Month: August 2024
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Cumulus, Cirrus, and The Cleveland Hills
As I trudged along the escarpment of Great Ayton Moor, my eyes were drawn southwestward, where a rather theatrical display of clouds was being jostled along by an brisk southwesterly wind. My morning walk had started with a few ominous spots of rain, but which was grudgingly giving way to clear skies. One cannot help…
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The Sheep Walk’s Silent Lament
Long ago, or so the legend goes, a Danish chieftain met a sticky end amongst these rocky crags now known as the Wainstones, a name supposedly derived from the Old Saxon ‘wanian,’ meaning to lament. Perhaps our unfortunate chieftain found his doom in this rather dramatic boulder-strewn gap between the rock outcrops, now rather humbly…
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Betty Strother: A Yorkshire Witch
Cycling through Danby Park today opened up views of Castleton, perched precariously on the rigg across the Esk Valley. I was reminded of one of those countless lockdown projects—those fleeting fancies born of enforced idleness—which, like so many others, has been unceremoniously abandoned to gather dust. This particular project involved the tedious task of transcribing…
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A Stone in the Heather
While the heather is in full bloom, it seems absurd not to be up on the moors. This boundary stone, standing proud over the heather, is marked on its Bilsdale side with the inscription “FEVERSHAM 1848,” a name requiring little introduction. It refers, of course, to William Duncombe, the 2nd Baron Feversham, whose seat was…
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Landslides and Lost Steps
The coast offered a respite from the mist that, I understand, shrouded the moors today. This is Port Mulgrave, once a bustling harbour east of Staithes, where ironstone was shipped to the foundries of Tyneside. The descent from the cliff top at Port Mulgrave to the harbour below is no easy task. The path, worn…
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The Wayward Nuns of Baysdale Abbey
This rickety cairn seems to teeter precariously over Baysdale but it has stood for at least half a century. A former resident once informed me that it was constructed by Roland Close, an estate worker and renowned local archaeologist who grew up in Shepherd’s House, the ‘last’ house in the dale. Close would pass by…
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The Pinfold of Swainby: A Glimpse into Medieval Livestock Management
Little remains of medieval Swainby, a village first mentioned in records from the late 13th or early 14th century. By the 16th century, many of its villagers were engaged in the tanning industry. At the southern edge of the village stands a small square pen built from large, roughly coursed sandstone blocks, complete with quoining…
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Graffiti, Landslips, and Bonfires
Standing alone atop Roseberry Topping is a rare privilege. From this vantage point, Guisborough lies in the distance, with the North Sea stretching beyond. The crags of the summit are scarred by decades of graffiti, the soft sandstone inviting visitors from the towns of Teesside to carve their names into history. Many of these inscriptions…
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Hartlepool’s Medieval Town Wall
Today, only a fragment of Hartlepool’s medieval town wall endures. Rising 18 feet high and six feet thick, it overlooks the Fish Sands and includes the pointed arch of the Sandwell Gate. Though this is but a small portion, it still offers a splendid glimpse of the town wall’s former defences. The wall had originally…
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Purple Haze: Ling’s Role in Yorkshire’s Past
For a brief spell each year, the North York Moors are transformed into a sea of iconic purple. The ling, or heather, is not quite at its peak yet; it remains patchy, especially here on Great Ayton Moor. Some may argue that these vast stretches of purple moorland lack diversity and serve only the grouse…