Graeme’s Legacy — The history of Grime Moor

On a dull overcast day, I found myself volunteering with the National Trust at their Bridestones property. The sun, playing hide and seek in the clouds, occasionally showered the moor with some spectacular lighting.

Our task was on Grime Moor, supposedly named after Graeme, a onetime local landowner. We were making habitat piles from felled trees, mainly birch, a pioneer species which will eventually dominate the moor and turn it into a birch woodland. The aim is for a modest 5% tree cover¹Bridestones Moor Biological Survey Report. National Trust. 1999 Survey..

The light intensifies the difference with the verdant pasture on the left, moorland itself until 1970, when the tenant farmer at the time ploughed and converted it into the extensively managed farmland you see today. Nature took a big impact, not just in the converted area but also in the nearby griffs²A small ravine., damaged by nutrient overload. Now, arrangements are in place that most of the fields are left unfertilised.

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  Bridestones Moor Biological Survey Report. National Trust. 1999 Survey.
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  A small ravine.