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Erosion is a serious problem in the Peak District

Erosion is a serious problem in the Peak, especially in the peat-covered gritstone plateau areas, where acid rain, overgrazing and legions of walkers have all contributed to erosion of the unique peat-covered terrain.
Erosion

 Erosion

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Erosion is a serious problem in the Peak, especially in the peat-covered gritstone plateau areas. The causes are complex and include acid rain from the towns and factories to the west of the Peak, overgrazing by sheep resulting in a degeneration of the heather and bilberry covering of the moorlands and the sheer number of visitors coming to the area.

Heather in bloom
Heather in bloom
As leisure time has increased, transport has improved and access has become easier, so the number of walkers on the hills and in the dales has increased. The sheer pressure of their feet (or tyres in the case of cyclists) are steadily wearing away the most popular sections of the hills and have caused the Peak National Park and the National Trust to divert footpaths away from the worst affected areas and pave many sections of the most popular paths.

Paved section on Black Hill
Paved section on Black Hill
The most obviously affected areas are the route of the Pennine Way, much of which has been paved across Bleaklow and Black Hill; Dovedale, where the National Trust has paved the main path down the valley; Shining Tor in the Goyt Valley; Mam Tor, where the summit area has been paved by the National Trust; Brown Knoll and Stanage, where the area at the base of the crag has been severely eroded. The most dramatic effects of erosion caused by walkers can be seen at Soldier's Lump on Black Hill, where erosion has removed an enormous volume of peat from the summit area during the last 20 years.

As a National Long-Distance Footpath, the Pennine Way has received particular attention and the Countryside Commission funds the maintenance of this path at a cost of approximately 150,000 per annum. This work is carried out by a 5-person team working for the Peak National Park who have a 5-year rolling programme for maintaining the path. The paving work is done using stone flags from demolition sites - these are carried up onto the hillside by helicopter and then laid in place.

Eroded peat grough
Eroded peat grough
The National Trust is particularly concerned about some of the more remote areas of the Peak, especially the Upper Derwent, where paths have appeared where none existed ten years ago and erosion is now becoming well-established in an area which has a fragile ecology. It is ironic that this is caused by walkers who visit the area to enjoy its remoteness and solitude - it is now becoming increasingly busy!

There is no simple solution to this problem. If the principle of access to the hills is accepted then the best that the Peak Park and the National Trust can do is to ask walkers to avoid eroded areas and pave the worst affected sections of paths. However, some specific activities may have to be restricted - for example, quite severe damage can be done by fell races (when hundreds of competitors may run over a section of moor), and cyclists, whose tyres cut deep incisions in wet peat. Cyclists have therefore been banned already from most routes across the peat bogs and fell race organisers are beginning to face restrictions upon the routes they can use.
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