Autumn In The Peak District
The intensity of summer has subsided and a cool, calm is settling over the peaks. The heatwaves have finished, school kids have gone back and carnival day in Eyam has paraded through with a bang and a roar. A hint of yellow is starting on the trees and squirrels can be seen busying themselves gathering and storing nuts. This is my favourite time of year! This is Kate (new member of the team at Village Green) writing a guest post about what’s to love at this time of year.
I know that for some people the end of summer is not a welcome time, but I can’t help but get excited by the turning of the seasons. It’s the time for crispy leaves and searching for fungi, misty mornings, soggy walks and cosy jumpers; coffee and cake, stews and soups - all well earned after venturing out in the more brutal weather.
The Peak District truly glows when the autumn colours come out, and it is a prime time for enjoying the woodlands and wildlife of the area. Up on the gritstone edges of Curbar, Froggat and Baslow the bracken has started to turn golden and soon the enigmatic birch trees will follow suit.
The world of these woodlands takes on a mystical quality when everything changes colour, and the stags can be seen strutting around competing for the Biggest Antler title. September brings an audible spectacle when the stags begin their “roaring” in rutting season over the next couple of months. This is when the male deer are competing for dominance and they make a noise like dinosaurs in the mornings and evenings. It is incredible and sometimes slightly unnerving when you hear the sounds of Jurassic Park first thing in the morning.
One of the best places to see deer is up on White Edge where you get a vast view and they often seem to be around. But if you’re anywhere in the woods of the Hope valley keep your ears open, and I recommend heading out at dawn or dusk as that is when you’re most likely to hear the stags.
Autumn is also a visual spectacle of oranges, yellows and browns that the trees bring, but colour can be found on the ground in fungi form too. Wondering the woods in search of mushrooms, little and large, is a fantastic way to be mindful. It is like a treasure hunt for nature’s magic. It doesn’t have to be searching for edible mushrooms, just the search to view different types of fungi is a wonderful way to embrace the season and appreciate the abundance of life around us.
It’s best not to touch them unless you are a forager who knows your stuff, but just tuning your eye into the undergrowth and seeing what you can spot can be a treat.
Fly agarics, the big beautiful red and white toadstools of fairytales, often grow in the plantation forests around reservoirs, and just today I saw some bright purple amethyst deceivers growing under some oak trees. How those bright colours can sprout of the earth overnight like that will always baffle me, but we don’t need to understand something to appreciate it do we?
Nature Journaling Workshop
If you enjoy these little wonders of the world, you might enjoy the workshop that I’m running at the café on November 4th. It is a Nature Journaling workshop including a walk, followed by time back at the café to create - with coffee and treats of course. It will be a half day event to connect to nature, be mindful, get your creativity flowing and embrace the season whatever it shall bring. The ethos is very much "process, not product": this is a non-judgemental creative workshop open to all. Whether you think you are creative or not, there is no experience (or skill) needed! There will be prompts for creative writing and sketching, and plenty of time to create in your own individual way. It is time to fully sink into place and season and let your mind wander away from your everyday stresses. If you love autumn, you’ll hopefully love this chance to celebrate it, and if you find this time of year tricky then this workshop might help you to see some beauty in the changing of the year.
Keep an eye on our socials and website for more info and to book.
See you soon for coffee and Nature journaling.