History of Farley Moor
200 years ago, Charles Darwin, then a student at Cambridge, was taken on a tour of the woods and moors surrounding his uncle, Sir Francis Scheverell Darwin’s home at nearby Sydnope Hall.
So impressed was the young biologist by the wild boar that Francis kept, that he referred to them in his seminal book, The Origin of Species 30 years later.
A beautiful area for recreation
Today birdwatchers and naturalists, dog-walkers, mountain-bikers and joggers still seek solace in Matlock Forest. They follow the network of tangled lanes and paths that criss-cross the mix of pines, spruce and larch. Paths are fringed by wide grassy verges full of ragged robin, thistles, nettles and willow-herbs and under the tree canopy bilberries, heathers, sedges, mosses and fungi thrive.
Never busy, never noisy, never crowded, always a place of seclusion, peace and reflection, whether engrossed in nature or just your own thoughts many local people seek tranquility here.
Help save Matlock Forest
Please help save Matlock Forest for its wildlife and for future generations.