Shield Tree Wood is a Viking themed Forest School and outdoor woodland at Thornsett Fields Farm, New Mills on the edge of the Derbyshire Peak District. They are passionate about getting children and adults back outside where they are happiest. At Shield Tree Wood they use exploration, den building, woodland crafts, tool use, campfire cooking, […]
You can’t beat fresh herbs to compliment a good meal, so it’s great to have access to a ready supply of free fresh herbs popping up around New Mills courtesy of Incredible Edible Their recent accomplishments include a recent sprinkling of TLC at Torr Top making the planters and wall spaces look fantastic –Â we
Incredible Edible – good enough to eat Read More »
This time of year is dodgy for our feathered friends. All the berries and seeds they’ve been managing on over the last few months have gone, insects can’t be found and the ground is often frozen. During just one cold night they lose a massive amount of body weight, and you wonder how any survive the
Flora and fauna – tough times Read More »
Every year approximately 8 million tons of plastic waste finds its way into our oceans, where it wreaks havoc on our wildlife, and then finds its way into the human food chain. Rethink Plastic New Mills, a campaign by Transition New Mills, aims to boost awareness of the problem encourage New Mills residents to use
Rethinking plastic in New Mills Read More »
I arrived home the other afternoon to be met with a mass of insect life on the flowers of the ivy (the best thing you can plant for wildlife), but by far the most eye-catching were the red admirals. Its life history is interesting…in May and June it migrates north to us from northern Africa and southern
Flora and fauna – Admiral Read More »
A walk along the Sett Valley Trail this evening surprised us with this little corker exploring the hardcore. Much as I deplore them in the garden for their under-root explorations, moles are charming little things going about their subterranean lives generally out of sight (though they do surface surprisingly often). Moles live by their sense
Flora and fauna – Mr Mole Read More »
You’ve probably noticed but this time of year is brilliant for moths. The best nights to see them are those still, warm overcast evenings full of the scents of summer.  A friend recently sent me a (rather dodgy) picture of one of these caterpillars he found up on the heather tops. It’s that of
Flora and fauna – tales from the dark side Read More »
Flora and fauna – Goosegrass and other regrets REGRET 1 It will have been in the mid-60’s on a school geography field trip looking at flood plains on the Goyt in Stockport when I was first surprised by Himalayan balsam, its popping wriggling seedpods entertaining the whole class far more than any ox-bow lake. Oh dear
Flora and fauna – Goosegrass and other regrets Read More »
New Mills is blessed with some fantastic accommodation and over the coming weeks we will be featuring some on these pages – a full list can be found in the accommodation section on this web site. The Clocking In House is one of three superbly located cottages in converted outbuildings of the Grade II* listed,
The Clocking In House – Torr Vale Mill Read More »
Checking out the field this evening I’ve just discovered this lovely patch of Devilsbit Scabious. A magnet for bees and butterflies it’s less common than its bruiser of a cousin the Field Scabious which you may have seen lining the roadsides of the Peak District in midsummer. Devilsbit (weird name eh) prefers damp spots and
Flora and fauna – Devils and other stories Read More »
