Snaefell
Site Description
This site is approximately 125 hectares and covers the north side of the Island’s only mountain, Snaefell. This site is blanketed in a layer of peat, however historical cutting for fuel was widespread. This has resulted in a hag and gully topography, leading to the degradation of the peatland habitat. While the gullies are largely vegetated, they cause the surrounding peat to dry out. Bare faces of peat left by the cutting were drying out and eroding. Peat pipes are common across this site.
There are pockets of blanket bog habitat in reasonable condition on this site, with areas dominated by sphagnum mosses. Where the peat has been removed or dried out, acid grassland and dry heath vegetation are dominant.
This site is important for breeding skylark and mountain hare.
Work Undertaken
The majority of the work done during autumn and winter 2025-26 on this site was reprofiling peat hags using diggers with low-ground-pressure tracks. Where there was enough peat at the base of hags, low bunds were built to create shallow pools. The steepness of the terrain was challenging, and some of the hags will be done by hand at a later date. There are several drainage ditches still to be blocked at this site, with work planned for autumn 2026.
Geotextiles were used in places, to cover bare peat and also to slow the flow of water after heavy rain.
