Bolehill Quarry, Peak District

Just 120 years ago, Bolehill Quarry was a bustling industrial site that provided stone for the nearby Howden and Derwent dams. Evidence of railways for transporting stone away from Bolehill still remain. After the dams were finished, the former quarry was covered in silver birches which, due to the nature of the shallow soil and rocky surroundings, grow extremely thin and tall.

The mix of bright, thin and gangly silver birch trunks, grassy meadows, and millstone rocks and cliffs are a wonderful combination. The environment is often chaotic, but strong compositions are plentiful with time. I have been visiting Bolehill Quarry since 2009.