Goytsclough parking closed

Goytsclough parking closed

Above: a long line of giant boulders now borders the previously open parking areas at Goytsclough. Forestry England has closed off the popular parking areas in Goytsclough with a line of large boulders. A notice explains that they’ve taken what they say was a...
Hall ruins reopened

Hall ruins reopened

Above: The ruins look far better since the recent repointing of all the loose stonework. I hadn’t been down to the ruins since mid-September so I’m not sure when the work was completed. But it’s good to see that the metal fencing around Errwood Hall...
The vanished footbridge

The vanished footbridge

Above: These two ladies kindly allowed me to take their photo as they pondered how best to cross the stream. It was very muddy and slippery and both were nervous about tackling the slope and then finding a way across the stones. I first noticed that the attractive...
Errwood Hall now closed

Errwood Hall now closed

Above: It’s sad to see the ruins closed off – I think for the first time since the hall was demolished in the mid 1930s. It’s the end of June and the ruins of Errwood Hall have just been fenced off. Chris from Forestry England thinks the restoration...
Protecting the ruins

Protecting the ruins

Above: The most recent damage was caused when someone removed the steps from just beyond the entrance to try and get access to the cellars. The fencing has been stored at far left. Forestry England – which manages the Goyt Valley on behalf of the estate owners,...
Derbyshire Bridge road closure

Derbyshire Bridge road closure

Above: This sign says the larch will be replaced with trees that aren’t affected by the disease. The road between Errwood Hall car park and Derbyshire Bridge has been closed to allow Forestry England to remove large numbers of larch trees that have been affected...
Rewilding the valley

Rewilding the valley

Above: The views opened up by last year’s tree-felling are already starting to vanish, as the newly planted firs shoot up. It’s now a year since the Forestry Commission started work on tackling the tree disease phytofra in the valley by felling great...
Footpath closures

Footpath closures

Above: The more larch the Forestry Commission fells, the better I like it! The inset map shows the path closures (see below). Page update, August 2021: The Forestry Commission have changed their plans and they won’t be working around Goytsclough until 2022....
Protect the rhododendrons

Protect the rhododendrons

Above: I took this photo in May 2018, some 18 months after the FC started clearing the rhododendrons around Errwood Hall . I was hoping they’d be allowed to regrow. But that’s not going to be the case. The recent news that the Forestry Commission will be...
Fernilee footpath reopened

Fernilee footpath reopened

Above: It will be interesting to see how quickly the landscape recovers. I’m just hoping the Forestry Commission don’t replant the fir trees. It’s great to see that the footpath along the western shore of Fernilee has finally reopened, some four...