Category: North York Moors
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The Folly and the Banana Tree
The mysterious sandstone building below Roseberry Topping. Most likely a folly built to enhance the landscape. But no one knows for sure. And the Banana Tree as it is affectionately known by children. Open Space Web-Map builder Code
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A Green Goddess
Headed to Wheeldale Moor to look at the standing stone known as Blue Man-i’-th’-Moss but minded of a comment from my wife that this week has been rock week I diverted to seek out a goddess, a Green Goddess. During the hot dry summer of 1976, the North York Moors became tinder dry resulting in…
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Round Barrow, Codhill Heights
A Bronze Age burial mound and possible territorial marker. A large standing stone can be seen on the left. The has been excavated and is capped by a modern cairn. It stands on a slight rise, with a prominence of a mere 12m, on a ridge of Gisborough Moor, overlooking Sleddale.
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Stone Age rock art or a gamekeeper taking pot shots?
Another gloomy day, dry but poor visibility. I came across this large sandstone boulder on Ingleby Moor pitted with small holes, particularly on the north-east face. Stone Age rock art? Or a gamekeeper taking pot shots? Google comes up with a clue. There is an assumption among the rock climbing fraternity that they’re bullet holes.…
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The Pepperpot, Bridestones
Of the fascinating sandstone columns and rock outcrops that are known as the Bridestones, the Pepperpot is perhaps the most photographed. The Bridestones are the last remnants of a Jurassic sedimentary rock layer deposited some 150 million years ago that have been eroded over the millennia by wind, frost and rain. The name is not…
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Winter sun on Roseberry Common
The middle slopes of Roseberry Topping might appear natural but it is sensitively managed. if left to nature’s own devices succession would occur leading to an expansion of the mature acidic oaks of Newton Wood. A semi-open woodland is an essential habitat for several species of birds, whinchat and tree pipits, ring ouzels have been…
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Round Barrow, Live Moor
A new plaque has been fixed to a stone by the National Park asking visitors not to disturb the Bronze Age burial mound on Live Moor near Whorlton. Not to remove or add stones to the cairn. The custom has developed amongst walkers and ramblers to add a stone or two to piles of stones…
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First Footing
New Year’s Day and back home in the Cleveland Hills after a pre-dawn dash from the Lakes. This from Cockshaw hill above Gribdale Terrace and Howl Road. Roseberry in the distance. A reasonable morning. Cloudy but dry. An old Yorkshire saying is that the weather until March is governed by that on the first three…
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Boulder, Potters Ridge
It always surprises me that this large flat boulder, on Potters Ridge around the back of Highcliff Nab is not named on any map. It is certainly significant and its location on a high point on the North York Moors escarpment only slightly lower than surrounding tops would have been a natural draw for prehistoric…
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Boxing Day Hunt
The Cleveland Hunt traditionally starts from Great Ayton High Green on Boxing Day. Now I have two issues with fox hunting. Firstly there is much evidence that, in spite of the hunting of animals with dogs having been illegal since 2004, the law is being circumvented by the pretence that hunts are conducted under the…