Tag: Folly
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Slippery Paths and Roseberryâs Summerhouse
A supposedly âgentlerâ path to the top of Roseberry Topping winds up the southern side from the Summerhouse Field. After last nightâs heavy rain, the path has become a veritable death trap, with these walkers wisely prefering the rough grass for better footing. Ascending it is manageable, but descending? Practically suicidal. Avoiding the path might…
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Greek garden temple, Clumber Park
A trip to Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire had become an annual event; to catch up and exchange presents with my sister, that is, until last year when we decided not to, following the Government’s rules about mixing of households and travelling outside your area. Once the country estate of the Duke of Newcastle, Clumber Hall…
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The Folly
An early dash up Roseberry on an overcast morning. I’ll risk some wrath when I say this is not a shooting box even though a small plaque erected on the building by the National Park states that it is. It is shown on a sketch by George Cruit dated 1788 and game shooting was not…
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A familiar fallback
I haven’t ventured far today. Working with the National Trust in Newton Wood on various odd jobs: clearing leaves from the paths and cutting down sycamore saplings. Newton Wood in north-facing so mostly in the shade. I did manage to snatch this shot of the Topping and the Summer-house on the walk home. I did…
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Mount Snever Observatory
To modern ears, the word ‘observatory’ is associated with telescopes and distant stars but the Mount Snever Observatory was built with the intention of viewing nature in all its glory. The 35 feet high belvedere tower is a somewhat austere structure, built in 1838 by John Wormald of Oldstead Hall to commemorate Queen Victoria’s coronation…
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St. Nicholas’s âgold ballsâ
After the season’s festivities, the big cleanup begins. Roseberry is no different. A morning spent litter picking with the National Trust. The usual: cans, plastic bottles, little doggie presents. And plenty of orange peel scattered around, accompanied by the inevitable wet-wipe. What’s the big thing about oranges at Christmas? St. Nicholas’s âgold ballsâ. Of course,…
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Cliff Rigg and Newton Wood
Explored a long-forgotten section of a Public Bridleway up Roseberry Topping that has recently been cleared of bracken. It’s just a wild guess but to me, the route points to an early tourist route up to the summit. I’ve posted about this before. It starts in Newton and goes up Roseberry Lane (or Wood Land…
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The Summerhouse
High cirrus clouds portend the coming of a weather front and wind and rain. The Summerhouse, perched on the bed of Cleveland Ironstone, was built in the 18th-century probably just to enhance the landscape. It is thought a platoon of local volunteer militia were billeted in it while maintaining the beacon on Roseberry summit. One…
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The Summerhouse
“Beware the Ides of March” so said the soothsayer to Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s play. A day in the Roman calendar corresponding to the 15 March when all debts must be settled. And of course the day Caesar was assassinated. But for me, a day for a leisurely stroll up Roseberry Topping. Often erroneously referred…
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The Folly
Strong morning sunshine on a stand of beech on a green hill. The stand is called “The Folly”, the hill is How Hill, a gravel mound left by the meltwater of a retreating glacier. At 166m above sea level, it is not a big hill but it is tempting to say it gave its name…