Who would have thought that literally hours after the coldest weekend for many years today you would be walking in lovely Spring sunshine admiring everything that mother nature has to show. If you look closely (very closely) at the miles of dry stone walls in and around New Mills you will find what is often […]
Flora and fauna – the Pixie Cup Read More »
The real gymnast of the bird table in winter is the nuthatch. I always think of them as strong athletic birds, just as happy running up and down a treat stump or swinging from a bird feeder. Nuthatches readily come to the bird table, being particularly partial to peanuts and sunflower seeds which replace the
Flora and fauna – the gymnast Read More »
I, like most climbers this time of year, have every weather app that I can find on my phone. Every evening I nervously check my phone for hourly updates on the recent weather patterns, looking for that golden window, those few hours when a wind blows, the rain stops and the sun comes out. But,
300 days a year…. and more Read More »
Something in the air You’ll have seen them hanging in the breeze above motorway verges, precisely adjusting wings, body and tail so as to keep the head dead still, like it was pinned to the background. The lovely old name for the kestrel is the ‘windhover’. Our most abundant bird of prey, the bread and
Flora and fauna – something in the air Read More »
Bringing some much needed colour to the New Mills countryside, gorse with its acid yellow flowers and prickly green spikes is really welcome in the depths of winter. These pictures are from the bridleway leading up to Lantern Pike – but gorse is common all over the area. There are different varieties (common and western
Flora and fauna – Gorse Read More »
Tree creepers are not rare but you don’t see them very often. That’s partly because they’re usually silent but more due to their secretive creeping up the rough bark of trees in search of spiders and larvae of insects hidden in the fissures of the bark. A treecreepers beak is perfectly designed for this: a
Flora and fauna – the tree creeper Read More »
Holly and ivy can be found all over our New Mills hedgerows and woodlands, some woudl even say it’s teh ivy that is holding New Mills together. Both plants are evergreen which led to beliefs that they were magical; in pagan times, they were used in winter festivals as a symbol of new life to
Flora and fauna – the holly and the ivy Read More »
For the past few months Visit New Mills have been working alongside High Peak Borough Council to create a new town map to welcome visitors. The folded A2 map has a town map on one side and a selection of local walks on the other side (courtesy of New Mills Walkers are Welcome), also involved
Mapping out the future Read More »
Came across this by the pond today; from a distance it looked small enough to be a damselfly but on closer inspection it became clear it was a dragonfly, the Common Darter. At rest, dragonflies hold their four wings spread out, unlike the damsel which has them together over their back, like a butterfly. The
Flora and fauna – by the pond Read More »
New Mills tennis club have a great offer through the LTA for young people to try tennis on our courts under the expert guidance of a level 5 qualified coach. Could you please promote this on your website. The basics of the offer – £25 (+£4.99 P&P) for each child: • Six top-class tennis sessions with
Tennis coaching at New Mills tennis club Read More »
