Category: Kildale
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Percy Cross Rigg’s Hut Circles
I thought I would take a re-look at the Percy Rigg Iron Age hut circles. It has been quite some time. Alas, the perimeter fence lies in disrepair, casting a pall of melancholy over the entire site. Located on the Percy Cross Rigg, just 460 metres down from the remains of the medieval cross, this…
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Source of the Leven
A rarely seen view of the upper reaches of the River Leven, that tributary of the Tees, before it begins its winding journey through the lowlands south of Middlesbrough. Beginning high on Warren Moor at the edge of Cleveland Hills, this river is unique as the only one north of the Humber that flows westward…
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Smelly Farm and the 18th Century Enclosures
A rather drab photograph capturing a drab-looking collection of barns, reflecting an exceptionally drab overcast day. The presence of a strong wind and rain in the air adds to the overall drabness. Lounsdale — sometimes spelt Lonsdale — stands before me in all its aromatic glory. The barns, once known to my friendship group with…
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The Scented Secrets of ‘Mousse de Chêne’
What a delightful day! Bitter, raw, cold enough to freeze your marrow. The wind, a so-called “lazy wind,” doesn’t bother taking the scenic route around you; it simply chooses the direct route, right through your very being. Upon Coate Moor, amidst a gap in the trees, a view up Kildale. The young trees hereabouts, mostly…
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St. Hilda’s Chapel Archaeological Dig
My Wednesdays are spent at an archaeological dig at the medieval chapel site in Kildale and on my penultimate day for this season, a reflection of the progress so far. We’ve unearthed a further trove of pottery, yet raised more questions than answers. This season started with six tidy two-metre square test trenches, but they…
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Kildale’s Telecoms Mast Dilemma
The picture doesn’t quite portray the hurricane-like gusts, making it a struggle to stay upright. Another rain shower is looming, chasing away the previous one in no time. I’m up on the moor behind Park Nab, looking across Kildale. On the distant skyline, at its highest point, stands Captain Cook’s Monument. But something’s amiss with…
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Benchmark on Kildale Moor
I unexpectedly stumbled upon this benchmark a week ago. And yesterday, seeking a breather after a gruelling climb from Hob Hole, I concealed my bike amidst the heather, then ambled a couple hundred metres to revisit it. The mark, showing little sign of erosion, distinctly directs attention to a notch atop the boulder. Clearly an…
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Cosmic Alignments or Coincidence?
So there I was, flicking through Brian A. Smith and Alan A. Walker’s book “Rock Art and Ritual,” when a quirky little detail caught my eye. They mentioned something about a prehistoric ring-cairn on Kildale Moor, with a clear line of sight to the ring-cairn on Great Ayton Moor and, on the same line, to…
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Thursdays with the National Trust but a photograph from yesterday
Thursdays usually find me as an eager volunteer with the National Trust, and today I was at one of their tenanted farms, located in the vicinity of the Bridestones. The job: the Herculean task of repairing the ailing state of the fence boundary between a small patch of woodland and a field containing some sort…
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Park Nab’s Holly Tree Wall
This is Park Nab in Kildale — a sandstone crag that is one of the prime venues for climbing in North Yorkshire. Now, I’d never go so far as to call myself a “climber,” yet I’ve dabbled in the sport, to an extent. Amongst my successes is a route aptly named: “Twin Cracks,” finishing its…