It is a year to the day since a wildfire spread across the Goyt Valley, on the western edges of the Peak District, leaving habitat destruction and ecological devastation in its wake. I witnessed this firsthand, living within spitting distance of the valley. In the weeks that followed the tireless efforts of local Mountain Rescue volunteers and Fire Service teams, I walked the old familiar paths. They had been transformed into corridors through a blackened landscape, peppered with the carcasses of curlew and charred remains of hatchlings and eggs.
I shall never forget the acrid yellow smoke which almost blocked out the sun that day. But this film serves as a timely reminder as, earlier this week, two fires in the Dark Peak made headlines for affecting 800,000sqm of moorland and today another “large-scale fire” has closed Snake Pass. Astonishingly, despite the bleak outlook of repeated recent history across our uplands areas during another dry start to spring, After the Smoke Clears is ultimately a film about hope.
You can watch the full film from Moors for the Future here:
People have described the Goyt Valley as ‘barren’ and ‘desolate’ but After the Smoke Clears spotlights its true essence. It is a life source. This charming and poignant short film begins by guiding us into the ecological intricacies of these uplands, cherished by the local community.
The landscape itself is the star of the show. The drone footage captures it at its gentle best and, during the fire, its worst. The film gives a unique insight into the horrifying spectacle of a wild fire tearing through a living environment that most of us will be lucky enough to never see in real time.
Supporting cast members – the Moors for the Future volunteers and local residents – speak to the heart of the film. On her ‘patch’ of the Goyt Valley, volunteer Sally Hunter likens the Goyt to “that dog in the shelter that just needed to be loved” – not long before her phone rang mid-interview. Sally’s ringtone is personalised to chirp out the cry of the curlew that also call this special place home. It was an unexpectedly offbeat moment, and one that I found deeply affecting.
There’s zero pretence – no room for it in the short runtime – and all of the participants artfully dodge cliche as they recall the blaze and document the plant and habitat loss, and the damage to peat and blanket bog.
The source of the fire here has never been discovered. The impacts of climate change – 2025’s was the driest spring since 1893 – no doubt had a part to play. A healthy peatland offers the largest and most efficient land-based store of carbon in the world. With this context echoing in my mind, it’s clear that the work to maintain and preserve upland areas like the Goyt is vital.
This fire was a ‘wake up call’ and After The Smoke Clears offers hope that, with the on-the-ground work of Moors for the Future and other organisations like it – and their dedication to educating the hill-going public, these wildfires may not prevail nor be repeated.
After the Smoke Clears is released today on the Moors for the Future YouTube channel.
If you see smoke or flames on the moors, don’t wait. Call 999.
