Month: July 2023
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Rediscovering a ford on the River Leven: last captured in 1998
The other day, out of nowhere, I was jolted back to the year 1998 when a long-forgotten photograph emerged out of cyberspace. It shows the ford on the River Leven, nestled gracefully into the grounds of the Friends’ School at Great Ayton. Astonishingly, I have no recollection of ever capturing this moment, and the realisation…
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Trampling hooves and composting dreams — Dealing with Bracken
In the midst of this stifling bracken season, I’ve yet to encounter anyone who harbours any affection for this plant. Sure, it may bring a touch of colour come autumn, but only when it’s dead and devoid of vitality. In the summer, perhaps a stroke of luck might grant you a glimpse of a stonechat…
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Kirkby-in-Cleveland
Or should that be Kirby-in-Cleveland? After all, we have a Kirby Lane, Hall, and Bridge. Villages often feel to me like a last resort for photography, with parked cars cluttering the streets and interesting buildings shielded by being private houses. Yet, churches and pubs stand out as two exceptions, bearing the charm and history of…
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Sticky bobs
Burdock, an awkward and ungainly plant, possesses the virtue of strength, standing tall with its sizeable leaves, making it a favourite subject for landscape painters, often adding depth to shady corners. Yet, it is in our childhood memories that we recall this plant by various names: Bachelor’s buttons, Button sourees, Bcggar’s buttons, Love leaves, Sticklebacks,…
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Snilesworth’s Callanish
In a misty embrace of swirling mizzle, this place of intriguing standing stones has been dubbed as “Snilesworth’s Callanish,” though officially it is known as Stephen Thwaites, an old medieval farmstead. Its enigmatic air whispers tales of times long past. The name was coined by Bill Cowley (1916-1994), better known as the founder of the…
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The Hand Stone of Ingleby Moor
On the desolate expanse of Ingleby Moor stands a weathered stone guidepost, rising tall beyond a metre. Its west face bears the inscription “TO INGLEBY AND STOXLEY,” while the east face proudly displays “TO GUISBORO,” and on the south face, the words “TO KIRBY AND HELMSLEY 1757” are inscribed. But what sets this landmark apart…
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Aireyholme Lane — A trade route of the past?
Descending Aireyholme Lane to the farm was like being part of a time-honoured ritual, with the sheep gracefully separating like the biblical Moses parting the Red Sea. The scene held an air of timelessness, as if this track had been used since the dawn of time. But one couldn’t help but wonder, when exactly was…
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Am I part of the problem?
Doesn’t it strike you, as it often does me, the impact of the overwhelming number of people now trampling across our once serene hills and moors? I confess, I don’t mean to sound presumptuous or possessive, for they are meant to be savoured and shared by all who can appreciate them. Yet I can’t shake…
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Sunday serenity in the rain
“When Roseberry Topping wears a cap, All Cleveland is in for a clap.” Or so the old saying goes. Yet, today, it wore more than a mere cap—the whole moors lay beneath a thick duvet of cloud, lost in obscurity. My memory fails to recall when the rain last poured relentlessly throughout the entire day.…
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Cercy Pross Rigg and its chet warm
On this day in 1844, a man named William Archibald Spooner was born. He later became an Anglican clergyman and warden of New College, Oxford. What made him famous were his ‘Spoonerisms,’ where he accidentally switched letters in phrases, resulting in amusing expressions like ‘It is kisstomary to cuss the bride,‘ and ‘a well-boiled icicle.‘…