Autumn Moves In

Recent weeks have put paid to any hopes of a late summer, leaving a strong feeling of autumn on the hills.

Nestling in the wet grass are the tiny Liberty Cap mushrooms much favoured by those who crave hallucinatory experiences.



Further on more Meadow Waxcaps push through every day showing an astonishing variety of forms.


Bracken is already defeated and beginning to lie down scorched brown by the cool nights, leading to thoughts that we will soon be able to explore those parts made inaccessible by giant ferns.


We've now seen the last of the vibrant purple heather. The colour is always enjoyable when it comes but there's so much heather that we now face eleven months of expanses of unrelieved dull brown across much of northern England.

Is it worth it, especially when you consider that masses of public money goes into the management of these areas which no longer have any economic reason for existing as they are? I'm tormented with the idea that the whole moorland and heathland agenda is a con trick to divert money into jobs for conservationists. I've asked the question many times now but no answer has convinced me. Nobody's saying there should be no heathland, no moorland left at all...but as much as this?