The Path to Nature Recovery: The Pennine Way

‘The Path to Nature Recovery: The Pennine Way’ premiered on Tuesday 10^th December to an online crowd of over 60 National Trail Officers and partners across the protected landscapes sector.

The film, thanks to funding from the Protected Landscapes Partnership, showcases what can be achieved through partnership working and when a National Trail is considered as more than a path, but a corridor for people and nature.

Focused on the Pennine Way, at Black Hill in the Peak District National Park, the film reflects on the transformative journey from a boggy, almost impassable section of the Pennine Way in the early 1990s to a large-scale, peatland restoration project, which continues today with the Moors for the Future Partnership.

Contributors in the film discuss the challenges of access and biodiversity, reflecting on the Pennine Way's once-poor condition. They also celebrate how innovative ideas, collaborative partnerships, and support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund came together to transform the landscape and enrich the experience for National Trail users.

Sheila McHale, Pennine Way Walker and Volunteer Ranger describes “Getting out onto the Pennine Way for me, has meant so much. It’s not just the physical, you feel as though you are in the heart of nature, and you do feel you are in a real wilderness area”.

Not only does the project highlight the value of partnership working but the development of the film itself wouldn’t have been possible without the time and effort of staff and volunteers from the Pennine National Trails Partnership, the Peak District National Park Ranger Team and the Moors for the Future Partnership, alongside Hannah Brightley, Nature Recovery Coordinator at National Trails UK and Kaye Jemmeson, Communications Manager from the Protected Landscapes Partnership.

You can watch the film here: https://youtu.be/NGXOEekCNrk

If you have an example of a project that showcases nature recovery along a National Trail, please update the National Trails Nature Corridors Map. This map aims to increase visibility of nature recovery along the National Trails to improve collaboration, source funding and advocate for their value as nature corridors, as shown by the Pennine Way at Blackhill.

Photo Credit: Moors for the Future Partnership