What’s a Mere? A mere is one of those round man-made ponds which you can see on the limestone grasslands of the White Peak. They are sometimes referred to as dew-ponds but stories that they are filled by morning dew are nonsense. Peakland meres are fed by surface water following rain and snow. Monyash was famous for its five village meres, though they were in fact fed by springs.The only one left is Fere Mere, once the village water supply. The other four - Horse Mere, Jack Mere, Frost Mere and Cow Mere - have been filled in. In 1899 a Monyash greengrocer, John Holland, 60, drowned in one of these meres. The water was 6-9 ft (2-3m) deep. Most farmland meres are only a few feet deep. They have shallow edges so livestock can get to the water. Nowadays they are sometimes fenced off as dairy cattle are no longer permitted to drink from them. Read on to find out how to make one. Read More >> More Pictures On the farm