Category: Bransdale
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Bransdale: a cacophony of gunshots — too close for comfort
A day spent volunteering with the National Trust in Bransdale, even though the landscape was somewhat elusive. During our journey over, we left a clear yet overcast Esk valley, climbing into a thick layer of cloud at Rosedale Head. This blanket of fog lingered persistently, keeping us smothered throughout the day. But, in a fleeting…
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Brock or Huckster? What’s behind the name of the Badger Stone?
I succeeded in reaching the Badger Stone before the snow came. By the time I returned to the car, I had transformed into a snowman. The Badger Stone, an oddity in itself, is a sturdy sandstone outcrop standing alone and distant on the periphery of a plateau within a desolate moorland, rising to a height…
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A Return to Bransdale: Battling the Tenacious Pine and Larch Saplings
After a hiatus of a few weeks, I find myself once again in Bransdale, volunteering my time to the National Trust. The task at hand is none other than the removal or trimming of young larch and pine saplings that have sprouted up on their own in Bloworth Wood, which was clear-cut a couple of…
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18th-Century stables and cartshed at Bransdale Mill
If you’ve ever been to Bransdale Mill, you will have seen the old barn propped up for years by scaffolding to prevent collapse. This has been necessary since the Public Footpath passes directly below the north end gable. Now the barn is stable at last, its scaffolding gone. And a fine sight it is. One…
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St Nicholas’s church, Bransdale
Volunteering today with the National Trust in Bransdale. Delightfully, I took the opportunity to have a look around the quaint St Nicholas’s church, perched at the head of the dale. St Nicholas’s church may be squat but it stands proud, casting a discerning gaze down the valley below. Its Grade II listing records that it…
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The Unstoppable Sheep—Going Places Without a Sheepdog!
The sheep seem to know where they are going. No need for a sheepdog. He’s off on a jolly ride, perched on the back of the quad bike! I heard a comment today that the National Trust has been encouraging Bransdale tenant farmers to reduce their stocking levels. It’s certainly has made the meadows all…
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Bluebells, Burrs, and the Oak Tree
A return to the enchanting Valley Garden in Bransdale; the woodland floor is adorned with a vibrant carpet of blooming bluebells beneath the shade of a magnificent oak tree. Its base boasts a remarkable feature—a large burr, a fascinating clue to the tree’s history and resilience. Burrs are a peculiar growth resembling warts, and can…
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From an English woodland to a South American jungle
An annual task with the National Trust is at the Valley Gardens at Bransdale to tackle the invasive American Skunk Cabbage, which thrives in the damp areas of the valley floor. But this day was interrupted when a sudden hail storm arrived, making the already boggy ground even more challenging. On arrival is sunshine, we…
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My Tree-mendous adventures on a dendrometric survey in Bransdale
Sorry about the title, but it has been an enjoyable day conducting an ancient and veteran tree survey for the National Trust in Bransdale. Starting downstream from the mill along the Hodge Beck, it was a day exploring the little visited parts of the dale. But perhaps it would have been wiser to begin with…
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A day with National Trust: replacing the fencing at Stork House
I recall reading that the path that runs through Stocking Crag wood and passes Stork House was the original route in and out of the valley, though I’m unsure of the source. Unfortunately, due to landslides within the wood, it’s nearly impossible to navigate through it without using your own two feet. Today being Thursday,…