Author: Fhithich
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Pilgrimage of Grace
On the 19th October 1536, Henry VIII lost his patience at the rebels on the Pilgrimage of Grace. He wrote to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk: “You are to use all dexterity in getting the harness and weapons of the said rebels brought in to Lincoln or other sure places, and cause all the boats…
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Sleddale Farm
A shaft of sunlight falls upon Sleddale Farm, an island of cultivation in a sea of dull heather moorland. The name itself means “a wide flat valley”. The farmhouse is probably Victorian but it’s been cultivated since at least the 16th-century. At the dissolution of Gisborough Priory, Henry VIII granted its grange, Sleddale Close, to…
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Nanny’s Nook
A dull morning for a bike ride, but dry. Just outside Commondale on the Kildale road, there is a small copse. It hides a double right-angled bend in the dry stone wall called Nanny’s Nook, said by Frank Elgee to have been frequented by a witch and the site of an ancient settlement. This may…
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Scandale Pass
In the Lakes. A one-way trip from Hartsop to Rydal. One-way trips are always more interesting. I haven’t used the High Pike ridge of Dove Crag much. A couple of times descending in the Fairfield Horseshoe. This view is from High Pike summit looking towards Scandale Pass, the col between Red Screes and Dove Crag.…
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“They say this is the finest view in all England, my liege”
So Robert the Bruce’s groom may have remarked as the Scottish King contemplated the view on the afternoon of 14th October 1322. Probably – not “Yer bum’s oot the windae” the King replied. Definitely – not. But it is quite likely this spectacular view could have indeed been seen by Robert the Bruce. On a…
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Tiers of a Clown
Ah, one of the songs from my teenage years. In fact, it could be a contender for the Motown section of my desert island discs. The phrase is used to describe a person, traditionally Pierrot the sad clown, who appears cheerful and lively but, underneath the makeup, is emotionally distraught. Like the pun? Maybe I…
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Quagmires, Sphagnum moss and WW1 wound dressings
If you find yourself stuck fast in an area of seemingly stable ground that suddenly gives way underfoot and leaves you becoming engulfed and unable to go forwards or backwards, you’ve probably found yourself in a quagmire. Obviously, there may be current political parallels but this is about quagmires in which the predominant vegetation is Sphagnum…
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Waites House Farm, Westerdale
On 13th January 1858 the Teesdale Mercury carried a report: “SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION – An instance of spontaneous ignition among alum shale has lately occurred in the parish of Westerdale in the North Riding. At a certain point in Westerdale Head the process of jet mining has been carried on for some time past, and a…
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Fast Castle
This is a part of the country I just didn’t know existed. We’re usually dashing past on the A1. But it’s a fascinating coastline, rugged, unfrequented with few paths. Fast Castle looked interesting, perched on an inaccessible promontory called Castle Knowe. It was built in the 14th-century, destroyed and rebuilt in the 16th but in…
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Bass Rock
I must confess, I have never set foot on the island. But it looked so white in the October sunshine and clear air I couldn’t resist a photo. The whiteness comes from the thousands of gannets and other sea birds that live on this gigantic lump of basalt. Look closely and you can make out…