Category: Danby Rigg
-
Standing Stone, Old Wife’s Stones Way
A leisurely saunter into the morning sunshine across the ancient expanse of Danby Rigg on the Old Wife’s Stones Way. A timely shower to the west served as a fitting backdrop to this squat yet impressive standing stone. The route, considered no older than medieval times, is lined with tall, slender standing stones, save for…
-
The old Corpse Road to Danby Church
Old ‘corpse roads‘ or ‘coffin paths‘ were the routes country folk used to carry the dearly departed to their final resting place. They lie subliminally somewhere between myth and memory, and go by other names, like ‘bier roads,’ ‘lych ways,’ and ‘church-ways.‘ The memory of these old paths perhaps became more intangible because of how…
-
The Coombs
The moors have been transformed into a vibrant green as bilberries blanket the landscape. From this vantage point in the Esk valley, overlooking a basin resembling an armchair at the northern edge of Danby Rigg, known as ‘The Coombs.’ A captivating scene which caught the attention of Rev. Canon Atkinson, who dedicated fifty years as…
-
Danby Rigg, flanked by Little Fryup Dale and Danby Dale
The sunshine made a refreshing change from the low cloud and mizzle of the last few days. This is taken on the descent from Danby Beacon looking due south. Just left of centre is Danby Castle, a partially ruined 14th-century pile built by the Latimer family, now part of a working farm with Court Leet…
-
Stanch Bullen and Round Hill
I’ve always thought this was Fairy Cross Plain but that is not strictly correct. That name belongs to the col just off to the right, where Little Fryup Dale becomes Great Fryup Dale, where the myth persisted through the centuries as the home of elves and fairies. The small rounded knoll has a more descriptive…
-
Little Fryup Dale
It’s been a few months since I’ve been up on the Heads, that elongated hill separating the two Fryup Dales. This is the head of the smaller dale. The buildings on the far left are named on the map as Fairy Cross Plain. There are two cottages, one is relatively modern but the other has…
-
The Moors Centre
A lovely clear morning for a stroll over Ainthorpe Rigg. The North York Moors National Park’s Danby Lodge looking good in the vernal sunshine. It started life as a hunting lodge for John Dawnay, the 5th Viscount Downe. Before the renovations a date of there was a date of 1774 on the lintel of a…
-
Hanging Stone, Danby Dale
When the Reverend J.C.Atkinson became the vicar of the parish of Danby in 1847 there was no village of Danby and as far as he could ascertain there had never been one. There was a Danby Dale, a Danby Rigg and a Danby Castle. There were several hamlets: Dale End, Little Fryup and Ainthorpe, and…
-
Jack Sledge Road
Ever get that feeling of lethargy during the dark winter months. It hit me today. Must have melatonin to spare. And a wee sniffle didn’t help. So a potter around Danby Rigg. This is the Jack Sledge Road as it descends into Little Fryup Dale. It must be an ancient track linking the dale with…
-
Bell heather, Danby Rigg
The first of the heathers are out. Bell heather, such a deep rich colour, my favourite. Ling, which will cover the moors by August is much lighter, more of a lilac. The third type of heather found on the moors is Cross-leaved heath with pale pink flowers. The ditch on the right is part of…