Author: Fhithich
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Snotterdale: A Dale by Any Other Name
A view south from Brown Hill, also known as Carlton Moor. On the left, is the shallow valley of Thackdale, which evolves, rather whimsically, into Snotterdale. Snotterdale, a charming offshoot of Scugdale, stirs fond memories. However, its beauty remains largely unseen by the public eye, devoid of Public Rights of Way. My exploration of its…
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Runswick Bay’s Ironworks Beneath the Cliff
Today I was at a National Trust property near Runswick Bay, a hidden gem previously unknown to me. Spanning a 5-hectare meadow, this land is a tapestry of ragwort, thistles, docks, and the occasional blackthorn and willow saplings, all requiring occasional management. The property also boasts 4.5 hectares of precipitous, overgrown cliff and approximately 225…
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An Encounter in Esk Dale
Another photograph from yesterday, captured during our return journey from Whitby to Grosmont, which we reached by train for the outward leg. Our route followed the Esk Valley Walk, though much of it traversed the well-preserved flagged paths known as the Monk’s Trod. This path is purportedly the medieval route linking Grosmont Priory and Whitby…
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An Echo of Grosmont Priory
The Grandmontine Priory of Grosmont was established around 1200 at a site overlooking the River Esk. It was one Joan de Turnham who granted the site to the monks, and according to the deed of gift, a “mansion house” already existed there. Its surrounding fields, covering about 200 acres, were already in cultivation, evidenced by…
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A riverbank in bloom
A peaceful riverside scene with bright pink flowers might look nice, but there’s more to the story. These pretty flowers are actually hiding a problem. The flowers are called Himalayan Balsam, a plant originally brought to Britain from another part of the world for Victorian gardens. However, it quickly spread outside gardens and now grows…
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Huntcliff: A Roman Lookout Lost to the Sea
It’s been a lovely day at the seaside, but I my eyes were drawn to Huntcliff Nab, the huge beetling cliff that towers over Saltburn. It’s made of soft shales and is slowly being worn away by the sea and wind. I imagined what the headland would have looked like almost two millenia ago, when…
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The National Trust’s Never-Ending Battle
The Lake District, known for its beautiful scenery, made the BBC news this morning, but not because of its peaceful views or poetic charm. Instead, the news was about the rubbish left by people pretending to be campers. The shores of Buttermere are now covered with abandoned camping gear like mattresses, clothing, and even an…
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From Battersby to Farndale: A Stone that Guides the Way
Standing stones, those charming columns of rock, are strewn all over the North York Moors. Some mark parish or estate boundaries, others waymarkers or religious crosses. Take this small, irregular stone, for instance, standing unobtrusively just south of the old Rosedale mineral railway line. It is probably post-medieval, though it marks a trod from Battersby…
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Bridestone Griff
Ah, what a scene of unparalleled magnificence. Majestic sandstone columns and rock outcrops, shaped over millennia by wind and rain, now somewhat overwhelmed by a verdant sea of bracken, rippling across the landscape like an oversized duvet. Deep wooded valleys, or “griffs,” carve into the moor, a National Trust property a few miles south of…
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Mists of Misinformation: Chemtrails
A splendid summer morning, the sky an unblemished expanse of blue with the occasional fluffy cloud. Above Battersby Moor, a puffy white streak trails behind an unseen aeroplane, an innocuous contrail formed predominantly from water vapour. Yet, a growing faction of the population insists these are not mere vestiges of aviation but harbingers of malevolence.…