11. The natural vegetation is characterised by areas of blanket bog , impoverished upland heath and acid grassland. 12. This is caused by run-off from the upland sandstones and blanket bogs in their catchment areas. 13. The area has one of the largest expanses of blanket bog and heathland in northern England. 14. In some areas of Europe, the spread of blanket bogs is traced to deforestation by prehistoric cultures. 15. The problem is particularly acute for raised bogs as they yield a higher-grade fuel than blanket bogs . 16. The area is remote, virtually uninhabited blanket bog which was once used mainly for milled peat production. 17. Landscape largely consists of Atlantic blanket bog interspersed with some areas of machair and white sandy beaches. 18. Nowadays, it is a Special Area of Conservation because of the unique nature of the intact blanket bog habitat. 19. Bedrock geology for both areas is shale overlain locally by glacial till and blanket bog vegetation is well developed. 20. Due to the inhospitable nature of these areas due to blanket bogs and thin rock, they were sparsely populated.
