Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Category: Stanghow Moor

  • Boundary stone on Stanghow Moor

    Boundary stone on Stanghow Moor

    Exploring hob country, the area of moorland south-east of Guisborough. This early 19th-century boundary stone marks an old parish boundary between Guisborough and Stanghow. It is about half way between Hob on the Hill and Hob Cross, which names denote a connection with those mischievious sprites that are supposedly the descendants of prehistoric inhabitants. The…

  • A beautiful autumn day, clear and sunny, with light winds and a slight nip in the air

    A beautiful autumn day, clear and sunny, with light winds and a slight nip in the air

    I have had a couple of people say to me recently that “controlled” burning of the moors is now illegal. Well, that’s not quite right. According to Defra the new regulations introduced last year “will prevent the burning of any specified vegetation on areas of deep peat (over 40cm depth) on a Site of Special…

  • A longing look at a sea fret

    A longing look at a sea fret

    Stanghow Moor, looking back towards Low Moor, amputated by the A170. A distant bank of cloud suggests a sea fret. But first, Live Moor, east of Birk Brow, a sad patch of heather moorland, scarred by generations of motorcyclists, and, in the 17th-century, by poor Jenny Frisk when she was ducked in a witch trial.…

  • Moor burning, Stanghow Moor

    Moor burning, Stanghow Moor

    The Farming Today program on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday covered moorland management (it’s available here as a podcast for 28 days). On it was a representative from the Moorland Association who said that rotational burning of grouse moorland had been “voluntarily suspended”. If you are not aware, rotational burning is the practice when our…