Month: March 2025
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Harehope Quarry
I had heard of Frosterley âmarbleââa misleading name for what is actually a dark, durable limestone. It can be cut and polished like real marble, but unlike the genuine article, it is riddled with fossils, mainly solitary corals, which create peculiar patterns when sliced open. It has been used extensively in buildings of note, including…
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Lord Rabyâs Smelting Scheme: The Story of Gaunless Mill
The weather has taken a turn for the worse, so a modest walk it is, to gaze upon the Gaunless Mill Chimney at Copley. This lone, crumbling relic of Teesdaleâs lead smelting past stands in quiet defiance of time and indifference. The Gaunless Mill, despite being on a tributary of the Wear rather than the…
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The Bishopâs Stones
Up on the bleak moorlands of the North Pennines today, straddling the borders of Durham, Cumbria, and Northumberland. A landscape of peat groughs and bogs thick with sphagnum moss, stirring memoriesânot necessarily unpleasant, just good times when I was fit enough to fly over this stuff without hesitating. Judging by the abundance of medicated grit…
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Harehope Burn Lead Mine
What a thrill it is to stumble upon the unexpected. A bit of history, a scenic spot, or perhaps a fleeting moment with nature. Weardale is unfamiliar to me, and my expectations were suitably low for the hills south of Wolsingham. So imagine my joy when we found the remains of Harehope Burn Lead Mine,…
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Kildale Moor Revisited
Ah yes, for the second day in a row, I found myself wandering around Kildale Moor, once again staring down at Sleddale Slackâthough, to keep things fresh, I chose a slightly different vantage point. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Off to the right, perched on the high ground, is Percy Rigg, home…
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Kildale Moor: Cairnfields and Forgotten Paths
The sky is a washed-out blue, untroubled by clouds. Even in their dreary winter shades, the moors still manage to look grand. I find myself on Kildale Moor, a vast expanse littered with prehistoric cairnfields, settlements, and funerary monuments. Allegedly. In reality, one must squint to discern any such features. The standing stone, however, is…
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The Teachersâ Bridge
A comment on an old post prompted me to take this photograph. It shows the River Leven meandering lazily through what was once the grounds of the Friendsâ School in Great Ayton. The water tumbles over a small weir on the left, adding a touch of drama to an otherwise tranquil scene, while the so-called…
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Urra Moor on Pancake Day
Up on Urra Moor this morning, the sun made an appearance, but the wind still had a bite to it. This is the view across Bilsdale to Hasty Bank. If you strain your eyes, you might just make out Roseberry Topping in the far distance. I suppose I must acknowledge that it is Pancake Dayâthough…
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A Costly Collop â The Ubiquitous Smoke of Burning Heather
A view south-east, straight into a hazy sun, down Lonsdale and across to Kildale Moor. The scene is, of course, marred by a hibernal plume of smoke from the burning of the heather, because no landscape is complete without an artificial smog. But enough about that. Today is the penultimate opportunity for carnivorous indulgence before…
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Baysdale and a Digression into the Art of Grave Digging
Baysdale today, perhaps the remotest dale in the North York Moors, accessible by car only from its head. This is Shepherdâs House, the last in the daleâor perhaps the first, depending on oneâs perspective. I have already posted about Baysdale ad nauseum, so instead, I shall give you a little snippet from the Newcastle Guardian…