Peak Landscapes: ‘You Can See Minninglow From Here'

John Barnatt led countless guided walks during his nearly 30 years as senior survey archaeologist for the Peak District National Park Authority, attracting a loyal band of archaeological ‘groupies’ in the process.

- Roly Smith

His beautifully-produced new book Reading the Peak District Landscape (Historic England, £30) would be a perfect Christmas present for anyone who is fascinated, like John, with the palimpsest represented by the Peak’s landscape.

In the book, he recalls how he often told his followers: ‘You can see Minninglow from here.’ And it is quite amazing how often you can see the distinctive clump of beech trees, now surrounded by a new circle of trees, which top the Neolithic chambered tomb above the High Peak Trail, on the horizon from so many viewpoints.

‘After a while, I started receiving anonymous postcards from all over the world where all it said on the reverse was “You can see Minninglow from here”, and they still occasionally arrive,’ explains John. ‘It is these “off the wall” happenings that have added to my joy of sharing what I know of this wonderful landscape.’