Month: August 2020
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Shandy Hall and Laurence Sterne
In 2003, The Guardian published one of those 100 greatest lists that we’re all familiar with. This one was for “the 100 greatest novels of all time“. No. 1 was Don Quixote, followed by Pilgrim’s Progress and Robinson Crusoe. Surprising but not altogether unexpected. To me, what was surprising was that, in 7th place, was…
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Waymarker stone, Carr Ridge
This heather alongside the Cleveland Way seems to have avoided the worst of the ravishes of Lochmaea suturalis, the heather beetle. Not a bad display. The beetle overwinters dormant deep in the undergrowth of the heather, emerging in the spring when they are able to fly up to a range of several miles. The Wikipedia…
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Maddy House Farm
A while ago I came across these few intriguing paragraphs by A. J. Brown in his book “Striding through Yorkshire”. He is describing a walk from Commondale to Castleton: Instead of following the direct road to Castleton by the side of the beck – a feeder of the Esk – I followed a roundabout footpath…
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Suggitt’s Bridge
A day for keeping local. With a flood alert issued for Stokesley last night, I had expected the river to be a little higher. Upstream the level had at least another 15 inches to rise before it would start to flow into the flood overflow bunds. The river has claimed many lives. A boy and…
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The Hackness Shame
I had a look around the Forge Valley near Scarborough, a place I’ve always wanted to see but never had the opportunity. I must admit, I wasn’t that overwhelmed. A dense tree canopy and lots of mud. Still, it’s good to explore somewhere new. Hackness Hall was impressive though and with a colourful bit of…
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Capt. Cook’s Monument in Storm Francis
Woke up to Storm Francis throwing everything it had at us. But on the positive side, under a new Government algorithm, it’s now been downgraded to Force 3 on the Beaufort Scale, a gentle breeze. But what to do. I needed inspiration. That old fallback, Capt. Cook left Plymouth today (25th August) on the first…
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Skeldersceugh Farm
A view from the south of Commondale, named after Bishop Colman of Lindisfarne who had been a monk at Whitby in the 7th-century. Top left, basking in the sunshine, is Skeldersceugh Farm which is likely to be the site of Skelderskew Grange, a monastic grange of Guisborough Priory. The name was first mentioned early in…
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Bilsdale from Cold Moor
An out and back run along the Cold Moor ridge giving a super view of Bilsdale. If the proposal for The Ingleby, Bilsdale and Helmsley Railway had come to fruition the far side of the dale would have been forever scarred. The railway would have joined the North Eastern Railway at Ingleby station and tunnel…
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Hen Harrier Day 2020 Mural
A YouTube video provided the excuse for a visit to what must be one of the quietest dales on the North York Moors. Hartoft, or should it be Hartoft-dale, is a shallow v-shaped tributary of Rosedale. It could be said to be a Rosedale in miniature, and without the crowds. And the video was an…
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Ash Bank
The last time I used this track up to Highcliff Nab, was several winters ago, in the dark. It was then, as I’ve always remembered it, a quagmire, enclosed by tall forestry conifers. So it was quite surprising to find the bank clear-felled revealing a surprising view of Guisborough. And removed from the perpetual shade,…