Category: North York Moors
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A Return to Bransdale: Battling the Tenacious Pine and Larch Saplings
After a hiatus of a few weeks, I find myself once again in Bransdale, volunteering my time to the National Trust. The task at hand is none other than the removal or trimming of young larch and pine saplings that have sprouted up on their own in Bloworth Wood, which was clear-cut a couple of…
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On the lookout for fairies in Baysdale
An early morning saunter around Baysdale, that remote dale in an expanse of moorland, its lush fields gleaming in the sunlight. In the distance, Ingleby Moor draped in a shroud of clouds, though it would disperse within the hour, leaving with a bright and dry morning. But this tranquil scene is soon to be disrupted,…
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Checking on Medusa: A Slippery Slope to the Ancient Oak
Caught on Greenhow Bank in a shower and finding myself taking more time than anticipated, I decided to take a shortcut by descending the bank directissimo, which led me to a spot above Medusa. My thought I would pay a visit to the old gorgon to check on her well-being. The descent was nothing short…
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From Roseberry’s Shadow to Durham Gaol: The David Cobbold Saga
In those turbulent days of the 1930s, in the quaint village of Newton-under-Roseberry, there existed a shop of equally quaint nomenclature – “Ye Olde Village Shoppe.” Now, I am sure, there might well have been other shops in that village, but the tale I’ve uncovered revolves around none other than the proprietor of the said…
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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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Woolly Wanderers on Roseberry Common
On Roseberry Common, a flock of sheep takes refuge from the rain and blustering wind amidst the sterile shale remains of an old jet quarry. A hundred and fifty years on, Mother Nature’s still struggling to reclaim the spoil left behind from the hunt for that fossilised wood of the Monkey Puzzle tree, deposited on…
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Donna Cross—from Medieval cross to a legal feud
On the col between Cold Moor and Cringle, one almost stumbles across the stump of Donna Cross hidden amidst the bracken. A boulder, rooted deep in the earth, serves as its natural base, with a socket in which a stone is wedged. This stone, however, is not believed to be a part of the original…
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A Cup of Tea or a Pass: Deciding on ‘Este Jesus Cristo que Vos Fala – Livro 3’
On yet another driech day, the summit of Roseberry stood free of its cloudy cap, and there was a swarm of early risers climbing up. One couldn’t help but wonder if there was some sort of sponsored walk in progress. The other day, I stumbled upon an intriguing discovery – a book titled “Este Jesus…
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Blakey Ridge and The Lion Inn: From Crutched Friars to Modern Hikers
A view across Rosedale towards Blakey Ridge. In the front, Florence Terrace, one of many rows of terraced cottages built to house the ironstone miners and their families. Rosedale’s population surged in the two decades between 1851 and 1871. Barely discernible on the distant skyline stands the Lion Inn. There are few inns more remote,…
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Codhill Quarry—A 19th-Century Legacy
Here on Codhill, on Gisborough Moors, is one of a pair of small sandstone quarries. Probably 19th-century. It couldn’t have produced any significant amount of rock, likely used for some dry stone walling over at Sleddale Farm. Really, there is not much else to say about this feature. Now, the day started off all hot…