Guided Wildlife Walk – The Best of the Dark Peak (April to July)
The Dark Peak is the higher and wilder part of the northern Peak District National Park. It takes its name from the geology of the area, with darker millstone grit and shale covering the underlying limestone, and the area is home to the highest hills in the county like the famous Kinder Scout and the brooding Bleaklow.
Heather moorland dominates much of tops along with peat bogs, wet flushes and rough grazing. The moorland plateaus themselves end abruptly in are a series of stunning gritstone cliffs such as the iconic Stannage and Curbar edges.

Female Ring Ouzel with food. North Derbyshire 2021
Below the edges upland woods cling to the sloping ground, whilst streams make their way down through steep cloughs and boggy pasture to meet larger rivers and reservoirs in the valley bottoms.
Each of these special locations hold their own stunning species and our walk is designed to follow a route that takes in a good cross section of these habitats and give us the best chance of encountering the wonderful upland wildlife that call these places home.
We’ll start our walk below the gritstone edge where the sparse tree cover, rough grass and bracken areas play host to Tree Pipit, Cuckoo, Stonechat and Whinchat and we’ll spend time watching the craggy rocks themselves where we hope to catch sight of a real Peak District star – the Ring Ouzel! A route across the open moorland might bring Mountain Hare, Curlew, Golden Plover, Red Grouse, Snipe, Kestrel and, if we are lucky, maybe a Merlin or an Owl.
Our route then takes us back down from the moors and through one of the Peak Districts iconic hanging Oak and Birch woodlands where we’ll be listening and watching out for Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, Common Redstart and the wealth of migrant warblers that have returned from Africa as well as resident species such as Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Treecreeper.

Common Sandpiper. North Derbyshire 2021
We will finish our walk overlooking one of the Dark Peaks famous reservoirs where we’ll spend some time scanning for water birds, looking for the fantastic Common Sandpiper that calls the shoreline home and keeping and eye open for raptors above the conifer plantations.
Species seen on previous walks: Cuckoo, Ring Ouzel, Mountain Hare, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat, Whinchat, Curlew, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Red Grouse, Barn Owl, Kestrel, Buzzard, Peregrine, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Raven, Pied Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Crossbill, Common Lizard, Green Tiger Beetle.
And with a slice of luck!: Hen Harrier, Short Eared Owl, Marsh Harrier, Dunlin, Adder…
Duration: 5-6 hours
Cost: Adults £35, Under 16 £20 (must be accompanied by an adult). There is a 10% discount when two or more adults book. No deposit required!
Need to know: The weather can be very changeable in the Dark Peak in Spring so come prepared – Snowfall or heavy rain may lead to a postponement/cancellation – Some paths are steep and may be slippy but don’t worry we’ll take our time.