Harsh winds bring drifting snows to the exposed hills of Derbyshire and crystal ice envelops gritstone boulders on unprotected Kinder where waterfalls freeze and lone sheep forage for frosted shards of grass.
Early lambs, vulnerable and weak, rely on the care of the farmer for survival. Mountain hares, often seen around Derwent Edge, change into white winter furs for better camouflage against predators.
Mid-winter is often the harshest time of year for upland farmers with the months of January and February, deeply into the winter season, often being the hardest. In the Peak District the earliest snows can fall in mid November and the latest are normally finished by mid-April, Freak snow storms, however, have been known in Buxton as late as June, but this is thankfully exceptional. Mild, early winters followed by a cold snap are the worst times for sheep farmers with very young lambs exposed and ill-prepared for such conditions.
Bleak Mid Winter - Peak District National Park - January 2017
All photographs brought to you by Michael Cummins - Peak District based landscape photographer
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Credits:
Peak District based landscape photographer.