Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

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This week

  • A flooded meadow with reflections of the cloudy sky and nearby trees. In the distance, a large building with a stone facade is visible through the trees.Great Ayton’s Flood Defences Save the Day 8th December 2024 Last night’s Storm Darragh was excuse enough for a stroll along the River Leven. Something vaguely dramatic might have happened. The flood defence scheme had indeed sprung into action, with…
  • 2019-02-19 SE1274 Jenny Rig and her daughter Tib.jpgJenny Twigg and her daughter Tib 20th February 2019 Ee, I love maps me. I happened to notice the name “Jenny Twigg and her daughter Tib” marked on the map of Fountains Earth Moor overlooking Nidderdale, and so I…
  • EriscoErisco — a deserted township 18th June 2023 The deserted township of Erisco, lies on the shore of Duntulm Bay, is sheltered by the long barrier of Tulm Island, and is overlooked by the medieval Duntulm Castle. It…
  • Duncombe Park Army CampDuncombe 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…
  • Loch ArkaigBonnie Prince Charlie’s gold 1st May 2023 Out and about on my own stamping grounds this morning, and the bank holiday meant that Roseberry was bustling with activity. So instead of sharing yet another snapshot of the…
  • A wide-angle landscape view of Tidkinhow Moor under a vast, cloudy sky. In the foreground, the rolling moorland is covered in a dense mix of green shrubs and patches of low-lying, reddish-purple heather. To the left, a dense cluster of leafless trees borders the moor, while to the right, the terrain transitions into bright green, sloping pastures. In the far distance, a soft blue horizon reveals more rolling hills and a hazy valley under a thick layer of grey and white clouds.Tidkinhow Moor: A Puzzle Written in Fading Ink 18th February 2026 The other day, while wandering the web as one does when sense has taken the afternoon off, I found a digitised photocopy of a 1982 legal decision about Tidkinhow Moor.…
  • Elephant HoleWhere is the Elephant Hole? 11th January 2022 The National park have recently been at worked erectly a new kissing gate, steps and fingerpost below Aireyholme Farm. One ‘finger’ confuses me, it points to the ‘Elephant Hole’. Where…
  • A wide landscape shot of a hillside in Bransdale under a cloudy, overcast sky. In the foreground, dozens of young saplings are protected by tall, pale pink plastic tree guards, protruding from a rugged ground covered in dry brush and fallen branches. In the background, a steep green hill is divided by traditional dry stone walls, with patches of melting snow visible on the grass. A dense line of evergreen trees sits on the left ridge, while the rest of the slope shows signs of recent clearing and reforestation.Among the Tree Guards of Bransdale 19th February 2026 In Bransdale today, work continued among the ranks of tree guards set out over recent winters. The task was to fell the self-seeded conifer saplings that have spread so thickly…
  • Lochan of the Lost SwordLochan of the Lost Sword 25th September 2023 Beneath the reflections of the autumnal hues rests an abandoned sword, a long-sword, the claymore that belonged to Robert the Bruce. Near this wee loch lies Dal Righ, a place…
  • Great Hograh Moor - rock outcropRock outcrop on Great Hograh Moor 18th February 2021 I’ve been wanting to try and find this rock outcrop for some time (a bit of intel from John, thanks). Armed with a grid reference, I parked at Hob Hole…

All Time

  • Thimbleby and the Vale of MowbrayFrom Barbados to Morrisons—The 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 BootThe 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…
  • Duncombe Park Army CampDuncombe 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…
  • RoseberryMiddlesbrough’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…
  • SE0478 On Dead Man's HillOn 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,…
  • Boxing Day HuntA Boxing Day Tradition — The Hunt 26th December 2023 I chanced upon the Great Ayton Boxing Day Hunt today. A traditional affair, you know. Had completely slipped my mind. Christmas, a season steeped in tradition, yet this one leaves…
  • Roseberry Ironstone MineRoseberry Ironstone Mine 8th January 2020 The site of the Roseberry Ironstone Mine which operated from 1871 to 1926 although, in the early years, there is some doubt as to whether the mine actually produced any…
  • An elevated, wide-angle view of the rolling green countryside of North Yorkshire on a misty, overcast day. In the foreground, a slope of dark reddish-brown bracken and scrub leads the eye down into a valley of patchwork green fields separated by dark hedgerows and thin lines of trees. Dense, low-hanging grey clouds dominate the upper half of the frame, but a dramatic break in the mist allows bright, ethereal "God rays" to beam down onto the valley floor. The light catches the texture of the fields and a distant forested area, creating a stark contrast against the moody, shadowed hillsides in the background. The atmosphere is quiet, damp, and atmospheric.Solmōnaþ — Cake, Mud, and Lowered Hopes 1st February 2026 It is Solmōnaþ. Cake Month. A rare cause for cheer in the damp gloom of February. In the Anglo-Saxon calendar, Solmōnaþ sat where February is now. It marked a time…
  • 2019-02-19 SE1274 Jenny Rig and her daughter Tib.jpgJenny Twigg and her daughter Tib 20th February 2019 Ee, I love maps me. I happened to notice the name “Jenny Twigg and her daughter Tib” marked on the map of Fountains Earth Moor overlooking Nidderdale, and so I…
  • Hackness HallThe Hackness Shame 27th August 2020 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…