Month: July 2023
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The Stones of Lamentation
One of the contenders for the most iconic landmark of the North York Moors must be the Wainstones â a rock-climbing wonderland adorned with jumbled columns of Middle Jurassic sandstone, once the ocean’s ancient bed. Legend has it that the name ‘Wain-stones’ might have derived from the Saxon word ‘wanian,’ meaning to howl, and hinted…
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18th-Century stables and cartshed at Bransdale Mill
If you’ve ever been to Bransdale Mill, you will have seen the old barn propped up for years by scaffolding to prevent collapse. This has been necessary since the Public Footpath passes directly below the north end gable. Now the barn is stable at last, its scaffolding gone. And a fine sight it is. One…
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An encounter with the gamekeeper
The North York Moors Historic Enviroment Record describes this ruin as a “post medieval sheep fold identified from historic mapping with slight structural remains,” but the dressed stones to me point to a more substantial building. I am on Warren Moor looking down on the secluded Leven Vale. Now, the “field” beyond that fence isn’t…
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The Cleveland Dyke
A view that looking northwest from Cliff Rigg along Langbaurgh Ridge, both part of that striking intrusion of igneous rock known as the Cleveland Dyke. Formed when molten magma flowed like a fiery torrent from a volcanic fount near the distant island of Mull in Scotland, a staggering 58 million years ago. A remarkable journey…
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‘Klifland’
If asked to define the Cleveland Hills, some people would say they begin at the utmost northern point with the prominent Eston Nab overlooking the industrial landscape of Teesside. They would continue their description southwards, encompassing the Guisborough Moors and Roseberry Topping. Alternatively, some might designate this conspicuous peak itself, which rises to a height…
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Faceby Bank
One of the classic views of the Cleveland Hills, looking south from Carlton Bank. Faceby Bank, smothered by the coniferous plantations of Great Bonny Cliff Wood, is aptly named after the village nestling beneath that peculiar outlier, known as Whorl Hill, the mythical abode of a fire-breathing dragon. Recorded in the pages of the Domesday…
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Tees Bay PilotsâA legacy of expertise and evolution
An early evening trip to the South Gare rewarded us with windswept skies and sunlit wind turbines. However, it was the western skies across the Tees bay that truly stole the show, presenting a more dramatic spectacle. A huge container ship had just passed by the Gare, en route to some distant port. Guiding this…
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Staithes’ transformation into an artists’ mecca
In the distant past, back in 1415, when the world was a taciturn place, the medieval village of Staithes was first recorded under the name ‘Setonstathes‘. This coastal community thrived as a fishing haven during the 16th century, only to prosper further in the 19th century as local ironstone, alum, and jet mining took hold.…
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St Nicholas’s church, Bransdale
Volunteering today with the National Trust in Bransdale. Delightfully, I took the opportunity to have a look around the quaint St Nicholas’s church, perched at the head of the dale. St Nicholas’s church may be squat but it stands proud, casting a discerning gaze down the valley below. Its Grade II listing records that it…
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Bell HeatherâThe purple beauty of the North York Moors
Bell heather is my most favourite of the heathers. I love thee richness of its purple hue, and unlike the more prevalent and lilac-coloured ling, which The North York Moors is renowned for, bell heather boasts an extended display. It blooms earlier in June and lingers longer, often extending into September. The National Park proudly…