Kinder Scout

In 1982, the National Trust started managing the highest point in the Peak District, and iconic site of the National Park-initiating ‘mass trespass’ - Kinder Scout.

What they actually took on was a barren landscape of bare peat, degraded by centuries of pollution, land management, high visitor numbers and climate change.

Kinder became a research base for trialling pioneering restoration techniques, including revegetating bare peat, blocking gullies and reintroducing sphagnum.

Monitoring data shows that revegetating bare peat can reduce erosion by 98% within 18 months, as well as significant impacts on slowing the flow of water from the moors, sometimes by 30%, and improving water quality.

In 2022, Kinder Scout National Nature Reserve was extended by 25% (226 hectares), in recognition of the importance of the scientific research carried out there.

© Moors for the Future

LEFT: Untreated erosion gully RIGHT: 11 years after revegetation from bare peat