout Cumbria, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester. It’s a 110km/82 mile-long pipeline, carrying up to 100 million gallons per day under gravity induced flow, built in the 1930s to 1950s and is currently undergoing extensive upgrades. This refurbishment isContinue reading “HARP in Bowland; The Refurbishment of the Haweswater Aqueduct and its impacts on the communities of the Hodder Valley”
Slaidburn Steam Rally
Slaidburn Steam Rally, or The Slaidburn Steam and Vintage Vehicle Display, to give it its official name, is an annual event held in the village of Slaidburn in the Forest of Bowland. Although originally conceived as solely for steam a variety of other vehicles now attend, including vintage cars and tractors, alongside stalls showcasing localContinue reading “Slaidburn Steam Rally”
Northwest Walks, a short walk around Whitewell
This short and easy walk starts and finishes at the Inn at Whitewell in the Hodder valley, it shouldn’t take longer than 2 hours and, although it can be a bit muddy at a couple of spots, is fairly easy going. It’s a popular place in the summer so can be very busy on sunnyContinue reading “Northwest Walks, a short walk around Whitewell”
Limekiln Landscapes; the Legacy of Bowland’s Limekilns
Hidden away deep in the Forest of Bowland, sagged and slumped under the weight of time and overgrown with mosses, ferns and lichens, lie relics of a once great industry; the manufacture of Quicklime. These unassuming structures, now mostly reclaimed by time and nature, were once vital to the agricultural and economic life of theContinue reading “Limekiln Landscapes; the Legacy of Bowland’s Limekilns”
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is the name of the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The word ‘shrove’ is the past tense of the English verb ‘shrive’, which describes the means by which to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession and penance. On this day, Catholics are encouraged to go toContinue reading “Shrove Tuesday”
Northwest Nature and History 