This was a welcome return to the Hatfield Moors for our unusually small group of eight. Janet, with her colleague Pete was our guide as we walked the three miles around the pink route- a very small corner of this vast reserve.
A massive sphagnum moss carbon capture replanting project is underway to stop an annual loss of one cm of peat. The moss soaks up water like a sponge and causes the land to rise up into a dome - one of many fascinating facts we learnt that morning.
The beginning of our walk passed through an attractive landscape of silver birch trees under planted with large swathes of ferns with the occasional orchid on the grass verges. These trees have to be managed to prevent them taking over completely. Due to the very wet winter we’ve had, all the ponds and ditches were very waterlogged and some lookout stations under water. However this made for lovely reflections of trees in the water as we passed by.
The warm humid weather had encouraged the emergence of many bright blue male damsel flies chasing after the brown females. They were flitting all about us along with quite a lot of midges!
Fortunately it was too late in the season to see adders basking in the sun along the sides of the path.
Eventually we reached the large open moor proper and there was a fantastic sight to behold - a vast display of cotton grass in full flower stretching as far as the eye could see. Janet told us this is the best display for years due to all the nurturing rain! Some of us climbed up to the top of the observation platform to get a better view. Below we could see the replica of the ancient wooden trackway that was recently uncovered in the peat.
On our return to the field study centre, over welcome refreshments, we watched a very interesting, educational video showing all the scientific work that is going on to regenerate the peat by managing the water levels over the whole of the reserve.
After thanking Janet and Pete for a very enjoyable tour and, after making a donation towards their work, we went to the Green Tree for lunch.