Goytside Meadows - Local Nature Reserve
The History of Goytside Meadows
The mosaic of wet and dry habitats at Goytside Meadows was influenced over 200 years ago when the canal was constructed above the fields in 1796. Even in the nineteenth century the area was described as “Flowery Meadows” with the three fields that today make up the reserve known by the name “Nice Eyes”, “Little Eyes and Higher Meadow”, and Higher Flowery Croft”. ‘Eyes2 possibly refer of the wet areas within the lower fields.
In the south east corner of the Reserve, a stone-lined sough, which drains a former quarry and coal mine, provides water supply for grazing animals. Nearby, the weir in the river was built at the end of the nineteenth century to provide water for a leat or trench feeding a turbine that pumped drinking water for New Mills to a reservoir.
In the early 1990s, the future of the meadows was thrown into uncertainty then they were acquired by the Highways Agency because they were on the preferred route for a planned five-lane bypass of the then A6 trunk road.
The bypass proposal met with strong opposition form the New Mills community and was later abandoned. New Mills Town Council subsequently bought the land from the Highways Agency and having purchased a further area of land from a local farmer, began the work to create the Local Nature Reserve.
Goytside Meadows Today
Goytside Meadows comprises three fields totalling 10 hectares (25 acres) of unimproved and semi-improved pasture and meadow lying between the River Goyt and the Peak Forest Canal immediately south of New Mills. It was declared a Local Nature Reserve in 2003 and is owned and manages by New Mills Town Council.
The main feature of the Reserve is its flower-rich grassland – the most threatened habitat both nationally and locally with over 90% lost in Derbyshire since the early 1980s.
The abundance of flowering plants, wetland habitats, mature trees and areas of scrub with nectar-rich bramble also creates an ideal habitat for insects. Several rare species have been identified at Goytside.
Access
There are three access points into the Reserve from the canal towpath and the Midshires (Goyt) way with two waymarked routes, the pasture path and the meadow path, linking them. The best time to go visit Goytside Meadows is from April to October. You should see good displays of wild flowers and, maybe, less common species as well.
Here are some of the wild flowers you can expect to find during the different seasons:
April: Marsh Marigold, Wood Anemone
May: Bluebells
June: Bistort, Ragged Robin, Marsh Valerian
July: Meadowsweet, Yellow Rattle, Great Burnet, Spearwort
August: Napweed, Sneezewort
September: Devils Bit Scabious
October: Autumn Hawkbit
Management of the Nature Reserve
The reserve is managed by New Mills Town Council, working to an ecological management plan. Two of the fields are managed as traditional pasture grazed by cattle in the summer and the third as meadow with a crop of hay taken in late summer followed by grazing by cattle and sheep. To maintain the natural balance of this important environment, no fertilisers or other chemicals are used on the land.
A new hedge was planted along the northern boundary of the hay meadow in early 2004 and new stock-proof fencing and access gates constructed. The Town Council works closely with the local farmers whose animals graze the Reserve to ensure that its ecological value is maintained and enhanced.
How to find Goytside Meadows
The Reserve is at the south end of the Torrs Riverside Park (Grid Reference SK001847) and is best accessed on foot from the Midshires (Goyt) way or the Peak Forest Canal towpath.
From New Mills Newtown rail station, walk down Albion Road and turn right on to the canal towpath
From New Mills town centre bus station or car parks, walk down into the Torrs gorge and take the Midshires (Goyt) way across Millward wooden footbridge walking upriver to Goytside Farm, turning right to the Reserve.
From New Mills Central rail station, take the path down to the valley bottom, walk along the spectacular Torrs Millennium Walkway into the Torrs gorge, then as above.
There is no parking available near the Reserve.
Helping Goytside
Are you interested in helping to look after the Nature Reserve? Would you be interested in joining “Friends of Goytside Meadows” group? If so, contact the Parks Manager at New Mills Town Council on 01663743434, e-mail newmillstc@btconnect.com
Goytside Meadows Local Nature Reserve was purchased and enhanced by New Mills Town Council with generous financial help from English Nature-New Opportunities Fund Wildspace!, Tarmac, WREN, Derbyshire County Council, the Environment Agency and the Peak District National Park Authority.
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This site is listed in the British Towns and Villages Encyclopaedia of Great Britain and we can be found in the entry for New Mills