Photographer's book gets to heart of hills

Upland, written and photographed by Andrew Fusek Peters, is an exploration of the Long Mynd and the Stiperstones ridge, the largest area of heathland in the Shropshire hills.

Published by Graffeg on June 25, there will be a launch at National Trust's Long Mynd base in Carding Mill Valley on June 20, along with the trusts own Long Mynd Guide Book on June 20.

There will be a talk at the Carding Mill Valley tea room, together with cheese and wine, from 7pm.

Upland came about when Andrew was commissioned by the National Trust and Natural England for their major environmental project, Stepping Stones, an innovative plan to prevent the decline of certain wildlife species by linking nature reserves to create a viable habitat that will enable threatened species to recover.

Andrew said: “Modern farming methods have impacted severely on birds such as the lapwing and curlew.

"Loss of habitat due to development and road building projects is another major problem.

"The Stepping Stones project links the two nature reserves, Stiperstones, owned by Natural England, and Long Mynd, which is in the custodianship of the National Trust, creating habitat 'corridors' in between, so that these reserves are no longer islands.

"A population existing in an island habitat could easily be extinguished by fire, famine, disease or a sudden change in land management. By putting as much habitat back as possible enables wildlife to recover more readily in adverse conditions.

“The decline in species is extremely worrying, the older generation of country people describe flocks of birds like the linnet, where you are now lucky to see two or three. Even birds we used to take for granted such as the mistle thrush, are now in decline.”

Much as he fears for the landscape and the wildlife that depends on it, Fusek Peters said he is keen to show that beauty still exists, and by conveying the glory of the natural world, encourage more of us to protect and cherish it.

“There is a responsibility on all of us to do whatever we can to minimise our impact on the planet,” he said.

“I hope my pictures convey the outstanding beauty of Shropshire’s upland area, and feel inspired to protect it."

Peter Gill, managing director of Graffeg, said: “Andrew Fusek Peters' photographic work has graced the pages of national newspapers and magazines for many years, but this book illustrates that he is equally adept at writing, and his love of the landscape comes across eloquently, yet without sentimentality. This is a magical book , and he has put his heart and should into its creation.”