Walton Moss is one of the most pristine bogs in Britain. Its sister site, Bolton Fell, has previously undergone commercial extraction for peat. Main habitats: peatland Area: 416ha Features of interest Bolton Fell and Walton Mosses forms a landscape of bogs supporting features typical of raised mire but also has structural features of upland blanket bog. It has a variety of Sphagnum moss species and other bryophytes, including some nationally scarce species. The reserve is home to rare mosses and liverworts, the rare bog rosemary and all three native species of sundew. In winter a visitor may encounter a merlin or even a peregrine falcon hunting over the Moss. The reserve (land owned and leased by Natural England) covers 416ha of the Bolton Fell and Walton Moss Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). Safety You should wear suitable footwear on the reserve – wellies are required except on the boardwalk in the north of Bolton Fell Moss. Sometimes there is machinery operating on the reserve; please keep away unless you need to contact the operator. If you do, approach from the front, stop before you get too close and wait for the operator to stop. Deep peaty pools can be found all over the bogs, if you step in you’ll get wet and mucky but it is easy to get out. Be aware there are also a number of deep, steep-sided open water filled drains; please treat these like any other natural water body - do not enter if you do not think you will get out. There is limited mobile phone reception in parts of the site. Please bear this in mind when visiting the site. Directions The nearest train stations are Brampton and Carlisle. For details of local bus services go to the Traveline website. The reserve is 7 km north of Brampton and 15 km north east of Carlisle. The nearest villages are Hethersgill (2 km to the west) and Walton (2 km to the south). By car, access to the area is via minor roads from the A6071 and B6318. Hethersgill is on Regional Route 10 (Reivers Route) of the Sustrans National Cycle Network which passes near the reserve’s northern boundary. Contact NorthCumbriaNNRs@naturalengland.org.uk
Natural England
Unit 4
Sycamore House
Kirkbride
Cumbria
CA7 5JZ
Natural England general enquiries:
Email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 060 6000