Mullagh Ouyr

Site Description

This site is approximately 35 hectares on the north-west facing slopes of the hillside above the A18 mountain road. historic peat cutting for fuel was predominantly at the northern end of the site, although there are peat cuttings scattered along the hillside. The peat is over a metre deep in places, although much of the deeper peat has been removed.

The habitat on much of the site is species-poor acid grassland, but this is interspersed with areas of blaeberry-dominated heath and degraded blanket bog, with sphagnum moss hummocks found in places. The site is likely to have been a mosaic of blanket bog and heath in the past, but these habitats are currently suppressed by the draining effects of peat cutting and grazing pressure. The summit plateau of Mullagh Ouyr has areas that appear to have been burnied in tha past, removing all of the peat and leaving an exposed mineral layer. This has largely been covered in mosses such as racomitrium and campylopus species, with occasional blaeberry, heath rush and deer grass. Skylarks are common on this site.

Work Undertaken

The peat hags in this area were reprofiled using a digger with low-ground-pressure tracks in February 2024. Follow-up work was undertaken with volunteers helping to spread heather brash on areas of bare peat, secured where needed with coir netting.