Category: Bilsdale
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Bilsdale and the Curious Journey of Road Salt
Another thrilling morning on the North York Moors. Freezing temperatures, frost blanketing the valley, and snow still stubbornly clinging to the high ground. How enchanting. This is a view of Bilsdale from Hasty Bank. For days now, the gritters have been tirelessly scattering salt as if the very fate of civilisation depends on it. It…
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Raisdaleās Constablewick and the Bones of Bert
This morning was cold, but not that cold. No puddles bore that brittle layer of ācat ice,ā and the dead Bracken fronds remained frost-free. Compare that to last Saturday, when midnight brought a sultry 15Ā°C, according to the car thermometerāa temperature fit for short sleeves. Earlier that day, as Storm Bert howled and hurled snow,…
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Hasty Bank and an Old Gatepost
Whenever Iām Out & About, I rarely start out with any sort of plan. There might be a vague idea of a route, but more often than not, I just make it up as I go along. Some might call that reckless, others might deem it inconsiderate or just plain annoying, but I like to…
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From Drainage to Divination: The Cheshire Stoneās Secrets
I recently stumbled upon the theory that a stone ā the Cheshire, or perhaps the Cheddar Stone as some insist on calling it ā perched on on the edge of Urra Moor, has a natural basin which has been carefully modified in prehistoric times by the addition of a notch to channel the water outflow…
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From Widheris to Wether House: A Farmsteadās History
On Wetherhouse Moor, nature is quietly concealing the remains of a post-medieval farmstead beneath the watchful eye of a solitary sycamore. Of the original three ranges, little can be discerned now, save for a crumbling gable end of a barn. It has, for more than a century, since the last tenants left, been steadily yielding…
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A Stone in the Heather
While the heather is in full bloom, it seems absurd not to be up on the moors. This boundary stone, standing proud over the heather, is marked on its Bilsdale side with the inscription “FEVERSHAM 1848,” a name requiring little introduction. It refers, of course, to William Duncombe, the 2nd Baron Feversham, whose seat was…
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Boundaries in Stone
Dry stone walls stand as testament to the enduring craftsmanship of generations past. They are a quintessential feature of the North York Moors and other rocky regions of the British Isles. From Cornwall and the Cotswolds, to Scotland and Ireland, these walls served as swift and sturdy field boundaries, surpassing the time it would take…
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Low Mill, Bilsdale
Low Mill, a small corn mill presently under private ownership, stands beside the swift waters of the River Seph amidst the charming valley of Bilsdale. Historical records date its inception to the 16th century, though subtle signs suggest its presence may extend as early as the 12th century, coinciding with the establishment of Rievaulx Abbey.…
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Weighillās Plantation
What a dreich morning to inaugurate the month of April. ‘Pinch punch, first of the month,’ as the old adage goes, though it hardly seems an occasion for mirth. The ragged pines emerge as solitary figures amidst the enveloping mist, remnants of Weighillās Plantation, which would, if not for the mist, command a view over…
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Seave Green, a hamlet in Bilsdale
One might reckon Seave Green a hamlet nowadays, though through the ages, it’s been nothing but a scattering of farms, stretching southward to Chop Gate. Further up on Bilsdale’s far eastern slope, a chapel and manor once stood, though ‘Town Green’ hints there might’ve been a medieval village. The buildings of Seave Green, mostly built…