One Thousand Shades of Green by Mike Dilger

Author:Mike Dilger [Dilger, Mike;]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-12-24T00:00:00+00:00

Driving round to Forest-in-Teesdale after a hastily eaten lunch, I was pleased to see the chef’s weather predictions were proving remarkably accurate, and while not exactly blazing hot, it did at least look like one of the 121 days in each calendar year when the rain would keep away.

Taking a footbridge across the River Tees, I was welcomed back onto the NNR by a Natural England noticeboard as I followed the footpath south along the well-marked Pennine Way. On this occasion I must have passed only a couple of folk along this usually well-trodden route, while also spotting the likes of water avens, cuckooflower and marsh marigold in the path-side ditches. It was fascinating to see how far these early spring plants were behind their compatriots further south. Marsh marigold, for example, always looks its best in late March or early April in my own Chew Valley garden, in Somerset, while early June appeared to be its time to shine in cold, wet and windy Teesdale. Despite my focus being primarily on plants, old habits die hard – making it impossible to ignore the birds. And as I left the road and river behind, the sound of the fell began alternating between the lilting, downward cadence of innumerable willow warblers and the bubbling of breeding curlews – the most complimentary and delightful upland pairing anyone could possibly wish for.

Departing the main Pennine trail, I then turned uphill in a westerly direction and towards the summit of Cronkley Fell. Here I was relieved to see that the high ground ahead appeared mercifully clear of fog, and despite being windier than I’d expected, alternating glances between the sky above and the weather app on my phone seemed to indicate that this state of affairs would continue for the rest of the day. As I steadily climbed, the views became ever more panoramic, allowing me to properly appreciate the reserve for the first time. Apparently the management of Upper Teesdale is a delicate and complex business, given that none of the reserve is actually owned by Natural England. Within its boundaries are four tenanted working farms, with the rest either grouse moor or sheep walk and whose businesses must be balanced with the conservation of the reserve’s flora and fauna. On the one hand this made looking for rare plants somewhat easier, as the best botanical areas were generally within easy-to-spot fenced exclosures designed to keep out the sheep. But on the other hand, as the remaining chunk of fell was so intensely grazed, this resulted in its natural history interest being minimal.

With so little of botanical note as I approached the fell summit, the birdlife did an admirable job of keeping me entertained. The plaintive two-toned whistle of the golden plover provided a near-constant soundtrack, making me wonder why this was a bird I never heard in an area of upland far more familiar to me – the Scottish uplands surrounding Cairngorm Mountain. But the highlight of this steady slog upwards was

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