The breathtaking views of Marsden Moor are hard to beat.
But soon outdoors lovers will discover a striking new sight when cattle take up their new home on the landscape to mark the National Trust’s 60th anniversary of ownership of the estate.
Around 35 heritage beasts will be set free to graze amongst the expansive 2,300 site within the next year, heralding a new era for the area.
They will be just one of the several changes pioneered by Craig Best, lead ranger for the West Yorkshire group and his team whose predecessors first began to manage the moorland and improve conservation efforts after it was gifted to the charity by the Radcliffe family in 1955.
Craig said: “The cattle will help us ensure that the moor remains sustainable for future generations and they’ll look really good on the landscape.
“At the moment we are trying to control a dense brown and purple grass called Molinia which prevents everything else from growing and hardy cattle are perfect for the job.
“Unlike sheep, cattle can’t be as selective with what they eat as sheep because they have bigger mouths.
“We’re working with about 15 common holders on the estate to introduce heritage Belted Galloways and will monitor them over the next 10 years with a view to increasing their number.
“Historically the moor would have been grazed by them but as the years went on it became unpopular for farmers to keep them as vehicles on nearby roads increased.
“We’ve been given a £60,000 grant from Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship fund which will allow us to build fences between the moor and the A640 and A62 to keep them safe and has encouraged farmers to re-introduce them because at the end of the day the cattles’ meat is more profitable to them, so it’s a win-win situation for us both.
“It may be good news for Marsdeners too because it could stop some of the sheep wandering onto the roads and into people’s gardens.”
Other ongoing projects will also be extended to make better use of the valuable resources of the moor which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Craig added: “We have just come out of a £2m water project to help water retention and release on the moors and have been given more money to continue this from the Moors for Future fund.
“We are starting to spray the molinia with a moss sludge called Sphagnum which is a key building block for moor grass water control. It will help collect water and release it slowly into the reservoirs.
“And thanks to the work we’ve already done to tackle molinia, we are going to be able to plant more species such as heather, cotton grass and bilberries.
“It all means that people are going to see a different and more diversely coloured moor in the next couple of decades which will be great because it will create more diverse habitats that will be able to support more wildlife like curlews and twites.
“Re-planting local species of trees in the cloughs will also help this – it’s an exciting time for the moor.”
Craig talked about how the estate is able to keep up its work despite the smaller national pot of grants available to charities.
“We’re lucky in that we’re able to access income to undertake this conservation.
“But we wouldn’t have been anywhere near as successful without the support of local people, who have volunteered for us all these years.
“Our annual plant sale is managed by our volunteers, which raises lots of money for our work.
“We would love to get even more people involved so that we can carry out even more projects and put on more events.
“We’re hoping to improve the footpaths on the moor in the coming years and would love to promote our walks programme. We are looking for people who we can train to lead walks around the estate.”
* The estate is also holding a special event this Saturday, August 22, to mark the 60th anniversary milestone.
Rangers from the estate have organised a special 22 mile walk for adventurous walkers who will ramble around its boundary to see first hand the work the charity has done over the years.
It will take in Holme and Binn Moor, the southerly Wessenden Moor that continues to just above Greenfield Road, the north easterly land up to White Hill and Cupwith in the north and will start at Marsden rail station at 9am.
Marsden Moor Fact File
The National Trust acquired the moor from Captain Sir Joseph Radcliffe, 6th Baronet as an alternative to him paying death duties for his father.
The family had owned Marsden Moor since around 1751 but had managed it from Harrogate for their last 100 years as owners – a decision not popular with some of the local people.
According to Rob Henry, an estate ranger, most of the National Trust’s work did not start until the 1980s.
“Sixty years ago nature conservation was a concept that’s only been developed recently and Marsden Moor has been at the forefront of research,” he said.
One of the first priorities of rangers and volunteers was to regenerate heather brash to protect the moorland peat, which started in the 1980s.
They spread lime and fertiliser and fences were put up around areas such as Buckstones Moss, while heather seed was sprinkled by hand.
A large recent effort was carried out in 2013 when helicopters were used.
In the 2000s the trust began flying up flagstones to create proper paths to help people use the moor, including along the Pennine Way.
It published the Marsden Heritage Trail routes in 2002 to encourage visitors to discover the moor.
Stone heritage way markers were installed in the same decade, that highlighted specific points of interest and beauty.
Its programme of guided routes has flourished as more volunteers have got on board.
Its diverse walks have included beginners’ groups, bat spotting, surveying trips and one that celebrated African music.
The year 2013 marked the stepping up of a campaign to help raise awareness of the decline of birds of prey due to climate change, which is having a substantial affect on the landscape.
Last year the trust embarked upon a new project with Tolson Museum to find out more about Mesolithic tools found on the moor, which have survived from in between 9,600 BC to 4,000 BC.
That autumn it began a major molinia grass cutting project using flailing machines to help shrubs such as bilberry, heather and crowberry to establish.
