Out & About …

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

  • The Legacy of Marske Aerodrome: its role in WW1

    The Legacy of Marske Aerodrome: its role in WW1

    Back in October 1973, I entered my first orienteering event, which happened to be in the bramble-infested maze of Errington Wood. Needless to say, I got hopelessly lost, but that experience marked the beginning of my lifelong love of the sport. Unfortunately, the course that day didn’t take us up to the high point of…

  • Andrew Carter: A Story of Canny Yatton 270 Years Ago

    Andrew Carter: A Story of Canny Yatton 270 Years Ago

    Another story from the works of Richard Blakeborough set in Canny Yatton, the local name for Great Ayton. Blakeborough wrote this account in 1902, stating that the event took place approximately 150 years prior, in 1752. At that time, James Cook, the most well-known resident of Great Ayton, was just 24 years old and had…

  • Ryston Nab

    Ryston Nab

    Ryston Nab, or Hanging Stone, overlooking Guisborough. A bit dreich on the tops, with rain and gale force winds. Guisborough is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland. Even though it has been over half a century since it lost its Yorkshire association, for many folk, Guisborough will always…

  • Winter’s last stand?

    Winter’s last stand?

    The brief return to Winter didn’t last long, but the last stubborn snow patches are hanging on for dear life on the fields of Aireyholme. But Roseberry Topping’s sandstone cap is clear, anxious to let go of winter fashion. Ah, Roseberry Topping, the hill that thinks it’s a volcano. With its unique shape, it’s the…

  • Following the feetings

    Following the feetings

    A ‘feetin’ is a North Yorkshire word for a footprint, “a mark or impression left by the foot“. In East Anglian a variation, ‘feetings’, is used specifically for the tracks of creatures in the snow. I do like this use of the word. Newton Moor had feetings in abundance this morning. Mostly Grouse, occasionally ending…

  • Rait burial ground

    Rait burial ground

    Woke up to another cloudless sky and a quick low level run prior to the journey home, where I believe there has been a bit of snow. Had a look around the burial-ground of Rait with its roofless ruined church and several interesting 18th-century gravestones. Although the existing structure likely dates from the post-Reformation period,…

  • Site of Medieval Farmstead and Ring Enclosure

    Site of Medieval Farmstead and Ring Enclosure

    Running around the foothills of the Sidlaw Hills above Fingask, and, as usual, I was easily distracted trying to locate the humps and bumps indicative of archaeological features. All the features turned out to be quite subtle, except for this farmstead, which was particularly noticeable, thanks to the low winter sun. The discovery of the…

  • Dunsinane Hill

    Dunsinane Hill

    Macbeth shall never vanquisb’d be, until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him. Shakespeare, Macbeth Act IV, Scene I. Did the son of a glove-maker from Warwickshire actually make a trip to this hill in Strathmore, or did he simply pick up an already established legend? Shakespeare’s renowned tragic play portrays…

  • Fingask Castle, near Dundee

    Fingask Castle, near Dundee

    Fingask Castle boasts an array of distinctive topiary, sculptures, and ornamental follies. The castle has a rich history, tracing back to 1594 when Patrick Bruce constructed it, although the Bruce family had been established on the site since the 14th century. Fingask is first documented in the Foundation Charter of the Abbey of Scone in…

  • The coastline near Cove

    The coastline near Cove

    The Berwickshire coastline is a rugged and untamed stretch of land that is a favourite destination of ours for a refreshing break during a northbound journey, offering ample opportunities for exercise and fresh air. These breathtaking views along the coast are the result of millions of years of sedimentary rock formation during the Palaeozoic geological…

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