News

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A GLOSSOP KEEPER

7th June 2006

45 keen moorland walkers and their families joined local gamekeepers Andrew Chadwick and Fred Mitchinson and tenant farmer David Mellor for a 3-mile guided walk across the beautiful grouse moors of Parkhall, above Little Hayfield. (Sunday 4th June). Organised by the Moorland Association on behalf of the owners and tenants, the event demonstrated that the National Trust-owned moor is managed rather than ‘wild’ and showed off the huge amount of wildlife that this management encourages.

Jim Dixon, Chief Executive of Peak District National Park Authority came along with his son on the day and said: “I really enjoyed hearing about moorland management at first hand from the farmer and keepers who know the moor so well. They have a great story to tell about moorland management for grouse and for wildlife. I hope more people will join such walks in the future.”

Working on the moors around the clock, all year, gamekeepers have a wealth of knowledge about important and rare ground nesting birds and interesting moorland plants. Said Mr Mitchinson: “We explain to visitors how we carefully burn small patches of heather to create new shoots for the grouse and sheep to feed on, and how this creates a patchwork of different habitats that suits other birds like curlew, lapwing, golden plover and merlin. Daily control of predators like foxes, crows, stoats and weasels gives all ground nesting birds a chance of survival.”



Keeper and farmer work hand in hand to get the best out of the moor. Mr Mellor demonstrated the different sheep breeds suited to moorland grazing and how careful breeding and shepherding helps to ensure that the rare heather is not overgrazed and damaged.

Said Mark Osborne, Moorland Association member and shooting tenant of Parkhall; “The feedback from the day has been excellent with visitors discovering all about grouse moor management. The two main issues that prompted questions were walking dogs and the risk of wildfires. Wide open moorland can look like a great place to walk your dog, but visitors were asked not to bring them to protect ground nesting birds.”

Fred explained how even a well trained dog can destroy the breeding of ground nesting birds at this time of year. He also demonstrated how winter heather burning helps create fire breaks and removes the old, long heather that burns ferociously if someone should accidentally drop a match and set the moor on fire in dry summer months. This was backed up by Charlie Horsford from Moors for the Future, a partnership working to restore moorland elsewhere in the Peak District that has been damaged by summer wildfires in years gone by.

National Trust Ranger, Shane Bates, explained how open access to moorlands is managed and promoted by the Trust. The Moorland Visitor’s Code was handed out as essential reading for anyone planning a moorland walk and is available free from 0870 120 6466:

The Moorland Visitor’s Code.
• Check www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk to see what is open for you (and your dog) and follow any local signs
• Dogs must be on a short lead (less than 2 metres) during the breeding season – 1st March – 31st July.
• Never light fires on moorland, not even gas stoves or barbecues, and respect warning signs during periods of high fire risk in the spring and summer
• Protect plants and animals and take your litter home
• Leave gates and property as you find them
• Consider other people – moorland keepers and farmers play a crucial role in the well being of the moors

-Ends –