| Marsden Moor and its outliers, Holme and Binn Moors, rise
steeply on three sides of the mills and houses of Marsden, south-west of
Huddersfield.
At Marsden Moor the National Trust cares for 5,685 acres (2,300 hectares) of unenclosed moorland, much of it over 1,000 feet above sea level and reaching 1,561 feet on Wessenden Moor. Deep peat which covers most of the area provides a habitat for animals and plants capable of surviving in acid soils with heavy rainfall and little shelter. |
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At first glance this windswept landscape is bleak and
inhospitable. Traditionally providing grazing for sheep, the estate also
supports classic moorland birds such as golden
plover, grouse, curlew and
the diminutive Twite.
These birds and others breed here in such high numbers that the Marsden Moor Estate is already designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is part of an international Special Protection Area. |
| A moorland landscape like Marsden needs to be looked
after and conservation is of vital importance to protect this important
habitat.
Exposed areas of bare peat are signs of vast erosion problems. Steps are being taken to arrest this wear by revegetating areas with heather and thereby providing better wildlife habitats and grazing. |
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The peaty mosses of the moor hold the water in this
district of high rainfall and send it tumbling down the numerous cloughs
to the rivers below, with many waterfalls and miniature rapids.
Although this is wild and open country, taking in the northern part of the Peak District National Park, it has a surprising diversity of interest: valleys, reservoirs, peaks and crags, as well as archaeological remains dating from pre-Roman times to the great engineering structures of the canal and railway ages. |
| The Pennine Way provides access to this wild and desolate area.
Footpaths across the moor sometimes follow ancient packhorse routes from where you can glimpse evidence of the industrial past. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal has just been restored and a new Visitor Centre (not NT) is open at Tunnel End, Marsden with car parking adjacent to the Estate Office. |
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The National Trust at Marsden organises a variety of Guided Walks and Events throughout the year, which are always popular with visitors of all ages. | |
