Marsden Moor

As I drove towards the Yorkshire Moors, passing piles of snow on the way, I was wondering how cold it would be on the moors during the weekend.

*Tasks undertaken.*
From the moment the group got together at the Rawson Centre it was obvious that we were all going to get on really well during the weekend. The weather outside was very cold, but the atmosphere inside was warm and friendly. The facilities at the basecamp were excellent and because of the number of rooms at the centre most people had an en-suite room each.
	On the Saturday morning we met Philip (Marsden Estate Warden) who talked us through the task for the weekend. The moorland landscape of Marsden needs to be looked after as the exposed areas of bare peat are signs of vast erosion problems. The peat has become exposed due to a number of reasons including over-grazing, severe weather and fires. Our task was to be "Heather Spreading".
Bales of Heather are harvested from moorland areas rich in Heather and stored for a few months to dry out so that the seed bearing pods are ready to drop off. The bales are then brought to the exposed areas of the moor and the Heather is spread out on top of the bare peat to a depth of about two inches. Flag markers were left on the moor to make the bales easier to locate.
	Large numbers of bales had already been taken up onto the moor and distributed in piles over a large area. We had to undo the bales and then spread the heather onto the peat. Unfortunately the frost had frozen the bales and the real challenge was splitting the Heather bales before being able to spread the Heather onto the ground.
At the end of the day on Saturday the warden invited us all to a local pub for a drink. This was very pleasant, and we were also joined by some of the local volunteers who had been working with us on the moor. On returning to the base camp we settled down to a good evening meal. We whiled away the rest of the evening talking about our travels and experiences in different parts of the world.
	On Sunday the weather was much colder, due to an icy wind blowing across the hills. We had used most of the bales on Saturday and now an All Terrain Vehicle was used to transport more bales up the hillside onto the top of the moor. Because of the cold weather, any breaks were very short, as keeping busy was the best way to keep warm.
There was a good sense of satisfaction at the end of Sunday when we looked at how much Heather had been spread over the moorland. It will be interesting to return to the moor in a couple of years and see how the Heather is growing and saving the erosion of the peat. I am sure we will be able to remember exactly which bits we worked on!
	On our way down from the moor we had seen an ambulance on the road and a rescue helicopter flying over the moor. Somebody hang-gliding had landed badly and so the rescue services had been called for this person. The warden and his assistant had been involved in the rescue. Luckily the person was not seriously hurt and the helicopter made a spectacular departure, whilst the injured person was taken away in the ambulance.

It was a pity that the weather was really cold over the weekend, but it did not spoil our enjoyment in the beautiful setting of Marsden Moor. The Heather Spreading is part of a long term strategy to conserve the peat moorland areas and we were pleased to have done our "bit" in preserving this area.

The Marden Estate is a very stunning and fascinating place to visit. Nestled between Manchester and Huddersfield it is amazing to find this vast expanse of unspoilt beautiful moorland, so close to two such large towns.

The volunteers present:		National Trust
Jackie Jill Moira Pam Sarah Sheila	Derran (Leader) David Tom	Philip (Marsden Estate Warden) Rachel (Assistant Warden)


Link to the Marsden Moor Website

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