Category: North York Moors
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Hutton Moor
This path across Hutton Moor provides a pleasant alternative from the hard gravel of the parallel forestry track on the other side of the fence. In spite of the heather moorland being Open Access Land the path is frequently used by dog walkers and mountain bikers. It is also a SSSI. A week ago I was running…
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Leven Vale
My DofE group today decided to explore the upper reaches of the River Leven. A quiet, unfrequented area of heather moorland on a warm, sunny day giving views I’ve never seen before. In the centre on the far side of the valley is the tall chimney of the Warren Moor Ironstone Mine. I’ve been asked to include…
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Elder Flowers
How wonderful to be with a DofE group today who were keen to understand and try out out edible wild plants. The small delicate flowers of the Elder were boiled up with sugar and a lemon flavoured drink powder (they didn’t have an orange or lemon). The elder flower water tasted good and hopefully will…
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Spawood Mine Powder House
Even in the bright summer sunshine it’s dark beneath the tree canopy of Spawood near Slapewath. The powder house stored black powder, the explosive used in the ironstone mines. To minimise potential damage in the advent of an explosion, the building was substantially made with thick walls buried within the hillside some distance from the mine buildings. Spawood Mine was leased by the Weardale, Coal…
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Park Nab
Late evening sunshine. View to Battersby Crag. And a request to include a link to the location. Here goes.
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Strawberry Moon
Today is the longest day of the year. The summer solstice. And it’s a full moon. The last time we had a full moon on the summer solstice was in 1967. The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was top of the pops and Barclays bank was just days away from installing the first hole…
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Start of Triathlon in Kielder Water
Kielder in the North Tyne valley is not the my most favourite place. Great if you like water sports of all sorts or fishing but too manicured and sanitized for me. And so so commercial. Superlatives abound. With 44 billion gallons Keider Water is the largest reservoir in the UK, has the largest hydro electric…
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Traigh Gheal
Checked in at the Lochaline Hotel overlooking the Sound of Mull. A bit basic but much appreciated after two days wild camping and last night in a bothie. But that at least was a midge free zone. I have walked with two mates, Andy and Bob, from Fionnphort on the western tip of the island…
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I Nam Ban Boidhehch
Island of the beautiful women, or Iona as it is more commonly called.
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The final straw …
Finally Roseberry Topping appeared after a week with its head in the clouds. But I climbed up there this morning to find the summit crags defaced by a giant Vote Leave banner. I am incandescent. I do not want to see my beloved Roseberry turned into a political billboard. What irks me more is that it carries a…