Hardcastle Crags - Past And Present DVD

The National Trust property of Hardcastle Crags is a deep wooded valley just outside the Pennine town of Hebden Bridge in the heart of West Yorkshire's Bronte Country that draws thousands of visitors each year to discover its sylvan delights. The crags are made of a clutch of stacks of mill-stone grit that tower high above the floor of the beautiful wooded valley with 19th-century Gibson Mill at its heart an exemplar of sustainable energy is the flagship sustainable property of the National Trust with 18 miles of stunning walks through tumbling rivers and cascading... waterfalls and a new fauna and flora surprise for every season. The Crags are famous for the giant anthills built by the rare northern hairy wood ant and its show of bluebells as well as 500 species of fungi. Birds include all three British woodpeckers dippers kingfishers herons grey and pied wagtails tawny owls barn owls and little owls; buzzards and pied flycatchers are occasional visitors. Fauna includes seven out of Britain's eight bat species roe deer and badgers. From atop of the Crags the line of the narrow-gauge railway which used to carry stone to the reservoirs on the watershed is clearly visible on the far side of the valley. Gibson Mill was one of the first-generation mills of the Industrial Revolution. It opened in 1801 and produced cotton cloth driven by a water wheel in turn powered by Hebden Water. In 1833 21 workers were employed each working 72 hours a week. The trade waned and the mill was converted after 1890 into a variety of entertainment emporiums before becoming National Trust property in 1956. The wooded Pennine valley of Hardcastle Crags. an area rich with flora and fauna and marked by ravines tumbling streams and oak beech rowan and pine woods. The area enjoys one of the best rights-of-way networks in Britain and waymarked walks lead through the valley linking up with several footpaths including the Pennine Way. [show more]

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