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to heather moorlands
What is the history of the Heather Moorlands?
Around 3000 BC. when the climate
was warmer, humans first began to clear the moorland forests in order
to settle and farm. There is evidence of Bronze Age settlements
throughout the Peak District, for example at Gardom's Edge, as depicted
in this interpretive drawing of a roundhouse.
By Roman times the climate had become much cooler and people had moved down
to live in the less exposed valleys, although they still used the moorlands
for farming. For many years now the moors
have been used for sheep grazing and grouse
shooting. In order to encourage more grouse, people have managed
the land by heather
burning. Farmed in this way, the moorlands are maintained as
grassland or heather moorland. If left to nature, they would eventually
revert to woodland.
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| Beaters on burning moorland |
Since Georgian times, with the
advent of better transport, the Peak District has become more popular
with tourists. The moorlands have been enjoyed by visitors both
for climbing on the famous rock edges and for walking across the vast
moorland landscapes, as can be seen in the photographs here.
Our relationship with the moorlands has changed over time, and the challenge
today is to ensure that this special landscape remains safeguarded for the
future.
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