(Excerpt) It was a wild afternoon high on the Settle-Carlisle line, the wind came howling down from Wild Boar Fell and across the exposed plateau at Garsdale (still known to older hands as Hawes Junction). It was the sort of day when the moors seemed determined to remind every living thing there who really owned the place.
Tag Archives: #Cumbria
Small-leaved Lime, Relict of the Ancient Wildwood
(Excerpt) The northern limit of native T. cordata in Britain lies in the English Lake District at approximately 54°30′N, with the majority of sites within about 25km of the Morecambe Bay coast. Populations are concentrated on the wooded hills from Warton to Ulverston and extend inland up the valleys of the Lune, Kent, and Duddon, with the most northerly localities in Borrowdale and beside Ullswater.
Rewilding in Britain, from Concept to Controversy
(Excerpt) The concept of rewilding seeks to restore self-sustaining ecosystems by reducing intensive human management, reintroducing key species or processes, and allowing natural dynamics greater play.
In the densely populated and long-managed landscape of Britain the concept has evolved from a niche conservation theory into a mainstream yet polarising approach, generating disputes over land-use, rural livelihoods, biodiversity outcomes, and, most recently, wildfire risk.
Northern Shores: Living Relics of the Ice-Age; the Vendace, Schelly and Charr of the English Lakes
(Excerpt) England’s Lake District is home to several species that are considered living relics of the last Ice Age, these include three distinctive cold-water fish: the Vendace, the Schelly and the Arctic Charr. All belong to the salmonid family and depend on deep, cool, well-oxygenated lakes for their survival.
The Duties of a Gamekeeper; High Summer on the Moors
(Excerpt) As July draws to a close across the moors our upland gamekeepers find themselves in the thick of one of their busiest and most critical periods. With The Glorious Twelfth fast approaching their work shifts from protecting nesting birds to assessing populations and preparing for what can be a time of make-or-break for the upland shoot.
The Barley Harvest 2026
So far 2026’s barley harvest seems to be proceeding more steadily here than in the drought-stressed south and east of the country. While those regions saw some of the earliest starts on record in late June, northern and western crops are following a more typical timeline, benefiting from relatively better moisture retention in many areas.
The Shaded Broad-bar Moth
Biology, Ecology, etc of the Shaded Broad-bar Moth (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) The Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata), a member of the Geometridae family (often called geometer moths or ‘inchworms’ in their larval stage), is a distinctive and relatively common moth across much of the British Isles. First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it is a classicContinue reading “The Shaded Broad-bar Moth”
The Swaledale Sheep, Queen of the Hills
Swaledales are medium-sized, bold, and exceptionally hardy. Key traits include a black face with bright white markings, curled horns (larger in rams), and a weatherproof off-white fleece that is dense and durable. Their strong legs and feet, combined with excellent foraging ability, allow them to thrive on heather, rough grass, and sparse vegetation.
Northwest Nature and History 