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Heather on the Moors……

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Heather on Stanton Moor

The day was sunny with blue skies…the forecast for the next two days was dire…..the headline was ” A months rain to fall in a two day deluge”.

We tend to take these warnings with a pinch of salt as rarely have they lived up to the threats.  But best not to take a chance so we headed of to the moors to see if the August Heather carpet had arrived.

Indeed it had a lush purple carpet of  Heather flowers

It is a sign that late summer is now upon us (where was summer some may ask?).  The meadows around the moor are green and the trees in full leaf but the grasses and pasture have turned to that golden yellow/brown colour.  In the Oak woods that surround the moor Bracken is reaching new heights, green fronds casting a shadow over the ground….but once out onto the open moor the colour of the Heather has pushed its way up through the Bracken and Bilberry giving cushions of its distinctive Purple colour all accompanied by a rich scent so attractive to bees.

July was a strange month. We had the hottest day on record, they say we had record rainfall for July….yet everywhere is dry. Up here on the moors the trails are sandy and just like walking along a beach, the vegetation is lush – full bodied, yet has that distinctive brittle tinder dry smell. The rocks are lost in the undergrowth, even Earl Grey’s Reform Tower, normally a striking landmark is swamped by its surrounds.

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A perfect late summers day….as for tomorrow we wait and see.

13th August
(C) David Oakes 2015

13 thoughts on “Heather on the Moors……”

  1. I was onto the mountain range as well only a couple of days ago! And I confirm your findings. Therfe was fkowers and there were sun, And not one leaf (that I could see) reminded us of a coming fall.
    But I think it’s lurking just out of sight, David! Be prepared!

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  3. The proper heather… in magnificent purple, a true Royal colour. Thank you David. You make me think back of the times I walked on the North Yorks Moors, but also the smaller ones in the Yorkshire Dales. Being right up there and only hear little sounds from small animals, a bird in the sky and the wind rustling through the heather and bracken. Now, that’s a long time ago and I am sure the roads will now be full of hasty cars but then… we couldn’t hear any cars for nearly a whole hour…. Magical feeling of being all alone with the moor….:)

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  4. There really is nothing like heather, and it’s been too long since I’ve been in a place where I could experience it first-hand. I could spend hours on (and, visitors’ advisories permitting, off) those paths. #5905–wow!

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    1. No restrictions on most moors apart from during the nesting season. We have the “Right to Roam” Act for Open Countryside and can wander where you will though most folk stay stuck to the beaten track….they don’t know what they are missing.

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      1. You are right. I would know, as I did go off the tracks. Today, I am no longer able to do so. Osteo arthritis and the other one as well… hurray…? 😦 But I still have my memories including quite a few photos. 🙂

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      1. I will be out there on the 21st 🙂 It is later in ‘my’ neck of the woods… Ilkley way… by about a week, but down here in exile in the south, there is no heather…

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  7. Beautiful pictures! I’m coming to the UK this Friday & to the Peak District Thursday next week. Do you think the heather will still be in bloom next week? I certainly hope so!

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