The Peak District's 'Dark Peak' (Day Trip)

Summary

Join naturalist Matthew Capper for a day out in the Dark Peak area of the beautiful Peak District National Park. We have several possible short walks and will choose two or three depending on the time of year and recent sightings and conditions. The day might begin with a range of moorland birds such as Ring Ouzel, Curlew, Whinchat and Wheatear. This might be paired with a short walk on a section of the world-famous Pennine Way. The blanket bog up here holds important populations of Golden Plover and Dunlin, and we may be lucky enough to see Mountain Hare – the only English population is here in the Peak District. Red Grouse should be visible and there could even be a bird of prey such as a Merlin or Short-eared Owl. If there is time, we can take a short drive to one of the nearby woodlands for species such as Pied Flycatcher and Redstart to round off what will hopefully be a great day in the Peaks! Please note that the walks will be ‘there and back’ and there is some fairly steep and rocky terrain at times. We expect to cover about 5 miles during the day.