This week
The National Trustâs Never-Ending Battle 20th July 2024 The Lake District, known for its beautiful scenery, made the BBC news this morning, but not because of its peaceful views or poetic charm. Instead, the news was about the…
Scaling Dam 19th November 2018 What came first the reservoir or the dam? I have always thought Scaling Dam was named after the village of Scaling when the reservoir was commissioned in 1958. But browsing…
Kirby Bank Trod 10th December 2019 This is one of the most interesting climbs onto the moors. While many of today’s Rights of Way follow roughly the routes of ancient pathways, on the climb up Kirby…
Fossilised Tree 28th March 2020 MacCulloch’s Fossil Tree is a fairly popular tourist destination on the Isle of Mull although the trek in is not an easy stroll, certainly not for the faint-hearted. It is…
From Barbados to MorrisonsâThe history of Thimbleby… 11th August 2023 The agricultural landscape of the Vale of Mowbray stretches across to the Dales , a view made visible through the recent felling of what was called ‘The Big Wood’ on…
Mists of Misinformation: Chemtrails 17th July 2024 A splendid summer morning, the sky an unblemished expanse of blue with the occasional fluffy cloud. Above Battersby Moor, a puffy white streak trails behind an unseen aeroplane, an innocuous…
Bridestone Griff 18th July 2024 Ah, what a scene of unparalleled magnificence. Majestic sandstone columns and rock outcrops, shaped over millennia by wind and rain, now somewhat overwhelmed by a verdant sea of bracken, rippling…
A riverbank in bloom 22nd July 2024 A peaceful riverside scene with bright pink flowers might look nice, but thereâs more to the story. These pretty flowers are actually hiding a problem. The flowers are called Himalayan…
Bee Boles, Glaisdale 5th February 2015 A trip out to a dreich Glaisdale today. This wall at Bank House Farm contains about 77 bee boles which are recesses that were used for keeping bee hives in when the…
Linn Caves of Baldernock 22nd April 2018 In the Lennox Hills just north of Glasgow. A sylvan waterfall behind which are man made caves from limestone extraction. Although the caves go in some distance it seems to…
The Giant’s Boot 8th April 2020 Northern Ireland’s most visited attraction is the iconic Giant’s Causeway, polygonal columns of basaltic rock formed sixty million years ago when molten lava spread across the land and created clouds…
Once more into the clag 5th February 2021 Not much to see today above the 300m contour. This is the Alec Falconer memorial seat on Cringle Moor. Alec Falconer was a founder member in 1912Â of the âMiddlesbrough…
Ayton Banks Ironstone Mine 28th February 2022 I thought I would have a look around the Ayton Banks Ironstone Mine before the summer vegetation growth takes hold, only to find when I got home that I have…
âA Yorkshire Tragedyâ 23rd April 2022 I don’t usually do this view â on a sunny day it would be into the sun â but, a bit cloudy today, and with a surprising chilly wind. From…
Goldsborough Roman Signal Station 27th November 2022 Prompted by a recently published article giving a fresh interpretation on the five Roman signal stations or fortlets along the Yorkshire coast, I popped down to re-visit the one at…
This year
Duncombe Park Army Camp 5th April 2021 About 3km after crossing Rievaulx Bridge with its opportunity to gaze at the majestic abbey, the Cleveland Way crosses a concrete road at Griff Lodge. Here the National Trail bears…- From Barbados to MorrisonsâThe history of Thimbleby… 11th August 2023 The agricultural landscape of the Vale of Mowbray stretches across to the Dales , a view made visible through the recent felling of what was called ‘The Big Wood’ on…
- The Giant’s Boot 8th April 2020 Northern Ireland’s most visited attraction is the iconic Giant’s Causeway, polygonal columns of basaltic rock formed sixty million years ago when molten lava spread across the land and created clouds…
Capt. Cook’s Monument 14th February 2019 “In memory of the celebrated circumnavigator Captain James Cook F.R.S. A man of nautical knowledge inferior to none, in zeal prudence and energy, superior to most. Regardless of danger he…
“Murder by a Farmer in the North-Riding”… 3rd March 2021 So ran the headlines on the morning of Saturday, 24 October, 1863 in provincial newspapers throughout the country. From Guernsey to Stornaway. Reports were syndicated in those days, often repeating…
Middlesbrough’s Dark Past: the 1961 Cannon… 21st August 2023 A reminder popped up on my phone today that back in 1961, things had hit a boiling point on Cannon Street in Middlesbrough. Three nights of rioting had built up…
The sight of low cloud from Bilsdale pouring over… 24th January 2023 This is looking down on Green Bank, a flattish ring contour rise marking the head of Raisdale, and separating Cringle or Cranimoor from the steep slope up Carlton Bank. The…
Round Barrow, Live Moor 2nd January 2018 A new plaque has been fixed to a stone by the National Park asking visitors not to disturb the Bronze Age burial mound on Live Moor near Whorlton. Not to…
Calcining Kilns, Rosedale East Mines 30th May 2016 A bit of a dilemma. Parked at the Lion Inn and went for a circuit of Rosedale with visibility less than the width of the road and the temperature below 10Âșc. And so it…
On Dead Man’s Hill 20th February 2019 Or the continuing story of Jenny Twigg and her daughter Tib. We parked up at Scar House Reservoir at the top of Nidderdale last night and from across the reservoir,…
Battersby Crag 20th November 2020 I first came across this old rusty gate many years ago when I was planning a night navigation exercise. That must have been in the 1990s. I had waded down…
A Kepwick Mystery 22nd October 2023 For your delectation, another folk tale of the North Riding of Yorkshire from the pen of Richard Blakeborough. This story appeared in an article in the Northern Weekly Gazette on…
Christmas Contemplations 24th December 2023 On this eve of Christmas Day, I found myself deep in thought. It seems a mere five minutes since last year. Maybe it’s just because of that old chestnut: “time…
Ayton Banks Ironstone Mine â its legacy 7th January 2024 Playing with my new tripod, a Christmas goodie. I do like the motion blur effect of long exposures. The water is draining from the Ayton Banks ironstone mine, the stone…
Starfish Decoy Command Bunker 5th December 2019 A rather gloomy morning and a fall back on a recycled subject. I last posted about this Starfish Decoy Command Bunker almost three years ago to the day. It looked…