Category: River Leven
-
Himalayan balsam on the banks of the Leven
The clump of pink flowers on the far bank is Himalayan balsam, a notorious invasive plant, the scourge of conservationists and environmentalists. The plant was particularly rampant on this stretch of the river about six years ago and they did have a blitz to eradicate it but it has returned. There are more clumps further…
-
Whitbread Memorial Bridge
One for posterity, tomorrow work begins on replacement of the Whitbread Memorial Bridge. The High Street is due to be closed for 5 days while the work is carried out. The existing footbridge over the River Leven into Waterfall Park is a war memorial. It was presented in 1919 by the Under-Manager of the Ayton…
-
The River Leven at Great Ayton
I’ve never seen these on the Leven before. Presumably after trout. A bit pretentious for my liking, in the middle of the village. There’s a difference of opinion as to the original of the name Leven. Both say it’s Celtic. One possibility is ‘llevn’ meaning smooth, or another is ‘Leuan‘, a water-nymph. It’s interesting that…
-
Taking advantage of a nice mild day …
… before the weather comes in again. So out on the bike, the first time this year. I stopped off at the Leven Bridge at Hutton Rudby. One village, two ancient townships separated by a river in a deep cleft. On the west side, Hutton; the ‘ton’ ending indicating that this was an Anglo-Saxon settlement so the…
-
Leven Falls
In search of the “Leven Falls” somewhere downstream of Hutton Rudby. I recall reading of its existence in at least one guide book to Cleveland. Apparently, it was a popular Edwardian picnic spot. The falls are located just a few hundred metres downstream from Foxton Bridge, a crossing of the Leven which I have done…
-
Old Meggison
I’ve heard that some new fencing has been erected at Old Meggison on the River Leven. So that was a good enough excuse for me to head over to Kildale Woods for a wander. Old Meggison is a lovely waterfall, accessed by a “Concessionary Footpath” which is awaiting the confirmation of an order to upgrade…
-
Tiers of a Clown
Ah, one of the songs from my teenage years. In fact, it could be a contender for the Motown section of my desert island discs. The phrase is used to describe a person, traditionally Pierrot the sad clown, who appears cheerful and lively but, underneath the makeup, is emotionally distraught. Like the pun? Maybe I…
-
River Leven, Stokesley
On my bike today, on the country lanes around the Rountons. I need to go onto the flatlands occasionally to help me appreciate the hills. Stokesley town centre was prone to periodic flooding until the flood diversion scheme was built in the late 70s. 1930 was a particularly bad year I understand. When the river…
-
The Leven at Little Ayton
A tranquil feel to the River Leven this morning down by Holme’s Bridge. And warm too. I was reminded of the halcyon days of early lockdown. The Leven, named after the Celtic water-nymph, ‘Leuan‘. A surprising number of rivers have names deriving from Celtic; surviving in spite of the influence of the Saxons and Scandinavians,…
-
Ox-bow pond near Holmes Bridge
It is perhaps too early to say that Cleveland got off relatively lightly last night from Storm Dennis, as the run-off takes several hours to flow down off the moors to affect river levels. At Little Ayton, the River Leven is high enough to flood a normally dried up ox-bow pond. This is part of…