Access and the Environment
The aim of this section is to provide general information and keep you up to date with seasonal restrictions and other important information.
How to spot Persecution of Wildlife and What to do
Bob Berzins has written this article about the illegal persecution of birds and animals in the Peak District. There is a wealth of information in it which will help any of us who come across what we think could be a problem to decide whether anything illegal is taking place and if so who we should inform.
Moscar Estate Access Restrictions 2010
The Moscar Estate will be exercising its right to restrict access under s22 of the CRoW Act 2000 again in 2010 to try to minimise damage by trampling and disturbance to the ground-nesting birdlife during its most critical time.
Area affected
The Moscar Estate covers land including Derwent Edge, Bamford Edge and the northern part of Stanage Edge.
Restricted days
Access will be restricted on the following days:
Saturday 15 May 2010 to Friday 28 May 2010 inclusive;
Tuesday 1 June 2010 to Friday 4 June 2010 inclusive;
Monday 7 June 2010 to Friday 11 June 2010 inclusive;
Monday 14 June 2010 to Friday 18 June 2010 inclusive.
Map
Exemptions
The restriction does not apply to Public Rights of Way or concession paths.
Notices with maps will be displayed at all access points.
More information
For more information about these restrictions telephone the Open Access Contact Centre 0845 100 3298 or look at the Open Access website
Natural England recently raised concerns that fell runners damage wildlife.
If you'd like to see a detailed analysis of our use of a local moor that shows it's about time
landowners and conservationists took a more balanced view, read more here
News item posted on 1st October 2008
Sheffield City Council have officially designated as open access all the woodland under council ownership. This means that Redmires plantation is now officially open access. The council is interested in any comments or suggestions for new routes through areas such as Redmires which are densely planted. (The CROW Act only provided for access to moorland). Contact Bob for details.
The Ramblers are continuing to experience difficulties in access around the Rod Moor area, mainly due to a lack of access points. This has been discussed several times at the Local Access Forum, but no progress has been made. Please contact Bob if you have experienced any similar problems in this area, or have any comments.
Park Authorities in the Yorkshire Dales plan to place a ban on motorised vehicles using 24 off road routes, via Traffic Restriction Orders. The first 8 TRO's are in place and have been challenged in the High Court by off road groups. The Peak Park is waiting to see the result of this litigation before implementing its own plans. This gives you some idea of why changing 4x4 and trail bike use can be so difficult - Park Authorities don't have the money to fight court cases, but it appears motorist groups do.
The club is currently involved in two informal agreements with local landowners. In general these agreements cover any publicised club run, normally Wednesday nights. Outside of this you should make your own mind up about what to do when you run on your own or with a few mates.
The crucial time for conservation is the nesting season from 1st March to 31st July.
Friars Ridge 1st March - 31st July
This is the area between the Friars Ridge drainage ditch and Stanage Edge and continuing in this line to behind the Burbage car park. The Peak Park own this land and it's one of the very few areas of moorland where shooting does not take place. Most years two pairs of Merlin nest on this moor - one of the few nesting sites in the peak district. The Peak Park have asked us to avoid this land during the nesting season and that's what we have done for the last 5 years or so.
Strines Moor
The owners of this shooting moor have asked us to restrict our club runs to outside the grouse nesting season and in a spirit of co-operation we have agreed to do this. In return we are allowed some access to private land - see individual runs for details. This agreement is normally taken care of in the calendar - typically we have a run from Strines at the beginning of April and nothing else until the end of July.
Other access covered by legislation
Much of the land we run on is covered by the Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW); details of access to these areas, including current/planned restrictions can be found at the Open Access website.
During any closures public rights of way remain open.
An extract from the Natural England website clarifies this a little:
Can I always walk on Access Land?
Not always, no. Farmers and landowners have the right to close their land sometimes, usually for reasons of nature conservation, land management or public safety. If access land is temporarily closed, it will have a 'restriction' placed on it so there is no public access. This will show on the online map in red and details about the restriction will be in a list below the map. Land that is marked with red hatching means there is limited public access and you should check the restrictions list below the map for more details. It could simply mean that you can't take dogs on the land or that it is closed one day of the week. Please note: Existing Public Rights of Way are not affected by Open Access restrictions or exclusions under the CROW Act.
Can I take my dog?
You can normally enjoy walking with your dog on open access land. However, sometimes there may be a ban on taking your dog or you may need to keep it on a lead due to sensitive wildlife. Access land marked in yellow on the maps means you can take your dog but if it is marked in red hatching, you should check the details of the restriction to find out if you and your dog are affected. Please use this link to learn more specific detail about dog walking on Access Land.
Dogs around Strines/Derwent Edge/Stanage
These two maps show the areas covered by the restriction:
