National Trust - Marsden Moor Estate

Flying flag stones to the moors

2012-01-18T13:57:00.002Z

The bad weather that had prevented us flying out our flag stones at the end of December finally came to an end and we were able to get several airlifts in during mid-January in order to get all the stones out onto the moors. The stones will be used to help complete more of the White Moss/Black Moss footpath which began several years ago.

The stones are flown onto the moor by helicopter, then dropped into the correct position. The better placed they are on the moors, the easier it is when it comes to the flag laying. Some of the stones are so large it takes at least 6 people to move them. It makes it a much easier job if they don't have to be moved so far into position.

The first day of work on the footpath was last weekend, with the Kirklees Youth Offending team out and getting stuck in to the hard work.

A blustery start to 2012

2012-01-01T15:10:00.002Z

Our New Year walk was rather successful, despite the weather! Somehow, we managed to pick the only 2 hour slot of the day when the rain just about stayed away - very fortunate indeed! A group of 14 of us had a lovely walk up to the Deer Hill conduit and along to Binn, where we were rather blown about by the wind, but what better way to blow out the old and start the new year with such a fresh feeling!

Looking to the New Year...

2011-12-30T11:15:00.002Z

So, it's the last Friday of 2011 and we're busy preparing to have another great year! 2012 starts with a 5 mile walk across the moors, fingers crossed that the weather improves for that. Rain and wind would certainly blow the old cobwebs away though!

There will be plenty happening on the Marsden Moor Estate during 2012, lots more events and activities planned, more footpath improvements and other estate work. Plus, our new exciting 'Marsden Moor Bog Biodiversity' project will get underway which we are able to do with SITA funding. This 3 year project should keep us busy for a while!

So, keep your eyes open to find out what we have going on throughout the 2012.

Happy New Year!

Defeated by the snow

2011-12-15T11:37:00.003Z

The wardens tried to test out a bike ride today in order to create a new downloadable trail for the website. The route was sorted, the date booked and the bikes dusted down and ready to go. Unfortunately, on the day of the bike ride, the weather decided it wanted to test us further. The snow arrived heavier than it has so far this winter and the clouds were low over the tops.

After a bit of umm-ing and aar-ing, we decided that since we'd brought the bikes over we'd have a trip out and see how it was. The higher we got, the snowier it became and, in the end we let the weather win. The way back was nice and easy downhill, and we retreated back to the office for a cup of tea and some chocolate. We'll try again when it's just muddy and there's not snow and ice to challenge us too!

Navigation for Beginners

2011-12-14T14:02:00.002Z

We are happy to announce that we will be running 2 navigation courses next year!

Improve your skills and step out with confidence with a 1-day map reading courses for beginners. Explore the Marsden Moor Estate with Mark Reid, author of 'The Inn Way' guidebooks and Mountain Leader, who will teach you the skills you need to follow your own walks in the countryside; skills that will last a lifetime.

The courses will be running on Wednesday 2nd May and Wednesday 26th September 2012. There are limited spaces available, so book early to avoid disappointment! Courses cost £49 and include a full day of navigation training, course notes, use of Berghaus gear if required and use of a map and compass. Tea and coffee will also be provided.

For more details and to book please visit http://www.teamwalking.co.uk/navigation-skills-courses/map-reading-fountains-abbey.html

Feeling Festive

2011-12-10T16:15:00.005Z

It was the final session of 2011 today with the Kirklees Youth Offending Team and we were feeling festive! We started the day with a trip out on to the snowy moors to finish off planting a few plug plants. Luckily there weren't too many to do, so we didn't get too cold, but it was nice to get out on the tops.

We then came back to warm up in the workshop and made some festive wreaths to decorate the exhibition room. We ended up with some really nice ones - good work from the team!

2011-11-02T11:23:00.003Z

Student -Today I went for a walk along with Alison. She showed me the usual route her and her team have discovered around the moors in marsden. The walk was approximately an hour and a quater. As I was walking along with Alison, She also pointed and explained what each areas and fields are called. Not only this but she explain about the leadership and risk assessment. On the way back we went through a different route and Overall I really enjoyed the view and I found it quite interesting.

Marsden Health Walk - Walking Festival Week

2011-10-26T14:08:00.003+01:00

Our second walk of the National Trust walking festival was a lovely one. We had a 2 hour health walk - slightly longer than usual but it was such a glorious day! The walk took us past Crow Hill and up towards Scout, with most of the walk being on the moorland.

It was a great turn out with a fair few new faces too as well as plenty of regular walkers. Our third and final walk of the festival is this Friday with our Redbrook Quest! The weather for Friday looks good too...!

Walking Festival Kicks Off!

2011-10-25T13:18:00.003+01:00

The National Trust Walking Festival began on Saturday, and we joined in with our Marsden Circular walk. A beautful day (for a change), a very pleasant day for a walk around the hills surrounding Marsden. With nearly 30 people on the walk it was very well attended.
There was even a tiger spotted on the moors too!!

The walking festival continues all week, and we have 2 more walks for people to join in with. Our Marsden Health Walk is tomorrow - 10.45 at our exhibition room for a gentle 3 mile walk. The final walk of the week is on Friday which is the Redbrook Quest. A nice walk for all, meeting at Brun Clough car park (A62) at 1.30pm. Can you complete the quest on this 3 mile walk?!!

Splashing around and having fun!

2011-08-24T14:35:00.004+01:00

The holiday activities this year have been great fun and had lots of people turning up to take part. Stream dipping never seems to get dull, with children splashing about up and down the river at Eastergate, looking for creatures and generally having a great time. Although the amount of rain meant one session had to be cancelled and we would have been better off with a raft-making activity, the weather has generally been ok!

Friday sessions have been great too with some crafty activities and some hunting of creatures as well!

The last sessions of the summer holidays are this week. It has gone incredibly fast, is it really coming to the end of August?? The last stream dipping session is tomorrow, and the final Fun Friday is a Geo-Day this week, with West Yorkshire Geology Trust coming in and bringing some dinosaur fun!

Keep an eye out on our website for other events and activities we have.

Help Restore the Moor

2011-08-12T13:23:00.004+01:00

September at Marsden Moor will be all about Helping to Restore the Moor. Following on from the large fire in April on Close Moss we are now trying to help it back to a favourable condition.

Driving down the A62 now, a large purple area can be seen, but it is the purple moor grass in flower rather than the heather.

To help stop this grass from taking over we will spread heather seed across the site. A large amount of heather was burnt and destroyed in the fire.

We are calling for helpers to come out on some public work days to help us collect some heather seed which will go towards the re-seeding of the site. Other community groups are also getting involved, coming out onto the moors to help us collect seed and helping to be part of this restoration process.

Every weekend in September, we have an activity:
Sunday 4th, 10.30am - Cottongrass planting on White Moss. Meet at White Moss car park (A635).
Saturday 10th, 2.30pm - Heather seed collecting. Meet at Brun Clough car park (A62).
Sunday 18th, 11am - 2pm - End of Season Plant Sale and Moorland Information Day. At the estate office.
Saturday 24th, 2.30pm - Heather seed collecting. Meet at Brun Clough car park (A62).

Everyone is welcome to come and help!!

Health Walk Leader volunteers

2011-07-08T15:04:00.003+01:00

We're looking for Health Walk Leaders - Could this be for you?!

What’s in it for you?

· Becoming part of a friendly and dedicated team

· Meeting people from all walks of life and making new friends

· Improving your communication skills

· Keeping Active

Our Health Walks currently run on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday each month, meeting at 10.45 at the Marsden Moor Estate Exhibition Room. The walks are approximately 3 miles long, and generally return by 12.30.

Fancy helping out on a regular basis? Get in touch! Call the office on 01484 847016 for more details.

Want to join in as a walker? Just come along!!

Marsden and Hardcastle Crags Team Day

2011-06-08T16:53:00.003+01:00

Today the Wardens from Hardcastle Crags came over to Marsden to help us with some of our work. Our plan was to put some large stones at the entrance to Buckstones Car Park and put some NT signs on them. The landrover was driven onto the grass with the trailer, the aim being to reverse it back so the stones would be easier to put into the hole. Unfortunately...the landrover and trailer got stuck in the peat and the rest of the day was subsequently spent getting the landrover unstuck. We went back to get the ATV so that we could get the trailer out. On the way back up to Buckstones one of the tyres on the trailer burst - another bit of excitement for the day. Eventually we got everything out and made our way back to the office, with the stones and signs. So we still have that job for another day!

Photos to follow...

May Health Walk

2011-05-25T15:20:00.002+01:00

It was a rather nice day for the second health walk in May - not too much wind, just a breeze, and a bit warmer than it has been too. There were not as many on the walk as there have been in previous weeks, but still a nice group.

The walk went to the edge of the moors with good views across to Pule Hill and all across the north of the Marsden Moor Estate, before coming back along the stream leading to Tunnel End. A nice morning walk to make you ready for lunch time!

Health walks run on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday each month, meeting at 10.45 at our Exhibition Room, usually returning at about 12.30. It's a good chance to stretch those legs, get some fresh air, perhaps discover a new place and to meet new people - including our lovely volunteers!!

More Plant Fair Pictures

2011-05-24T11:47:00.002+01:00

Plant Fair Success!

2011-05-24T10:01:00.003+01:00

Our annual Plant Fair was held on Sunday, and this year it was bigger and better than before! The morning started off lovely. We were working in the sunshine at 6am, just a shame it didn't stay like that the whole day. All the plants were set up and the additional stalls in place for the fair to open at 10am.

New for this year, we had Thurlstone Owl Sanctuary, local produce stalls, some lovely cakes and chocolates and also National Trust products for sale too, as well as children's activities. The giant snakes and ladders seemed to be a hit!

There were a few heavy downpours during the day, but that didn't stop some of the dedicated shoppers. The rest of us sheltered under the gazebos until the rain calmed down a bit.

And when it came to packing up, it didn't take too long at all as so many plants had been sold. A great day, and lots of money made to go towards the work needed to maintain our moors. Thanks to everyone who helped or came to support the event!!

Preparing the Plants...

2011-05-18T13:16:00.004+01:00

Our annual plant fair working holiday are currently out in the yard working very hard! A group of 12 people come each year for a week preceeding the annual plant fair to label the pots and get the plants looking pristine ready for sale!

It's been a bit of a damp start to the working week although it is brightening up so hopefully by the big day on Sunday we'll be back to some proper sunny weather again.

The plants are being crated up ready to be transported down to the big car park where the plant sale will take place.

It's going to be a busy week for the working holiday!

More flag laying in Easter sunshine

2011-04-23T15:21:00.002+01:00

17 flag stones were laid today on the Thieves Clough path by some of the Kirklees Youth Offenders. It was very hard work, and a good thing there were a fair few of us so we could break often! Some flags were so large it took all of us to move them into place. I think everyone will deserve their Easter Eggs tomorrow...!

The Highfields Garden Group

2011-04-21T14:50:00.003+01:00

Highfields Community Centre in Huddersfield have been growing a variety of plants for us which we will be selling at our Plant and Spring Fair on 22nd May. The group started off growing moorland plants for us which we will planting out on the moors once they are big enough, and have now moved on to garden plants and vegetables. It is a great project for the group as they can watch the plants growing through the weeks, and it is an activity that helps to improve their co-ordination skills too.

All the money raised from the plants sold at the Marsden Moor Plant and Spring Fair goes towards the conservation of the moors. The plant sale runs from 10am - 3pm on Sunday 22nd May. There is free entry, free parking and more than just plants too! Children's activities, Thurlstone Owl Sanctuary, local food producers and more!!

Kirklees Youth Offending Team video

2011-04-21T14:41:00.002+01:00

The Kirklees Youth Offending Team are carrying on with their sessions - the last one was in fabulous sunshine, flag laying on Thieves Clough. Some rather big slabs to move, some needing everyone there to help shift them! A good session until it was unfortunately cut short by the fire on Close Moss.

Check out the video about the partnership working between Marsden Moor and the Kirklees Youth Offending Team at www.outdoornation.org.uk

Welly Walks

2011-04-06T16:42:00.004+01:00

Fancy a family walk during the Easter holidays, or just fancy a guided walk that is easier than a hike over the moors? Come on our Welly Walk! Our first one is on April 20th, meeting at Marsden Station at 10am. The walk will be going down the canal towpath to Slaithwaite and back. Hopefully there will be plenty of puddles to be jumped in on the way!

There will be more Welly Walks through the year too, one on May 30th and one on July 29th. Check the website for more details on these.

Don't forget - our health walks also run on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday each month, come along to enjoy the scenery and have a good chat with our friendly volunteers and wardens!

Our New Van

2011-03-18T15:21:00.003Z

We were able to buy a new vehicle in the autumn last year in order to have sufficient vehicles for all the activities we do - volunteer work parties, community group activities and going to events.

We have now finally had it signed up so you can tell that it is a National Trust vehicle. Using money from the Youth Offending Team to get the work done, our shiny new van has on our logo and on the back a super picture of conservation work on the moors - a beautiful sunny day doing some flag laying on White Moss.

As we were able to use the Youth Offending money to get it done, we have also put their logo on the van to highlight our work together. Our partnership working ables us to work with many young people that would not necessarily come to somewhere such as Marsden Moor - it is a great project of which we are very proud.

Highfields Joint Work

2011-03-18T14:41:00.004Z

A group from Highfields Community Centre in Huddersfield have been doing more work with us recently. Over the winter, they have been planting moorland seeds in the hopes that they will grow into plug plants that can be planted onto the moors when the are large enough.

Now that spring is finally here, they are continuing to grow seeds for us, but now it is vegetable and flower seeds that they are growing. These will be sold at our Plant and Spring Fair, which is our largest plant sale of the year, as well as at the weekly yard sales throughout the summer.

The latest project is a small group working towards their John Muir Awards. The group had their first session for the award on the moors yesterday, digging out rhododendrons from the Wessenden Valley - a spectacular spot. They will be coming for 6 sessions over 3 months as well as doing work back at their base as well.

A Whole Lot of Activity

2011-03-18T13:18:00.005Z

I know it's been a bit quiet on the blog recently but that's not because nothing has been happening - quite the opposite. It's been incredibly busy!

The flagstones that we had delivered at the beginning of the year are at last being moved into place. We have had 2 airlifts so far, moving the stones from their piles on the moor opposite the Carriage House pub on the A62, out onto the Thieves Clough footpath.

The flagstones have to be weighed out into packs to make sure that they are not too heavy for the helicopter, and then airlifted into place ready for the footpath work to begin. The Thieves Clough footpath is in a poor state and very boggy for much of it. The stones can now be moved into place by our hard-working volunteers and the work on the path can begin.

Wind Flags on a Windy Day

2011-02-25T15:44:00.003Z

Today was our half term activity - making wind flags and other windy items. The wind flags were colourful with pictures painted on them, and we also were making wind mills and wind twirlers, also looking fabulous fluttering around.

The children that came along seemed to have great fun running around with their flags waving along behind them. A fun activity for the half term.

February Health Walk

2011-02-23T13:39:00.002Z

The health walk this week was busy, despite the rather grey start followed by rain. The walk took them up towards Scout, and then back down to Sparth reservoir and back up to Marsden along the canal - a nice walk to get out onto the edges of the moors.

There are several different routes that we have for the health walks, but due to this being Marsden, there are usually hills to climb up and then back down again! However, it's worth going up to get the fabulous views - if the cloud isn't too low.

The daffodils are on their way up, and we are now looking forward to seeing the first of the yellow flowers to appear. Spring is on the way!

Perfect Conditions for Flying

2011-02-09T14:25:00.003Z

The Tuesday work party this week had some good weather. And they weren't the only ones making the most of it. There were plenty of people up at Buckstones taking advantage of the conditions and out flying in one form or other. The work party were up at Buckstones doing a litter pick and spotted seven paragliders altogether!

6 Caches to Find...

2011-01-29T15:45:00.002Z

A group of teenagers from Oldham came out for a geo-caching walk this weekend. We did just over 6km going around Redbrook and Pule. We had 6 caches to find...and we found all 6! Success!

When we left the car park there was a bitter wind and everyone was rather cold. But as we carried on the wind died down and some warmth from the sun got through. It was a lovely few hours out walking with some good enthusiastic people!

Tree Guard Removal near Eastergate

2011-01-28T13:18:00.002Z

Last Saturday, the Kirklees Youth Offenders were out on the moors once again. The task for this session was to help with the removal of more of the tree guards in one of the cloughs near Eastergate.

We got a good lot out and had some sizeable piles by the end of the day. Just a shame that it was cloudy rather than the clear blue skies that we had for the rest of that week.

Hunting out some Geo-caches

2011-01-26T15:59:00.004Z

On a glorious sunny day last week Alyssa and Alison went out for a spot of geo-caching. We weren't just out for a nice day (although it did seem like that!) but were doing a pre-walk and putting information out about the estate is some of the boxes we found.

Our walk took us up to Swellands and Black Moss first of all, then back down to Mount Road and all over the sides of Pule Hill, we had a quick look through Pule Arch, and then carried on across to the Engine House before finally ending back at Brun Clough car park.

Despite the sun, there were still quite a few icy patches and some very amazing icicles and some generally interesting looking bits of icy grass.

As we came down towards the engine house, we came across some of the flagstones that have been delivered that will soon be flown out to site. These will be making a path running up Theives Clough. So watch out for this! The airlift is likely to be next week, and the path will be underway in March (if not earlier). That will make that path a lot better for walking!

Removing the Tree Guards

2011-01-19T09:14:00.007Z

Tuesday's work party this week was out collecting some more of the tree guards from the moors. We were out in a clough near Eastergate bagging up the tree guards that had been taken down, ready to be collected by the ATV at a later date.

It was a rather pleasant task, working where it was sheltered from the wind, no rain (just for a change) and next to a babbling brook. Despite getting a good lot of work done, there are still plenty more tree guards to bag up and collect!

Removing Tree Guards in the Cloughs

2011-01-12T16:33:00.004Z

The volunteer work parties this week were out removing tree guards from trees in the cloughs around Redbrook. The group was hard at work all day on Monday despite the wind and rain.

On Tuesday the weather was much better with some lovely blue skies at intervals. However, being in the cloughs meant that much of this better weather was missed. What a shame!

The ATV went across the moor on Tuesday to pick up all the tree guards that had been removed. Two good days of work. Hurrah!

Hunting Quad bike Tracks

2011-01-05T16:16:00.006Z

Some of the volunteer survey team were out today hunting out tracks made by illegal quad bikers some time ago. Some tracks were made on Close Moss around Short Grain House a while ago. The survey team were out to monitor how well they were recovering and becoming vegetated again.

Unfortunately, there was much more snow up on the moors than had been anticipated, so we couldn't get as much of an idea of how the tracks were recovering. In this picture, the tracks can be seen covered in snow.

Now on Twitter!

2011-01-05T14:31:00.002Z

Marsden Moor is now on Twitter - so you can follow us there too.

Find us @MarsdenmoorNT to keep regularly informed of what's going on.

Atmospheric March Haigh

2010-12-30T12:55:00.003Z

It felt very atmospheric walking around on the moors today. While I was out I didn't meet another person until I was almost back in Marsden and it was all very still with no wind to move anything.

These photos are taken from the bank of March Haigh Reservoir with the mist swirling about. The reservoir was also still frozen, but starting to thaw out and had lots of cracks in it.

Hopefully it will be as pleasant on New Years Day for the first guided walk of the year. Meet the National Trust staff and volunteers at Marsden railway station at 10am for a pleasant walk to start the year!

Natural Christmas Decorations

2010-12-15T10:41:00.003Z

Our exhibition room is looking a bit festive now after some help from the Kirklees Youth Offending Team. For our final session of the year we went out to collect some natural materials, holly, ivy and the like, to create some festive wreaths and decorations.

We made a few wreaths with everyone getting a bit creative, recycled paper chains and snowflakes, and some glittery fircones and other berries hung around the room.

Merry Christmas everyone!

A White December Day

2010-12-01T10:43:00.003Z

It's a lovely winter scene in Marsden, just right for December 1st! Looking out of the office, there is just a lot of white that can be seen as the snow comes down thick and fast. No one has ventured out onto the moors today, and everyone is just staying snug in the office. Here are a couple of photos of the office to show just how snowy it's getting here...

A Walk up to March Haigh

2010-11-27T15:46:00.010Z

The Kirklees Youth Offenders carried out a patrol of part of the moors for their task this week. The walk took us up to March Haigh reservoir and back down via Eastergate Bridge. There was very little snow out up on the moors, but it was still very cold. However, the bright sunshine did have a bit of warmth in it.

There were plenty of animal tracks to be spotted where there was snow.

Icicles on a rock at March Haigh reservoir.

Looking up to Buckstones from the reservoir.

Surveying the Gully Blocking

2010-11-25T10:29:00.005Z

The survey team has suddenly gone from being a regular group of 4 volunteers to about 12 volunteer each week. Amazing! This means that so much more of the work that has taken place around the estate can be monitored for progress.

As There are now so many people the group now splits up to tackle different areas. One of the groups have recently been studying the effects that the gully blocking has had. Gully blocking is done to prevent water from draining off the moors, and taking some of the peat with it. We want to keep the water on the moors to prevent the peat from drying out and encouraging more plants to grow and keep the peat stable.

The gullies are blocked up with dams with the idea that water will build up behind the dams, with plants then growing in these areas which were previously bare.

This photo clearly shows the line of the gully with the water in it and being held back by the dams which are made with heather bales.

Seed Planting at Highfields

2010-11-25T10:14:00.003Z

A group of adults from Gateway to Care in Huddersfield have been helping out with our moorland conservation from their centre at Highfields. They have been busy sowing heather and cottongrass seeds which they will look after and nurture over the winter, and then we can hopefully have a great day out next year planting them onto the moors.

The group have done nearly 500 pots so far and are hoping to do more. Fantastic! It could be a long day out on the moors planting them all!

Moorland Treasure Hunting

2010-11-20T15:54:00.000Z

A group of teenagers from Oldham on a project called MEND came along to go for stomp over the moors. The project helps to encourage young people to do more exercise and eat more healthily. We were going out for a session of geo-caching - using a GPS to hunt for boxes hidden in various places. The first box of 'treasure' was up rather a steep long hill, but that didn't put people off from running up to try to be the first to find the box.

Despite some people getting wet feet and rather muddy, the enthusiasm never dwindled and there was always the rush to be the first to find the boxes. The walk took us up onto the edges of the moors with fabulous views over the rest of the estate and down the valley, into some woods and finally back along the canal.

I'm sure there would have been a few snores in the minibus on the way back to Oldham from some exhausted people!

All Greased Up

2010-11-20T09:03:00.000Z

The last session that the Kirklees Youth Offenders came for ended up getting rather messy!

One of our activites for the day was making bird feeders - by the end everyone was covered in grease and there were seeds everywhere.

We even had a fat and seed star sculpted, wonderfully exhibited here. In the end it did get broken up and made into more manageable sized fat balls.

All the bird feeders we made will be for sale at our stall at the Christmas Lights turn on in Marsden, on Saturday 4th December. Come and buy one to give our feathery friends some extra tasty treats to keep them going over the winter.

Volunteer Moorland Excursion

2010-11-19T13:20:00.000Z

A large group of the Marsden Moor Estate volunteers were taken on a magical tour of the estate last weekend. It was a good chance for people to have a bit of a social excursion and see other volunteers that they don't perhaps see very often. It was also a chance for people that don't regularly get out onto the moors, or for new volunteers that don't know as much about what work we are doing, to get out and have a look.

The trip went up to Buckstones at the north end of the estate, looking at the gully blocking and heather spreading and to the south of the estate at White Moss to look at the flag laying and the gully blocking with heather bales. Only 2 people were lost down a cleverly hidden hole, but they were rescued.

Although it was a bit chilly, it was a good day out.

Fencing in the Wind and Rain

2010-11-03T12:51:00.000Z

The work party this week were out doing some fence repairs. The Tuesday group were up on Birk Moss, looking down over the Wessenden Valley, repairing the fence plots up there.

The fences were put up several years ago to keep sheep off parts of the moor to allow the vegetation to re-grow and prevent the sheep from causing too much erosion.

Some of the fences have been damaged, some of it caused by the snow last winter, and there are now places where sheep can get into the plots.

With the volunteers out in force, some of the plots have now been mended and should now be sheep proof. With the weather turning for the worse after lunch, everyone arrived back at the office looking and feeling very wet!

Wallaby on the Moors

2010-10-28T10:28:00.000+01:00

You may expect to find sheep and quite a few different birds and you might occasionally spot the odd hare, but apparently there has also been a wallaby spotted on the moors! It was in the Huddersfield Examiner this week that someone had spotted it twice at the weekend on Marsden Moor, so I thought I would share it here as well.

No one from the National Trust has spotted it yet...

News Flash!! Health Walks are now twice a month!

2010-10-27T15:23:00.000+01:00

The health walks that currently run on the 4th Wednesday of each month are now going to be running on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. With more volunteers able to help out we can run these walks more frequently. Now there is no excuse not to come out on some and get your dose of fresh air and chatter!

Walks meet at 10.45 at the Marsden Moor Estate Exhibition Room (Station Road), and we are back there at approximately 12.30pm. See you there!

Footpathing in the Rain

2010-10-27T15:14:00.000+01:00

The volunteer work party was out as usual this week. The Monday group had fabulous sunshine while working on Close Moss doing some fence repairs.

The Tuesday group were rather worse off, working in the rain on the Blake Clough path. The task for the day was to try to prevent so much water running over the path and to get rid of the deep muddy patches. We made a good start, but there is plenty more work to be done - particularly is there is a fair bit of rain that comes down in these parts!

Wellies stuck on the Fence

2010-10-27T15:01:00.000+01:00

The Kirklees Youth Offenders have been busy nailing wellies to the fence! They added a new feature to the Recycled Wildlife Garden in the form of wellies that I rescued from the skip. We made some holes in the bottom to allow for drainage, nailed them on to the fence and the potted them up with spring bulbs and winter pansies for some instant colour.

The two empty wall baskets at the front of the office now have flowers in, and keep your eye out for the mosaic picture that will soon be making its appearance in the exhibition room.

Feed the Birds

2010-10-22T15:17:00.000+01:00

If you want to help our little feathered friends over the winter months, then why not make a bird feeder for your garden? Come along to the Estate Office on Friday 29th October, between 11am and 2pm to make your own bird feeder. They cost £1 each to make, and we have a few different varieties for you to try out.

If you can't make it along, why not do it yourself at home? It's easy! You can mix soft lard with seeds, such as sunflower seeds, peanuts and suet, and stuff into any sort of container. You could use yogurt pots, pine cones or small logs with holes drilled in and stuff the holes with fat - make sure you put it in the fridge to harden before you hang it up. You can string monkey nuts together and hang those up somewhere in your garden.

They're not hard to make, and you'll be surprised at how they really do attract the birds!

Marsden Jazz Festival 2010

2010-10-15T10:20:00.000+01:00

Marsden was alive with jazz over the weekend of the 9th and 10th October with the annual Jazz Festival taking place. We had our usual National Trust stall there, and this year we had a seed planting activity too. People could come and sow either heather, bilberry or cotton grass seed in a recycled plant pot and then take it away to nurture it over the winter. Next year we will be having an event to plant all these out on the moors once they are big enough.

We also were selling tickets for the duck race, and as usual, all 1000 tickets got sold. The onlookers also got to give a good cheer when one of the volunteers took a splash in the river while trying to fish out the ducks. Hooray!!

We sold a fair few of the plants from the yard as well, altogether a rather successful weekend for us.

Birds in the Wildlife Corner

2010-10-08T16:17:00.000+01:00

Our new wildlife garden, which doesn't have a huge amount in it yet, is already attracting birds. Several bird feeders made by the youth offending team were put up a little while ago, and today we saw a number of different sorts of tits feeding from them. We managed to catch this little chap on camera!

Eastergate after heavy rain

2010-10-07T11:54:00.000+01:00

After the heavy rain at the beginning of October, this is what the river at Eastergate looked like - more like a raging torrent than a babbling brook!

John Muir Certificate Presentation

2010-10-01T16:31:00.000+01:00

The group from the Oldham Youth Offending Team that completed their John Muir Award in the summer holidays came back for their certificate presentation. The plan had been to have a walk out onto the moors and have the presentation taking place at the top of Pule Hill, but due to the persistant heavy rain it ended up taking place in the exhibition room!

Despite this, it was great to get the first lot of certificates for the John Muir Award and hopefully there will be more groups in the near future.

Getting Muddy Planting Cottongrass

2010-10-01T16:18:00.000+01:00

A number of people from the Adult Services team came and helped us plant cotton grass on White Moss. The weather, for a change, was actually rather good. Despite it starting off a bit misty it soon cleared up and we were working in some nice warm sunshine.

The day wasn't without it's mishaps as we got a welly stuck in the peat, and shortly after having got the boot free then the whole person got stuck in the peat. Luckily, we managed to save him before he sank below the surface.

As the group was working so hard, all the cotton grass plugs were in the ground by lunchtime, so after lunch we had a walk along the path to look at some cotton grass that had been planted last year and to see how much it had grown. We also looked at how deep the peat was in one of the gullies which everyone found very interesting. Some hard work and a good day out for all!

Heather Seed Collecting with 100 children

2010-10-01T09:47:00.000+01:00

We had two days out on the moors with pupils from Marsden Infant and Juniors, and Slaithwaite Juniors collecting heather seeds. The seeds were being collected so that we can sow them - which will happen at the Jazz Festival next weekend - they will be nurtured and then can be planted out on the moors to help with our regeneration.

With about 150 pupils and helpers altogether we managed to collect several tubs full of seeds which is brilliant.

The children seemed to have a good time, bouncing about in the heather, getting a bit dirty and we also found some interesting wildlife. There was this lovely caterpillar, along with some beetles and lots of spiders and spiderwebs.

Digging out the rhodies

2010-09-23T09:26:00.000+01:00

A large group from Groundwork Oldham came over to Marsden Moor to help us dig up some of our rhododendrons. We went up to Round Hill, in glorious sunshine, to try to get rid of the ones that have sprouted up around there.

We are trying to get a rhododendron-free moor, as they can rather take over and stop more desirable plants from growing. They are also a non-native species, introduced from the Himalayas in the nineteenth century, so should not naturally be found on the moors here.

With about 25 of us altogether, we spread out over the plot and dug out all the ones we came across, hopefully getting them all. After admiring the views, we dragged our plants back to the vans and everyone was pleased with a good hours' work!

Tyres for Wildlife

2010-09-15T11:09:00.000+01:00

We have been trying to make our office a bit more wildlife friendly and to brighten it up a bit too. The Kirklees Youth Offending Team have again been hard at work. This weekend we were recycling tyres that had been taken off the moors after they had been dumped there. Usually we have to pay to have them removed so recycling them is good for the finances too.

We spray painted the tyres in bright colours, and then sprayed on wildlife designs from templates that we had made. The tyres were piled up and then planted with wild flowers. Although the flowers don't look so attractive at the moment, hopefully they will encourage more bees and butterflies in the spring.

Waterbutts and Worms

2010-09-02T14:45:00.000+01:00

With thanks to funding from the Kirklees Youth Offending Team, we have been able to spend some money on making our office grounds a bit more attractive, wildlife friendly and a bit more environmentally friendly too.

We have bought a wormery which will help us to compost our small amount of kitchen waste, as well as getting some top quality liquid fertiliser and compost which the plant group will happily use.

We have two new waterbutts which will be great for saving a bit of water, despite there generally being plenty of it in Marsden!

And we have also started to make a herb garden and will soon be making a small wildlife garden, using recyled materials which will hopefully attract a few more butterflies and bees. Some super work being done by the Youth Offending Team!

Stream Dipping at Eastergate

2010-08-27T10:40:00.000+01:00

Every Thursday morning in August has seen us Stream Dipping at Eastergate. We have run drop-in sessions for people to come along and discover what is living in the water here. Despite the weather, which wasn't particularly summery for any of the sessions, plenty of people came along, most of them getting very wet!

There were a fair number of different creatures living in the stream, lots of nymphs of various species, water beetles and the odd greater water boatman among other things.

Everyone had a great time getting stuck in trying to find the creatures, and also had a brilliant time splashing about in the water.

And although the weather was a bit damp it didn't put people off their classic British picnics!

Wild Food and Health Walks

2010-08-25T16:07:00.000+01:00

Today's Health Walk was Wild Food themed - Yum!! There were 13 of us out for the stroll on a rather nice Wednesday morning. We found plenty of different berries as well as a few different mushrooms. Blackberries and bilberries were found the most, and there were plenty of purple fingers and lips. There were also lots of other berries about and with help from an ID book, people were able to discover what they were and what to do with them.

The next health walk will be on Wednesday 22nd September - come along to our exhibition room for a walk themed on Trees.

John Muir Award

2010-08-20T14:53:00.000+01:00

This past week, a small group of us from the Oldham Youth Offending Service have been working towards our John Muir Award - this is what we were doing for the week.

•On the first day when we arrived. We went for a very long walk and did some geocaching (aka treasure hunting) on our walk we stopped to do a couple of sound maps which involves drawing out everything you can hear as a picture

•Second Day - We went up to the hills to do some surveying and navigating to find our way round if we ever got lost in the cloud we were in. the weather wasn’t very good… at all… so we got a bit wet.. Sorry not a bit, a lot!

•On our third day we did some brutal, hard, intense, punishing, tiring work. Which we really enjoyed.. Until Kibby threw a bucket at me! We went out to the moors to plant some cotton grass and then later on we spread 3 tons of heather brash! We also got a bit stuck in the peat!

On our fourth day we went out to the woods and tried to learn some bush craft, while being eaten alive by midges, which was really annoying! We built a shelter and made fire without matches or a lighter.. And we boiled water in a paper cup, amazing isn't it? We caught fish as well, we made a trap out of a single plastic bottle which some how worked. We also did some map reading while waiting for the fish, we learnt how to leave no trace in the countryside, smashing right?

Bilberry picking

2010-08-11T16:56:00.000+01:00

A small group of us went up to Binn Moor for an afternoon of bilberry picking. The bilberries were being collected so that we can sow the seeds and nurture our own bilberry plants which we will then plant out on the moors.

Not all of the berries made it in to the buckets and it was clear that they had been enjoyed by the blue mouths and lips at the end, and some very stained fingers.

The rain held off while we were out and everyone enjoyed climbing about on the slopes and hiding in the grass.

A Busy Day for Bees and Plants

2010-07-30T11:29:00.001+01:00

Despite the overcast weather, the bees are out and about collecting masses of pollen, and the yard is full of plants, with more new stock coming in, as well as plenty of customers.

The bees are bringing in lots of different colours of pollen, some that are a dark blue, some greeny coloured and some bright yellow. This is likely to be pollen from blackberry and willowherb among the other flowers that are out at the moment.

Since the Spring Plant Fair in May, the plant group have raised over £500 at the Friday sales, and if the number of customers continues to increase as it seems to be, they will have made a small fortune by the end of the summer. Excellent news!

Seed Collecting in the Sun

2010-07-24T15:47:00.000+01:00

On a warm and fairly sunny Saturday afternoon, the Kirklees Youth Offending Team were out picking cotton grass seeds after an unsuccessful pond dipping session. We were collecting the seeds in the hope that we can sow them at the office and nurture them until they are big enough

to be planted back out on the moors. Hopefully we'll have our own free supply of home-grown cotton grass!

Watch out for other seed collecting and seed sowing activities - check on the National Trust website to see when activities are taking place.

Splitting the bees

2010-07-24T15:41:00.000+01:00

We have already had to split our hive to try to stop them swarming - I went out yesterday to get some photos and found that they had swarmed anyway. Needless to say that the camera got forgotten about in the panic that followed!

Luckily the bees hadn't swarmed far and were still in our yard on several plant pots and the table. After coaxing them into a cardboard box with a helping brush from the feather duster, the bees were successfully restored to their hive and so far, they have not swarmed again.

So we now have two hives of bees to look after, assuming the don't swarm again!

Canoeing and Dipping

2010-07-08T10:37:00.000+01:00

On the first Tuesday in July we all went across to Hardcastle Crags in Hebden Bridge to join up with the Countryside Team there for a team day. We spent the morning testing out the two canoes for leaks on the two ponds, and taking samples from various spots in the ponds to find out what lives in them.

The afternoon was much more like hard work, extracting logs from the woods and stacking them up ready for the tractor to take them away.

A rather fun and different day, making a change from being out on the moors!

Grand Exhibition Opening

2010-07-02T15:41:00.000+01:00

The official opening of the new exhibition room took place on Friday July 2nd, on a relatively sunny and warm morning. The forecast rain stayed away. A mix of councillors, National Trust staff and volunteers and others that had had input into the Heritage Trail and exhibition were invited, and it was a successful turnout. The Examiner also came to take a few photos, so watch out for it in the paper!

We were all taken on a virtual tour of part of the estate, with an audio tour and slide show to show part of the new Heritage Trail which was then followed with Go Potty! A good number of people got involved with decorating their plant pots and sowing their free seeds.

It was an enjoyable and different morning - a good way to finally officially open our exhibition room.

Simon Armitage and the Pennine Way

2010-06-17T13:38:00.000+01:00

Simon Armitage, the local poet, will be walking the Pennine Way from north to South during July. On his journey he'll be stopping off to do poetry readings. These readings are free but Simon will be passing his hat around afterwards and is hoping to be able to fund his whole journey by doing this.

On Saturday July 24th, Simon will be in Marsden, doing a reading at the British Waterways Tunnel End Visitor Centre from 8pm. Booking is essential if you want to come and hear the reading, call the Marsden Moor Estate on 01484 847016 to book a ticket. There are limited spaces, so call early to make sure you'll be there!

Visit http://www.simonarmitage.com/ for more information about Simon's journey along the Pennine Way.

New Knee Rail at Buckstones

2010-06-17T12:12:00.000+01:00

A new knee rail is being installed in the Buckstones Car Park. This is to replace the existing bollards that are there to prevent people from driving over the grass, but also to try to make it look a bit smarter and more loved! It is a very popular spot and on sunny days there are always plenty of cars up there.

The work party group of volunteers as well as the Kirklees Youth Offending Team have been up digging deep holes and putting the posts in. Hot work in the sunshine!

The Bee Project Part 2 - The Arrival of the Bees

2010-06-09T10:02:00.000+01:00

No one could quite believe the luck when we were told that we could have a swarm of bees, especially so soon after the bee course. Rob and Alison went over to York on Monday to pick up the precious package and bring it back to Marsden. Having enjoyed the beautiful weather in York, they are probably wondering why they now have to be living in rainy Marsden.

The bees have been transferred into their new hive and seem to be settling in well...so far!

We all went POTTY!

2010-06-09T09:54:00.000+01:00

Our May half term event made so many people go completely potty. The drop-in session was busy all day with people coming to decorate plant pots with mosaic tiles, which were then filled with compost and free seeds.

Everyone got very creative and there were all sorts of designs and decorations, and a complete mixture of ages taking part. Children and parents all got stuck in, enjoying the hot sunshine while decorating their pots. A very enjoyable day had by all, especially as it was all free, thanks to funding from Kirklees Council.

Download the Marsden Audiotrail

2010-06-03T14:27:00.000+01:00

Did you know there is an audiotrail for Marsden? Why not download it from www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/mftf/audio_trails/marsden.htm

The walk visits a number of locations on the Marsden Moor Estate, including Pule Hill, Black Moss and Swellands reservoirs and Close Moss, and conveniently it starts and finishes at Marsden Railways Station. Allow approximately 4hrs 30 mins for the walk. It's free to download, so try it, and see what you can learn about the Marsden Moor Estate.

The Bee Project - Part 1

2010-05-25T10:03:00.001+01:00

Our Bee Project has already been much talked about, and work has already commenced on it with hives already been built by some of the volunteers. But this weekend, Rob, Gemma and Alison travelled across to North Wales for a weekend of learning about beekeeping. We arrived on the Friday evening and eventually managed to find the B&B (which served a huge and delicious breakfast) and had a wander down the country lanes to the pub.

On Saturday morning the hard work began. We spent the morning learning about all the basics and then the summer management of beekeeping. In the afternoon we then got dressed up in our very fetching bee suits and went to visit an aviary. Wearing wellies and a bee suit with all done up in the blistering hot sunshine makes for very hot and sweaty bee keepers! We got to look at the hives and practised what we had learnt in the morning. When we could endure the heat no more, we left the bees to it and went back for tea and to learn all about the equipment.

In the evening, we had a lovely stroll around some woods to relax after our hard day of work.

On Sunday, the sun was shining just as hot again, and we had a long morning indoors learning all about viruses and diseases and pests and everything that will kill off our bees. We also learnt about winter preparation and the honey harvest. The aviary we visited on Sunday was thankfully in the shade, so we were able to wear our bee suits in a bit more comfort!

We all are now experts on keeping bees, and now just await the arrival of the bumblers!

Plant Sales

2010-05-19T14:22:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday was the Spring Plant Fair - our biggest money maker of the year! Volunteers and staff arrived at 6am to set up for the big day and we were just ready by the time the gates opened at 11am! Despite the damp start to the day, theweather stayed relatively fine and by the time we had finished packing up for the day, we were almost sunbathing! Despite the long day, we managed to raise a fair few pennies which will help with the moorland conservation work.

But don't panic! If you didn't make it to the plant fair you will still be able to get your bargain plants. The Marsden Moor Estate Yard will be open each Friday between 11am and 2pm for you to pop up and see what delights we have for sale.

The first Friday yard sale will be Friday 4th June. Bring the children along as the Go Potty event will be on, so they can get creative while you browse the plants!

Fire on Pule

2010-04-08T09:11:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday evening a fire on Pule Hill started. These two photos of the fire were taken from our office near the Station in Marsden, and a bright glow can clearly be seen.

Our team of survey volunteers went out the next day to survey the damage and walk round the edge of the fire to determine how big it was. This photo shows the damage the fire caused. Luckily, it is just the top layer of vegetation that was damaged and not the peat underneath.

The map shows the area that the fire spread to, which was larger than we had imagined it would be.

The season for burning on the moors has now finished. If you see a fire on the moors, telephone 999 to let the fire brigade know. Fires can start easily, particularly in dry weather and can spread fast. Please be aware of this in the months ahead.

Plants Needed!! Can you help...?

2010-03-31T15:41:00.000+01:00

National Trust estate at Marsden Moor is looking for some help with plants. Not the usual moorland variety but the common or garden type. Every week a group of dedicated volunteers gather in the yard at the estate office in Marsden to tend and grow garden plants. These are then sold at various local events throughout the year. All proceeds from the plant sales go towards the moorland restoration work that the National Trust do on the 2500 hectares of land surrounding Marsden village.

This year the big Plant Fair is taking place on the 16th of May and due to the hard winter they are a bit low on plants to sell. If anyone is changing their garden or clearing out for the spring then donations of plants would be gratefully received.
To donate plants or for further information on volunteering with the Trust, please contact the estate office on 01484 847016 or email marsdenmoor@nationaltrust.org.uk

Helicopters and Heather

2010-03-31T15:07:00.000+01:00

You might have spotted the white bags spread out over Buckstones and White Moss as you've been passing. These bags are full of heather brash, which has been cut from the Peak District and is to be spread over the bare patches of peat which will hopefully improve the conditons. The brash will help to prevent the peat from being eroded away by wind and rain, and should also encourage plants to grow.

The bags were sat at the edge of the road for a number of days until the weather conditions were good enough for an airlift to transport the bags out on to the moors. (Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures from the airlifts, so this is one from last time and the weather looks lovely!)

All 500 or so bags have now got to be emptied and spread, and several groups have already started working on this with more groups coming to do some in the coming few weeks. By the end, the moors should look lovely!

Bird Box Successes!

2010-02-24T14:02:00.001Z

It was a beautiful sunny, cloudless morning for the half term Bird Box Building event. Having had the chance to practice putting a box together with the first visitor, we were then suddenly swamped with people wanting to come and build a bird box.

We had to keep getting out more tables to accommodate everyone, yet there was still barely enough space! At one point it seemed that we might run out of bird box kits as it was so popular. However, we had 5 to spare at the end.

We had not anticipated so many people coming, so it was a good thing that the youth offenders were so productive cutting up the wood for the kits! It was a very successful event, and hopefully there will now be many more happy birds around Marsden with a new home to live in.

Fencing in the Snow

2010-02-18T16:48:00.000Z

The Oldham Youth Offending Team had their first visit to Marsden Moor, and were able to experience it in it's full winter glory! The task was to repair the fence around White Moss. We did manage to do a fair few repairs, but there will be plenty more to do once the snow was melted.

There were plenty of grouse about to see, and evidence of other wildlife too. Doing fence repairs in the middle of nowhere (and as there was such poor visibility it could have been anywhere) seemed to be not quite what the group were expecting, but it was enjoyable. Definitely better than delivering leaflets, we were told!

Bird Box Bonanza!

2010-02-17T16:53:00.001Z

Last Saturday the workshop was a busy place, with the Kirklees Youth Offenders busy cutting up wood for bird boxes. The session was spent sawing up numerous planks of wood and making stacks of bird box packs, ready for the half term bird box making session of Friday.

To break up the day, we each made a box, and as the wood had been cut so expertly, each box that was made looked totally fabulous!

Don't miss your chance to put one of these designer packs together between 11am and 2pm this Friday!

Foggy Scenes from Buckstones

2010-02-04T11:26:00.000Z

Some pictures of views from Buckstones, looking down towards Marsden with the cloud in the valley, on the first Thursday of February.

It was very foggy with poor visibility in Marsden, but once we go out it was a much nicer day and we could see these lovely views.

The pictures look across March Haigh reservoir and across to Pule Hill.

Cotton Grass in the Cold

2010-01-28T10:52:00.000Z

The Kirklees Youth Offending Team were out again on Saturday, planting the last of the cotton grass plugs on murky Buckstones. Another chilly day, and most of the gullies were still full to the top with snow.

The clouds did eventually clear, and it turned into a rather nice day. With the last of the cotton grass in the ground, the bare patches on Buckstones now look rather more healthy.

Another enjoyable day on the moors!

The White Moors of Marsden

2010-01-12T10:47:00.000Z

Here are a few pictures to show what parts of the Wessenden Valley looked like covered in Snow. It was incredibly deep, and very hard to walk through, but there were some very impressive sights.

Fixed Point Photography

2009-12-16T15:20:00.000Z

On a cold Saturday in December, a group of young people from the Kirklees Youth Offending Team came out on to Buckstones to do some fixed point photography. Splitting into 2 groups, we walked about the moors in the partial sunshine taking photos from particular spots.

These photos all help to make up a portfolio of images of the same spots so that we can monitor how the moors are changing, and particularly on Buckstones, so that we can see how quickly plants are starting to grow again after the fire a couple of years ago.

After stopping for a breezy lunch, we then went off looking for potential spots for gully blocking, following our noses that were following the GPS.After a few windy hours on the moors, we then headed back to Marsden.

Insect Homes For Sale!

2009-12-08T11:09:00.000Z

Do you want to encourage more wildlife into your garden? If so, then we have just what you need.

We have luxury bird tables, hedgehog hotels and insect homes for sale, all handmade by Marsden Moor volunteers.

Bird tables cost £40, Hedgehog hotels cost £15 and Insect homes cost just £7, as pictured.

If you would like to purchase any of these, please contact the estate office to place your order on 01484 847016.

Flagging in the Snow

2009-12-01T10:59:00.000Z

On the last Saturday in November, the weekend work party volunteers arrived in Marsden and found it looking very wintry. Snow was falling and the ground was white. A lovely day to be on the moors!

The work was doing more flag laying on the old Pennine Way and despite the path being nearly finished, there was still more than a mile walk to start our labouring. Once at the area of path we were working on, it took just one flag to be placed for everyone to be looking very dirty.

The snow stopped falling on us and we continued working hard to attempt to stay warm enough, only stopping for a cup of tea or pork pie for extra energy. By the end of the day, we had finished the section, and we trudged back to the vehicles looking like we had done a hard days' work.

Deerhill and Blackmoorfoot Walk

2009-11-19T16:14:00.001Z

After 2 days of torrential rain, we all set off wrapped up to the hilt fearing the worst! However the sun was soon out and remained out for most of the 9.5 mile circular walk from Marsden around Deer Hill and Blackmoorfoot Reservoir and back through Linthwaite and Slaithwaite back along the canal to Marsden.

Andrew set a good pace and we completed the walk in 4.5 hrs with a lunch stop. Fantastic views all the way round with sunny blue skies and a stunning rainbow stretching across the valley.

A little muddy in parts, after a few hysterical screams and screeches we managed to pull ourselves out and keep the pace up. Passing through some lovely farm areas there was lots to see including young highland cattle, donkies, horses and lots of cows looking slightly bemused at our antics in the mud!

All in all a lovely day out enjoyed by all and certainly a walk I’ll being doing again!

Emma Murray.

Come Cotton Grass Planting!!

2009-10-15T10:03:00.000+01:00

As part of the Learning Revolution Festival, we are inviting YOU to come and help us look after our moorland estate by planting some cotton grass with us. On Saturday October 31st, come to Buckstones car park on the A640 at 10.30. You can come and learn about why we need to protect the moors and stop the peat from eroding away, and help to prevent this from happening by planting cotton grass.

The event will run from 10.30 til 12.30. Please wear warm clothes and suitable boots. Come along to try something new and to get out onto the wonderful Marsden Moor!

The Vanishing of the Bees

2009-09-24T16:07:00.001+01:00

On Thursday 29th October, The National Trust will be screening a film called The Vanishing of the Bees. Vanishing of the Bees is a shocking eye-opening account about the declining bee population. Bees are dying in their millions and are vital for pollinating a third of the food we eat. Come along to watch this film and find out about why the bees are disappearing.

The film will be shown at British Waterways, Tunnel End Visitor Centre, 2nd Floor. The show will begin at 2pm, so arrive earlier to get a good seat.

Adult tickets are £2, children, up to 16 years, get in free. Booking is advised. For more information or to book a ticket, please call 01484 847016 or email alison.mills@nationaltrust.org.uk.

Gateway to Care Taster Day

2009-09-15T12:49:00.001+01:00

On a sunny September day a group of adults from Kirklees Gateway to Care came to visit Marsden Moor for a volunteering taster day. The day was split with two different tasks so that the group could see what different volunteering opportunities we have.

In the morning we joined in with the plant group and had a look at what they do each week on Fridays. The group then got stuck in to sowing cotton grass seeds in to pots, in the hope that they will grow and can be planted out on the moors.

In the afternoon we had a trip up to Wessenden to take some of the fencing down. After a steep climb up to the top, everyone then got stuck in, helping to pull out posts and roll up wire, while also trying not to fall down any holes

Flag Laying at White Moss

2009-07-28T10:51:00.000+01:00

On a lovely sunny day at the end of July, a team of four ventured out to lay some flags on the old Pennine Way.

Having crossed a large wet patch without any casualties, it was then down hill all the way, manoevouring the massive stones into place.

After a hard days work, and being considerably muddier and sweatier than when we started, we sat to admire our fabulous stretch of path in the sun, and to enjoy the views across the estate.

Surveying at Buckstones

2009-07-28T10:17:00.000+01:00

Volunteers and staff took part in a survey training day, learning the techniques needed to find out what plants we have on our moors.

The day started off well, with good weather and we all looked at a quadrat together to see what we could find.

Getting right down there is a good way to spot the smaller plants and make sure every species has been found.

Everyone had a go at doing a quadrat and collecting and recording their information. We then headed off to the second surveying site, everyone having great confidence in their surveying abilities.

And then suddenly, the weather turned for the worse, and within 30 seconds of being in the rain everyone was dripping wet. But this didn't deter anyone, and we carried on in the wind and rain, trying to identify our plant species.

Eventually we managed to finish and could head back to the warm, dry, cosy office for a cup of tea and to put all our data together.

Are you a Wild Child??

2009-07-11T11:22:00.001+01:00

Don't let yourself get bored in the summer holidays, come and be a Wild Child on the moors!

We have several activites to get you outdoors and trying something a bit different.

On August 7th come and join in with the Moorland Dance Day! For people aged 11-16, come along to the Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre at 11am, and make your own instruments and costumes, and find out about the moors through dance! Finishes at 3pm.

Come along to one of our family walks, either on August 9th, meeting at 1.30pm at Brun Clough car park, or August 23rd at 1.30pm at Marsden Park gates. Or come to both! Walks are between 3 and 4 miles long, and suitable for everyone.

Come to any of these, and pick up your FREE Wild Child booklet. There is so much to discover!

Installing HLF Stone Plinths

2009-07-07T15:36:00.000+01:00

Rob and the volunteers putting in one of the stone plinths for the Marsden Heritage Trail at the Dinnerstones.Managing to manhandle the stone into the perfect sized hole that had been dug.
The finished result with a beautiful view across to Castle Shaw.

The Marsden Moor Heritage Trail consists of a number of stone plinths and interpretation boards at various points across the Marsden Moor Estate. These are put in at some of the best viewpoint locations and places of historic interest, and the trail will help people to learn more about the history of the moors and why the National Trust is looking after the moors. There will be leaflets so that people can easily follow the trails and get out and enjoy the wonderful Marsden Moor Estate!

African Music Guided Walk - 7th June

2009-06-27T15:28:00.000+01:00

A four mile walk across some of the Marsden Moor Estate had a difference as we were joined by Simba Arts, who came along with African dress, drums and their dancing feet on. The walk was accompanied by the music and singing, with everyone joining in and getting dressed up.

All along the walk there were the sounds of drums beating and people singing. There were frequent stops to learn about African culture and traditions, as well as for dancing and music. Everyone joined in with everyone dancing with each other. Walkers coming across the affair seemed to be intrigued and amused by the unusual happenings in Marsden.

It was a very enjoyable afternoon out in the moors as it was such an unusual experience.

Getting into the rhythm

Singing traditional African Music

Dancing in the wilderness

African dancing in the wilds Everyone joining in with some traditional songs

More of the Moor

2009-06-26T16:39:00.000+01:00

Keep updated with what's been happening on the Marsden Moor Estate! We will be adding pictures and information about what we have recently been doing. Watch out for it coming soon...