Blacklaw Moss

Downs, Moorland in Durham

England

Blacklaw Moss

Quarry working at Church Bowers The disused quarry at Church Bowers is on the south-western slope of Fendrith Hill. The workings were shallow and appear to have been made into the rock layer as a series of separate bays, this being one of them.
The distant peak at the centre of the image beyond the valley of the River Tees, is Meldon Hill. — Quarry working at Church Bowers Credit: Trevor Littlewood

Blacklaw Moss is a nature reserve located in Durham, England. It is an extensive area of peatland situated in the low-lying valley of the River Wear. The reserve covers approximately 150 hectares and is characterized by its unique landscape and diverse flora and fauna.

The moss consists of a mixture of open water, reed beds, and wet grassland habitats. These wetland areas provide a suitable environment for a wide range of bird species, including water rails, snipe, and lapwings. The reserve is particularly important for breeding waders, and it is recognized as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its significance for wildlife conservation.

The reserve is also home to a variety of plant species adapted to the wet conditions. Some of the notable plant species found in Blacklaw Moss include common reed, marsh cinquefoil, and bog myrtle. These plants thrive in the wetland habitat and play a crucial role in maintaining the biodiversity of the area.

Blacklaw Moss offers visitors the opportunity to explore its unique ecosystem through a network of well-maintained trails and boardwalks. It provides an excellent location for birdwatching, with several bird hides strategically placed around the reserve. Additionally, there are educational signs and information boards that provide insights into the natural history and importance of the moss.

Overall, Blacklaw Moss is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers, offering a chance to experience the beauty and diversity of a peatland habitat in the heart of Durham.

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Blacklaw Moss Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 54.68567/-2.173802 or Grid Reference NY8832. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Quarry working at Church Bowers

The disused quarry at Church Bowers is on the south-western slope of Fendrith Hill. The workings were shallow and appear to have been made into the rock layer as a series of separate bays, this being one of them. The distant peak at the centre of the image beyond the valley of the River Tees, is Meldon Hill.

Trevor Littlewood

Erosion defences among peat haggs and banks

The fence line and peaty groove lie to the north of Fendrith Hill. The purpose of the erosion defences appears to be to restrict the flow of water over the bare peat surfaces in wet weather. There are small rock piles but the main defence and probably the most effective are lengthy rolls of woven tubes filled with what appears to be animal hair. They're put in place and then staked down using wooden pegs and rope. Presumably all materials are biodegradable meaning that once their purpose has been served, they'll decompose. All of the defences are to the west of the fence / watershed and they extend, (probably not continuously), to the north on Chapel Fell. The peat of the groove in front of the fence although at a shallow gradient is surely prone to water erosion, but is doubly at risk as it's a hill walkers' route for folk connecting the two, two-thousand foot hills already mentioned!

Trevor Littlewood

Minor Road at Swinhope Head

The road begins a long descent into the Upper Tees Valley from here.

Philip Cornwall

View from Swinhope Head towards Dora's Seat

Philip Cornwall

The stone men on Church Bowers

Church Bowers is a prominent outcrop of a gritstone which weathers grey, and has been extensively quarried along its outcrop, over a length of about a quarter mile from here to the northwest. These prominent stone men form a very obvious landmark for anyone heading up the track from Forest in Teesdale and mark the southeastern end of the worked area. The grit only outcrops over a limited area before intergrading into softer sandstones which don't form a landscape feature. There's a further outcrop, more intensively quarried, a kilometre further to the northwest. In other areas at this horizon, there's a thin limestone known as the Lower Felltop Limestone, and both the grit and the limestones are often topped by a thin coal seam. The middle cairn seems to be getting a bit decrepit but the outer two are holding up well. To the right of right hand cairn, you can see a small building which is adjacent to the track. Whilst small, it is very sturdily built, but shows no obvious signs of having had a roof. I surmise that this was used as a store for explosives - such buildings tend to be built with strong walls but weak roofing, so that any accidental detonation blows the roof away with little of the blast going towards people working nearby at ground level.

Andy Waddington

The stone men on Church Bowers

Church Bowers is a prominent outcrop of a gritstone which weathers grey, and has been extensively quarried along its outcrop, over a length of about a quarter mile from here to the northwest. These prominent stone men form a very obvious landmark for anyone heading up the track from Forest in Teesdale and mark the southeastern end of the worked area. The grit only outcrops over a limited area before intergrading into softer sandstones which don't form a landscape feature. There's a further outcrop, more intensively quarried, a kilometre further to the northwest. This particular rock doesn't seem to have a name (at least not at the time that BGS sheet 25, Alston, was last updated). In other areas at this horizon, there's a thin limestone known as the Lower Felltop Limestone, and both the grit and the limestones are often topped by a thin coal seam. The middle cairn seems to be getting a bit decrepit but the outer two are holding up well.

Andy Waddington

Track to Church Bowers

The track starts at Forest in Teesdale and ascends pretty directly towards the prominent landmark formed by three stone men at the souwtheastern end of an outcrop of gritstone that has been extensively quarried. In its lower reaches it is a public footpath, then has a brief spell as a byway (connected via other byway to the public road from Ettersgill to the east) before ceasing to be marked as a right of way at all at the point where it crosses into what has more recently become CROW Access Land. There are signs of recent vehicular use, either a small tractor or a chunky quad bike, but this seems likely to be associated with the use of the moor for grouse shooting rather than for a continuation of quarrying of the gritstone.

Andy Waddington

Piles of stone in stream groove

The stream groove is on the south side of Fendrith Hill in Teesdale. The small stone piles are recent additions to the landscape and there are many more of them in other places on the hill, for example - Link . The stones have been placed to reduce erosion and are there not so much to prevent water flow but to slow it; slowing the rate of water drainage has the added benefit of reducing the rate at which run off enters the river system. An aerial view of the area shows that there are 'grips' - artificially cut drainage channels on the moorland above which were aligned to carry their waters into this stream groove to promote drainage to 'improve' the land. In an attempt to reduce erosion and to re-water the moorland those grips have been blocked in recent years. The stones will have been brought to the site from the nearby, disused quarry at Harthope Bank.

Trevor Littlewood

Road summit at Swinhope Head [2]

Quite a contrast to the last time I took a photograph here [22/03/18] as the temperature on that occasion was only a little above freezing, but on this occasion it was 33°C, even at 2000ft. Taken on a day of record breaking temperatures across Britain. Not much point in coming up here to keep cool.

Gordon Hatton

The start of a long descent

The minor road from Newbiggin to Westgate begins a long descent here from the 2000ft contour to below 1000ft in Weardale.

Gordon Hatton

Moorland south of Swinhope Head

Looking south west towards Mickle Fell (left) and Meldon Hill (right).

Mike Quinn

Moorland around Hare Law Sike

Mike Quinn

Swinhope Moor below Chapelfell Top

Mike Quinn

Ruined building at Swinhopehead mine in 1994

The building is in the valley of the Swinhope Burn below the moorland summits, Chapel Fell and Fendrith Hill. The image was made from the water outflow of the actual mine level. The distant shadowed ridge is Black Fell.

Trevor Littlewood

Sheepwash beside Wester Beck

Wester Beck is a tributary of the River Tees which lies in the direction of the view. The sheepwash is a disused farming feature; water, (perhaps with 'additives') would be let into the trough and the sheep fed in from the high step at the far end of it. The remains of sheepfolds can be seen at the end of the trough where animals would be kept to await their turn; the river is eroding the bank below the folds and there's been some collapsing of their stonework.

Trevor Littlewood

Minor road on Newbiggin Common

Just below the summit at Swinhope Head which, at 609 metres above sea level, I believe is the highest public motorable road in England.

Oliver Dixon

Road summit at Swinhope Head

Cattle grid at the summit of the road from Newbiggin (Teesdale) to Westgate (Weardale) at Swinhope Head which, at 609 metres above sea level, I believe is the highest public motorable road in England.

Oliver Dixon

Descent into the valley of the Swinhope Burn

Dramatic descent on the road from Newbiggin (Teesdale) to Westgate (Weardale) from the summit at Swinhope Head which, at 609 metres above sea level, I believe is the highest public motorable road in England. Swinside House NY8935 can be seen on the flank of the valley to the left.

Oliver Dixon

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Blacklaw Moss is located at Grid Ref: NY8832 (Lat: 54.68567, Lng: -2.173802)

Unitary Authority: County Durham

Police Authority: Durham