Peak Rdige

If you started with absolutely no prior knowledge of this area or its ecology, reading these seven texts would leave you with a comprehensive understanding of how modern conservation works in practice.

1. It Forms a Protected Wildlife "Horseshoe" Around Sidmouth

The Peak Ridge network isn’t just a collection of random parks; it is a cluster of eleven interconnected natural sites on the western side of Sidmouth. At its most inland point (Core Hill Wood), the open land arcs eastward to meet the Salcombe Hill network. This creates a continuous "horseshoe" of protected, valuable habitat that wraps around the three landward sides of the town.

2. The Landscape Overcomes Human "Lines on a Map"

Ecosystems fail when they are treated as isolated islands. A major takeaway is that a diverse group of landowners—including private estates (Clinton Devon Estates), national charities (the National Trust, Woodland Trust), and local government (East Devon District Council)—have actively dissolved their property boundaries. They work in partnership to manage the entire ridge as a single, unified, living organism.

3. Acidic Soil is the Secret to its Rare Biodiversity

The high-altitude ridge sits on Upper Greensand soils, which are highly acidic. Because this difficult terrain and sour soil made the land historical nightmare for growing traditional agricultural crops, it largely escaped intensive farming. Today, this acidity is its greatest strength, making it a pristine sanctuary that holds 100% of the entire region's surveyed Acid Grassland and Wet Dwarf Shrub Heath species.

4. "Invisible Shepherds" Use GPS to Guide Livestock

You don't need ugly timber and wire fences to manage livestock anymore. Conservationists on Peak Hill and Muttersmoor use next-generation GPS "NoFence" collars on Exmoor Ponies and cattle. Rangers program "virtual fences" on a smartphone. When an animal approaches the invisible boundary, the collar emits a sound cue, teaching them where to graze. This keeps rare open spaces clear of choking weeds without scarring the landscape with physical barriers.

5. "Clear-Cutting" Forests is an Outdated Practice Here

Instead of stripping entire hillsides bare for timber—which causes "ecological shock" to the soil and wildlife—foresters at Harpford Wood and Bulverton Hill use a system called Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF). They selectively harvest individual trees surgically, ensuring that a permanent green canopy always remains to protect the multi-generational woodland below.

6. The Ridge Acts as a "Natural Sponge" to Stop Flooding

The management of the ridge directly impacts the human town in the valley below. By building leaky dams (large logs pinned strategically across upland streams) at Bulverton Bottom and re-wetting boggy mires at Muttersmoor, the network slows down heavy rainfall at the source. This turns the entire hillside into a giant natural sponge, mitigating flash-flood risks for Sidmouth.

7. True Darkness is Actively Managed as a Habitat

Conservation doesn't stop when the sun goes down. The network enforces a strict "Dark Corridors" mandate across Bulverton Hill and Harpford Wood by eliminating artificial light pollution. This preserves the sharp tree silhouettes against the night sky, which rare nocturnal predators like Greater Horseshoe bats and Nightjars have used as ancient navigational landmarks and hunting guideposts for millennia.

8. It Protects a Vulnerable "Ghost Bird" that Nests on the Ground

You would learn about the Nightjar, a remarkable insectivorous bird that migrates all the way from sub-Saharan Africa to breed on the ridge. Known for its mechanical "churring" song at dusk, it doesn't nest in trees. Instead, it lays its eggs in a shallow scrape directly on the bare ground. Its mottled brown feathers offer perfect camouflage against dead bracken, but make it completely invisible—and highly vulnerable—to being stepped on by humans or dogs.

9. Winter Weather and Dogs are Constant Strategic Threats

The network is a fragile tinderbox operating on a knife-edge. The resident Dartford Warbler lives at the absolute northernmost limit of its global range here; a single severe winter freeze in 2018 (the "Beast from the East") caused their local population to instantly crash from hundreds down to just 25 breeding territories. Furthermore, because key birds nest on or near the ground, visitors are legally mandated to keep dogs on short leads from March to July to prevent flushing parents off their eggs.

10. Tiny "Pocket Reserves" Require the Most Intricate Care

Huge expanses like Muttersmoor can often rely on natural cycles, but tiny, isolated fragments within the network require intense human intervention. For example, Delderfield Meadow is a delicate "pocket reserve." To prevent high nutrients from choking out rare wildflowers, wardens must execute a strict, highly timed "cut-and-collect" hay regime. This artificially keeps the soil nutrient-starved, which is the exact environment needed for beautiful Southern Marsh Orchids to thrive.