Manx Peat Partnership
@manxpeat.bsky.social
We aim to protect and, where needed, restore peatlands across the Isle of Man through collaborative working.
We love before and after pictures😃Before work started, this eroding area fed water into a narrow but deep channel, causing further erosion downslope.
After such a wet week, the impact of the work is clear to see! The large volumes of water are being slowed down, reducing the likelihood of erosion💦
After such a wet week, the impact of the work is clear to see! The large volumes of water are being slowed down, reducing the likelihood of erosion💦
November 5, 2025 at 1:32 PM
We love before and after pictures😃Before work started, this eroding area fed water into a narrow but deep channel, causing further erosion downslope.
After such a wet week, the impact of the work is clear to see! The large volumes of water are being slowed down, reducing the likelihood of erosion💦
After such a wet week, the impact of the work is clear to see! The large volumes of water are being slowed down, reducing the likelihood of erosion💦
Today is all about water 💦 Visiting our restoration sites after rain shows us how the ground is responding and can highlight any additional work needed.
This small ditch was dammed to raise the water table in the surrounding peat. It's great to see how much the sphagnum moss is thriving🌿😁
This small ditch was dammed to raise the water table in the surrounding peat. It's great to see how much the sphagnum moss is thriving🌿😁
November 3, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Today is all about water 💦 Visiting our restoration sites after rain shows us how the ground is responding and can highlight any additional work needed.
This small ditch was dammed to raise the water table in the surrounding peat. It's great to see how much the sphagnum moss is thriving🌿😁
This small ditch was dammed to raise the water table in the surrounding peat. It's great to see how much the sphagnum moss is thriving🌿😁
Look at these little pompoms of #sphagnum moss 😍
As well as being great for peatlands, sphagnum mosses were historically used for wound dressings due to their absorbent, anti-bacterial properties 💦
For more info ⬇️ www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/wp-content/u...
As well as being great for peatlands, sphagnum mosses were historically used for wound dressings due to their absorbent, anti-bacterial properties 💦
For more info ⬇️ www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/wp-content/u...
October 30, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Look at these little pompoms of #sphagnum moss 😍
As well as being great for peatlands, sphagnum mosses were historically used for wound dressings due to their absorbent, anti-bacterial properties 💦
For more info ⬇️ www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/wp-content/u...
As well as being great for peatlands, sphagnum mosses were historically used for wound dressings due to their absorbent, anti-bacterial properties 💦
For more info ⬇️ www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/wp-content/u...
Check out 👀 the latest blog on our website, where we delve into peaty pools 💦 and their importance for people, wildlife 🐦 and the planet 🌍 www.manxpeat.org/blog/wetter-is-better
October 24, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Check out 👀 the latest blog on our website, where we delve into peaty pools 💦 and their importance for people, wildlife 🐦 and the planet 🌍 www.manxpeat.org/blog/wetter-is-better
Digging peat on the #isleofman has been banned since 2020 and our efforts since then have been on protecting and restoring #peatland habitats 🌿 However, I'm wondering if we can make an exception and dig for the pot of gold that is obviously buried beneath this mound of sphagnum 🤔🌈💰
October 22, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Digging peat on the #isleofman has been banned since 2020 and our efforts since then have been on protecting and restoring #peatland habitats 🌿 However, I'm wondering if we can make an exception and dig for the pot of gold that is obviously buried beneath this mound of sphagnum 🤔🌈💰
This wet area of #sphagnum moss has formed where water seeps out of the hillside 💦 The last two photos show the same feature after a week of no rain.
In flatter places these sphagnum carpets sometimes hide a deeper pool of water, so if you like to keep your legs dry it's best to avoid them 😬
In flatter places these sphagnum carpets sometimes hide a deeper pool of water, so if you like to keep your legs dry it's best to avoid them 😬
October 21, 2025 at 11:13 AM
This wet area of #sphagnum moss has formed where water seeps out of the hillside 💦 The last two photos show the same feature after a week of no rain.
In flatter places these sphagnum carpets sometimes hide a deeper pool of water, so if you like to keep your legs dry it's best to avoid them 😬
In flatter places these sphagnum carpets sometimes hide a deeper pool of water, so if you like to keep your legs dry it's best to avoid them 😬
Meet our contractors 🐶🐾 These two corgis are very experienced at #peatland restoration work and are highly skilled digger operators. They have the added advantage of having nice warm coats, ready for when the weather turns cold ❄️😊
October 1, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Meet our contractors 🐶🐾 These two corgis are very experienced at #peatland restoration work and are highly skilled digger operators. They have the added advantage of having nice warm coats, ready for when the weather turns cold ❄️😊
Peat and whisky have a long association🥃
As the importance of protecting and restoring peatlands is now recognised 💚 the Manx Whisky Company create their delicious whisky without the use of peat, using other ways of creating flavours 😋 It was great to show them around one of our sites!
As the importance of protecting and restoring peatlands is now recognised 💚 the Manx Whisky Company create their delicious whisky without the use of peat, using other ways of creating flavours 😋 It was great to show them around one of our sites!
September 29, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Peat and whisky have a long association🥃
As the importance of protecting and restoring peatlands is now recognised 💚 the Manx Whisky Company create their delicious whisky without the use of peat, using other ways of creating flavours 😋 It was great to show them around one of our sites!
As the importance of protecting and restoring peatlands is now recognised 💚 the Manx Whisky Company create their delicious whisky without the use of peat, using other ways of creating flavours 😋 It was great to show them around one of our sites!
One of the best things about Autumn is the gorgeous colours 😍 This is the time of year where #sphagnum mosses become more vibrant and really stand out amongst other #peatland vegetation 💚 Cotton grass turns autumnal red and cladonia lichen (aka reindeer moss 🦌) adds a splash of white 😁
September 26, 2025 at 3:53 PM
What was once an eroding water channel is now a series of small pools 😀 Simple measures like installing these coir logs can slow the flow of water, reduce erosion and create small pools to benefit wildlife 🐦🦋
September 25, 2025 at 11:55 AM
What was once an eroding water channel is now a series of small pools 😀 Simple measures like installing these coir logs can slow the flow of water, reduce erosion and create small pools to benefit wildlife 🐦🦋
Just over ten years ago a landslide occurred😢 likely due to the presence of #peat pipes💦
A site visit today showed how the area is starting to fix itself 💚 #Sphagnum has grown around these tussocks, giving an insight as to how peatlands can start to develop after a major disturbance 😊
A site visit today showed how the area is starting to fix itself 💚 #Sphagnum has grown around these tussocks, giving an insight as to how peatlands can start to develop after a major disturbance 😊
September 22, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Peat pipes can sometimes be seen emerging from #peat hags, like this one on Snaefell. These underground channels form as water 💦 passes through cracks in the peat, slowly eroding the peat around it.
Sometimes the roof collapses to form a hole 😱 This one (photo 3) was nearly a metre deep!
Sometimes the roof collapses to form a hole 😱 This one (photo 3) was nearly a metre deep!
September 15, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Peat pipes can sometimes be seen emerging from #peat hags, like this one on Snaefell. These underground channels form as water 💦 passes through cracks in the peat, slowly eroding the peat around it.
Sometimes the roof collapses to form a hole 😱 This one (photo 3) was nearly a metre deep!
Sometimes the roof collapses to form a hole 😱 This one (photo 3) was nearly a metre deep!
This piece of wood, likely hawthorn🌳 was found at the base of a #peat hag on Snaefell. Wet, acidic peat can preserve materials for a very long time. Without carbon-dating, it's impossible to tell exactly how long this wood has been buried, but it's likely to be THOUSANDS of years old 😮
September 11, 2025 at 1:08 PM
This piece of wood, likely hawthorn🌳 was found at the base of a #peat hag on Snaefell. Wet, acidic peat can preserve materials for a very long time. Without carbon-dating, it's impossible to tell exactly how long this wood has been buried, but it's likely to be THOUSANDS of years old 😮
Yesterday we made the most of the beautiful weather 😆 to show #Tynwald members around our Beinn-y-Phott site.
Despite the typical 'bog' conditions 💨💦 we were able to look at the work that's been done to reprofile and revegetate eroding peat hags and slow the flow of water 😊
Despite the typical 'bog' conditions 💨💦 we were able to look at the work that's been done to reprofile and revegetate eroding peat hags and slow the flow of water 😊
September 10, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Yesterday we made the most of the beautiful weather 😆 to show #Tynwald members around our Beinn-y-Phott site.
Despite the typical 'bog' conditions 💨💦 we were able to look at the work that's been done to reprofile and revegetate eroding peat hags and slow the flow of water 😊
Despite the typical 'bog' conditions 💨💦 we were able to look at the work that's been done to reprofile and revegetate eroding peat hags and slow the flow of water 😊
It was great to be joined on Friday by Gareth from www.conservefor.co.uk 😊 We had a look at some of our #peatland sites and discussed different restoration methods. Gareth has many years of experience in this type of work and was happy to share his ideas while on the Island 👍
September 8, 2025 at 6:44 AM
It was great to be joined on Friday by Gareth from www.conservefor.co.uk 😊 We had a look at some of our #peatland sites and discussed different restoration methods. Gareth has many years of experience in this type of work and was happy to share his ideas while on the Island 👍
Beinn-y-Phott is one of the few places on the Island where fir clubmoss can be easily found🧐 Here it was found clinging to the overhanging edge of a peat hag💪These primitive, ancient plants reproduce by spores, like mosses, but are part of a group of vascular plants that are 400 million years old💚
September 5, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Beinn-y-Phott is one of the few places on the Island where fir clubmoss can be easily found🧐 Here it was found clinging to the overhanging edge of a peat hag💪These primitive, ancient plants reproduce by spores, like mosses, but are part of a group of vascular plants that are 400 million years old💚
Find out about the depth and extent of upland #peat on the Isle of Man by viewing our new interactive peatland map 😁 You can also view photographs 📸 of restoration areas, at fixed points, which will show changes over time. Visit our website to find out more www.manxpeat.org/map
September 3, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Find out about the depth and extent of upland #peat on the Isle of Man by viewing our new interactive peatland map 😁 You can also view photographs 📸 of restoration areas, at fixed points, which will show changes over time. Visit our website to find out more www.manxpeat.org/map
We've been impressed by how much vegetation has established on reprofiled #peat hags, however some places need a helping hand 👇 This hag had areas where the peat was still bare, so we've transplanted some small plugs 🌿 from the adjacent hillside 😊
August 28, 2025 at 12:10 PM
We've been impressed by how much vegetation has established on reprofiled #peat hags, however some places need a helping hand 👇 This hag had areas where the peat was still bare, so we've transplanted some small plugs 🌿 from the adjacent hillside 😊
Damming small drainage ditches can have an immediate effect. What was once an area of dried out bare #peat is now a small upland pool. This will keep the surrounding peat wet and create habitat for invertebrates and birds 🐦See the last three photos to see the pool infilling 😊
August 26, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Damming small drainage ditches can have an immediate effect. What was once an area of dried out bare #peat is now a small upland pool. This will keep the surrounding peat wet and create habitat for invertebrates and birds 🐦See the last three photos to see the pool infilling 😊
A magical moment 😍 when the newly created pools are visited by a dragonfly 🐉 laying it's eggs. The restoration of wet areas within peatlands benefits wildlife, carbon storage and drought resilience 😁
August 22, 2025 at 1:24 PM
A magical moment 😍 when the newly created pools are visited by a dragonfly 🐉 laying it's eggs. The restoration of wet areas within peatlands benefits wildlife, carbon storage and drought resilience 😁
Cutting #peat for fuel in the past has left some areas of the hills with bare, eroding peat. In these places the first step is to slow the flow of water💦 which we have done here using coir logs. We are currently trialling growing our own moss for use on this site 🌿😊
August 21, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Cutting #peat for fuel in the past has left some areas of the hills with bare, eroding peat. In these places the first step is to slow the flow of water💦 which we have done here using coir logs. We are currently trialling growing our own moss for use on this site 🌿😊
It's nearly time for restoration work to start again, so we made the most of the calm weather to gather some drone shots of the site before the work😊 This site was historically cut for fuel, which has left exposed and eroding peat hags, shallow vegetated gullies and hidden peat pipes.
August 15, 2025 at 8:00 AM
It's nearly time for restoration work to start again, so we made the most of the calm weather to gather some drone shots of the site before the work😊 This site was historically cut for fuel, which has left exposed and eroding peat hags, shallow vegetated gullies and hidden peat pipes.
Invertebrates are an important source of food for upland birds 🦟🐦 Craneflies and midges are most common, but the warm weather has brought out the flying ants. Unfortunately these ones have landed in a #peaty pool 😬
August 12, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Invertebrates are an important source of food for upland birds 🦟🐦 Craneflies and midges are most common, but the warm weather has brought out the flying ants. Unfortunately these ones have landed in a #peaty pool 😬