The Peak District is a fragile and diverse landscape full of contrasts from the high moorland and rocky outcrops of the High Peak and Longshaw Estate to the tumbling streams, ancient woodlands, flower-strewn meadows and secluded dales of the South Peak.
After caring for the Peak District for over 100 years, the Trust has entered a new age of challenges, from adapting to climate change, to providing access and learning opportunities for the next generation.
Snapshots of the Peak District
The Peak District is fragile and diverse. A land of contrasts, the high moorland and rocky outcrops of the High Peak and Longshaw Estate give way to the tumbling streams, ancient woodlands, flower-strewn meadows and secluded dales of the South Peak.
Within easy reach of cities including Sheffield and Derby, the Peak District is a valuable green space, a place where people can experience the countryside and all the benefits it has to offer. Our aim is to continue protecting vulnerable areas of this unique landscape and increasing access for everyone to enjoy.
Dovedale
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
Over thousands of years the River Dove has carved its way through this massive limestone plateau within the South Peak Estate. It has created a deep, sinuous and spectacular gorge, long famous for its rock pinnacles, spires, arches and caves. Today the site attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, keen to admire its beauty.
Kinder Scout
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
Kinder Scout is famously remembered for the landmark 1932 Mass Trespass when hundreds of ramblers challenged the right of the then landowners to stop them walking on the moors. The dark gritstone massif of the Scout rises sharply from the flat low ground of the Cheshire Plain to the west.
Longshaw Estate
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
The Longshaw Estate has a maze of quiet paths that lead through secluded woods, moors and pastures containing a host of archaeological curiosities. Whilst seemingly remote and wild, the property lies only 10 minutes’ drive from Sheffield. It is a haven for wildlife including waxcap fungi, birds such as pied flycatchers, crossbills and green woodpeckers, and is a stronghold for the northern hairy wood ant.
Manifold Valley
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
The Manifold Valley runs parallel to Dovedale. It has same beautiful scenery, but is much more tranquil.
Winnats Pass
© NTPL / Joe Cornish
Winnats Pass is a spectacular mile-long gorge that wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond film. The steep, craggy sides of the limestone formations on the Pass are popular with walkers, keen to enjoy the dramatic landscape and maybe see a fossil or two.
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Protecting the Peaks
'A very special place and it all needs to be protected for future generations'
The reasons that inspired us to become involved in Winster Market House are still present today.
As South Peak Estate Property Manager, Andrew Thompson, explains:
'All of the Peak District is a very special place and it all needs to be protected and valued for future generations.'
Projects in the Peak District are funded through support from our members and the public. The Peak District Appeal was established to help support our work in actively conserving and managing this unique landscape for everyone to enjoy, forever.
Conservation in action
These are just two of the projects made possible through your support:
© National Trust / D Slade |
In the South Peak, work on the Ravine WoodLIFE Project is nearing completion. The project, a partnership receiving match funding from the European Communities LIFE-Nature programme, aims to remove an old larch plantation on the edge of Dovedale. Originally planted as a crop, it is of limited value to wildlife. Controlled felling will leave native broadleaved trees, and grassland flowers will be encouraged to re-establish through the re-introduction of grazing. |
© National Trust / HPE |
Vast expanses of ancient peat cover much of the High Peak. Decades of overgrazing, acid pollution and accidental fires have left large areas of the estate with severe peat erosion. This in turn leads to discoloured water flowing into Ladybower reservoir, at a cost of millions for Severn Trent Water. Together with Severn Trent Water, English Nature, Defra and the Nottingham Trent University, we have embarked on a 5-year study to investigate whether gully blocking and re-seeding on the moors will reduce this problem. |
Peak District photo gallery
Four of our wardens and tenants have chosen their favourite spots - not easy when it contains some of England's most beautiful scenery.
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