A time to celebrate

Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the lack of posts recently, it’s been a hectic Spring so thank you for bearing with me.

Regular readers of my posts will no doubt know of my love of those special places close to my home, Shipley Glen, Trench Meadows and Baildon Moor and I have often featured them here over the last couple of years. These places have now, rightly so, been given special protection and along with other areas within the Bradford district, now form part of the newly created Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve.

Bradford often receives negative attention but many people may be surprised to learn that two-thirds of the district is rural and includes some of the most rural areas of West Yorkshire with its diverse landscape including rolling hills, dramatic moorland, and quaint villages. 

The new reserve covers 1,274 hectares and includes the additional areas of Ilkley Moor,

St. Ives Estate, Harden Moor, Bingley Bog North and Penistone Country Park.  All these areas are special for a variety of reasons with a large part of the reserve now being newly protected and many areas already being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This latest blog of mine will focus mainly on the three sites closest to my home but I don't want to in any way divert attention away from the other important places which form part of this new nature reserve. There is plenty of information online about these special places, in particular www.visitbradford.com/things-to-do/great-outdoors is a good source of information.

Those areas within the nature reserve are home to a variety of species with many being of conservation concern. Trench Meadows is home to a variety of plant life, including the common spotted orchid and the nationally scarce ragged robin. June and July is the best time to visit to see the wildflowers at their best and also a number of different species of butterflies.

Common spotted orchid

Ragged robin

Comma butterfly on bramble

Peacock butterfly on field scabious

Entrance to Trench Meadows

Just a hop, skip and a jump from Trench Meadows is the stunning Shipley Glen, a deep wooded valley with rocky outcrops and tumbling streams, perfect for walking, mountain biking and rock climbing. There is plenty of birdlife here including woodland favourites the greater-spotted woodpecker, willow warbler and chiffchaff and if you’re lucky you may hear the occasional cuckoo. Although I visit the Glen frequently, my favourite time to visit is mid-July to August when the heather is in full bloom.

Balmy August day on Shipley Glen with the striking heather blooms

Loadpit beck in Shipley Glen woods

Grand views from the rocky outcrops

Baildon Moor is adjacent to Shipley Glen and like Ilkley Moor is part of the wider Rombald’s Moor. The highest point of the moor, at 282m above sea level, features an Ordnance Survey triangulaton station and there are impressive views across the Aire Valley to the south and west and Rombald's Moor to the north.

Winter sunrise on Baildon Moor

Some of our most at risk birds can be found on the moors here, particularly the skylark and curlew which are both red listed. Now is the best time to visit as the male skylarks are out in abundance flying high with their unmistakable, distinctive call. I was up on the moor on Sunday and was lucky enough to spot a lone curlew. Lapwing, sadly also red listed, can also been seen around Glowershaw Lane and the top of Glen Road. How lucky are we to have these wonderful birds on our doorstep.

Skylark on a very blowy Baildon Moor

The landscape of Baildon Moor is also know for its ancient cup and ring marked rocks dating from from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. No one quite knows why the people of that time carved these curious markings into the rocks although some believe them to be religious or ceremonial in nature.

Those of you who live local to these amazing natural places know only too well how special they are. These places provide calm, solace, inspiration and can benefit your mental health and physical fitness, not to mention a closer connection to nature. These natural wonders will be enjoyed by generations to come and I cannot emphasise how important the creation of this new nature reserve is. Its creation will provide additional protections to complement those that already exist. It is too early yet to see how these protections will look but surely they can only be a good thing. I am very much looking forward to following the progress of the reserve and hope many more people, whether local or from further afield, have the opportunity to experience these wonderful places. Please remember though to enjoy responsibly and leave only footprints and take only memories.