Month: January 2022
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River Leven at Stokesley
Simple structures intended to slow the flow of the river by making it more wiggly. Centuries of canalisation of the river and an over-enthusiastic flood prevention scheme built in the 1970s have resulted in a poor aquatic environment. The barriers have been built in conjunction with major improvements to flood alleviation upstream which should allow…
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Thomas Kitchingman Staveley
I took this photo of a pair of 19th-century boundary stones that identifies the old parish boundary between Newton under Roseberry and Great Ayton to demonstrate the extent of the National Trust land on Newton Moor. The National Trust property boundary follows the old parish boundary, so the beck just beyond the boundary stones is…
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Lingcote End
An unfamiliar view of the lower portion of Westerdale, taken whilst being buffeted by Storm Malik, the latest of this winter’s storm. I am on what is named as Grange Bank on the old O.S. map descending into the dale after a slog over Baysdale Moor. The photo gives a good overview of the medieval…
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View of Stokesley and the Cleveland Plain from Tom Gill
I was minded to post a photo of Stokesley today, as on this day, 28th January, a Royalist army was raised in the town. If you didn’t know Stokesley is the built-up area far left in the photo. In a previous post, I wrote about the Battle of Marske Beach when, in the summer of…
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Willow hedging
I spotted this newly layered willow hedge this morning and was quite impressed. I thought willow hedging was mainly ornamental or perhaps useful in boggy ground so it’s surprising to see it used as a field boundary. I guess the hedge is only partially complete and the long ‘poles‘ will be laid sideways and interweaved.…
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Baysdale
Today is Australia Day. An Australian national holiday to commemorate when the British First Fleet, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, sailed into Port Jackson so establishing the first permanent white European settlement on the continent. The year was 1788, almost eighteen years after Captain James Cook had set foot on the place. The fleet comprised eleven…
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Hrímfaxi, the goddess of the night’s horse, pulls her chariot through the dark sky
It was pretty bleak on Urra Moor this morning. I had half expected to see ‘The Hagmare of Orrer‘, a witch that was said to roam the moor in the guise of a horse. I had met this beast earlier on Greenhow Moor. The great plow of Watership Down thundering out of the freezing mist.…
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The North York Moors Draft Management Plan
I found out today that the North York Moors National Park have been consulting the public on their Draft Management Plan November 2021. The trouble is the deadline for comments was 21 January 2022. I’ve missed the boat. I wonder where they publicised this “consultation”. Anyhow, the plan proposes six “outcomes”: 1. A resilient landscape…
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The Cleveland Plain from Ingleby Incline
As I was struggling up the Ingleby Incline I spotted the carving of the top hatted gentleman about ¾ of the way up and a nascent connection with one of today’s historical anniversaries formed. I have taken a photo of the carving before. Nothing much has changed so I thought I might as well reuse…