Moorlands
From the high summits of Cross Fell and the wind swept expanses of blanket bog on the plateau above Lunedale, to the high ridges between the eastern and northern dales, the moorland landscapes of the North Pennines are some of England’s wildest places.
They are home to some of our rarest and most charismatic wildlife and have an unspoilt sense of naturalness and remoteness found in few other places in our crowded country. A walk on the moors offers a sense of tranquillity and isolation that is difficult to find elsewhere in England. These peatlands have important environmental functions such as reducing flood risk, providing a source of clean drinking water and acting as carbon sinks. Peatlands also preserve important archaeological heritage and organic matter like pollen grains, which provide evidence of environmental change. This moorland is accessible through public rights of way and much of it is open access land.