Murrins NNR

Set amidst the broad sweep of the Sperrin foothills, the Murrins had their origins in the late glacial period, when a retreating ice sheet dammed a lake into which rivers brought vast quantities of sediment which were deposited in a series of deltas.

Today, this dry raised fan of material supports a rich heath vegetation dominated by bell Heather which is home to the Red Grouse. Its dry ridges extend out like a delta into a sea of blanket bog, itself only some 4000 years old. Turf-cutters here have unearthed the remains of a bronze-age field network under the bog, established at a time when the climate was different and the growing qualities of soil quickly became exhausted.

Perched among the glacial moraines are several small lakes called kettle-holes, formed from melted blocks of ice abandoned by the retreating ice-sheet; they are the haunt of mallard, teal and the occasional nesting feral grey-lag goose. Around some of the lakes, green and blue damselflies dart amongst the swampy vegetation which includes the rare broad-leaved mud sedge.

This is a place of open vistas, expansive bogland and the ever-present whistling wind, a fitting place for hunting falcons.

Facilities: None. Visitors are asked to contact the Warden to arrange access.

Warden: (028) 3885 1102