The Hollies

Path up through the Hollies from Lordshill. In the winter this is terrible with tracks everywhere.

The Paddock

Path from Blakemoor Gate to The Paddock. This is a very wet patch (always has been) but when a Quad bike goes through it leaves this. People are now going up the hillside to avoid this. This was done by probably the people who cut the fallen tree down more towards The Paddock. Why they were here i have no idea. How about a little bit of water mangement.

Blakemoor Gate (above)

This building site is by Blakemoor Gate and was for a borehole. This is how it has been left for a considerable time. The topsoil was not put seperatly to the subsoil and the one area is of foreign gravel brought in for some reason. This is one of the poorest ideas of “management” i have seen in this Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty AONB.

If you actually use your brain and ask locals there is plenty of water on the Stiperstones especially if you have livestock of the original breeds which were grazed here and not Texel sheep and Limousine crossed cattle which are actual natives of mainland Europe and not the Stiperstones. My mother was very proud of her Clun sheep instead of the native Welsh sheep which tended to be the norm.

Blakemoor Gate

This is Blakemoor Gate with fields of Mountain Pansy etc with tracks of a 4×4 across original hedge and ditch features and across fields. Also a messy attempt to cut thistles etc. This is not management it is vandalism.

The Paddock

The above are 2 pictures of the remains of 2 houses in The Paddock Nos Nos 9 and 10. Feeding trough in the middle and tractor tracks everywhere. In the other parts of The Paddock are Tractor tracks across hedges and banks.

The Hollies / Blakemoor Gate

Picture of the field towards Blakemoor Gate this on July 14th 2024 was covered in White and Red (some) Clover and the smell of the Clover was intense but only 2 Bees which i could find without going into the grass. Something is wrong because at this time of year you should be able to hear hundreds of Bees because the perfume should have attracted bees from a great distance.

Blakemoor Flat

This is meadow grass not made into hay and left for the sheep to gaze !

Land above Blakemoor Flat with part of a stand of thistles which have not been cut back to “tame” them and prevent the seed from blowing onto the fields.

Grass growing on the hillside instead of heather where the heather has been cut with a flail mower making an evironment to encourage grass and lots of fungus detrimental to the natural environment.

This is the verge outside the office block where in one of the offices is occupied by Natural England

A good example of “rewilding” in other words do nothing. Quite frankly Craven Arms Council and Natural England should be taken to task about this.