Padley Gorge Peak District
Padley Gorge in the Peak District is one of the finest examples of ancient oak woodland in the English uplands, a stream gorge on the Burbage Brook above Grindleford in the Derbyshire Derwent Valley that supports a remarkable temperate rainforest habitat of sessile oak, rowan, holly and birch whose ground layer of mosses, ferns and woodland plants thrives in the sheltered, humid conditions of the gorge. The combination of the ancient woodland, the stream cascades and the millstone grit boulders creating the gorge character makes Padley one of the most beautiful short woodland walks in the Peak District. The woodland is of considerable ecological importance as one of the few remaining fragments of the upland oak woodland that would have covered large areas of the Peak District gritstone country before woodland clearance for agriculture and fuel began in the prehistoric and medieval periods. The sessile oaks, many of them several centuries old, grow from the gritstone boulders in the contorted forms characteristic of ancient upland woodland, their mossy trunks and lichen-covered branches creating the layered texture of a genuinely ancient wood. The gorge is famous in Peak District birding circles for its pied flycatcher population, one of the most reliable nesting sites for this attractive summer visitor in the entire region. The flycatchers arrive from West Africa in late April and the males' white forehead patches and musical calls are characteristic of Padley Gorge throughout May and June. Wood warbler and redstart are also regular breeding species in the gorge, providing some of the finest songbird watching in the Peak District. The walk from Grindleford station through the gorge to Longshaw Estate above connects with the National Trust's extensive moorland and woodland at Longshaw for a rewarding circular walk.