Category: North York Moors
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Cleveland Survival
A checkpoint in Bransdale. The Cleveland Survival is a 26 mile event superbly organised by the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team as part of their fundraising activities. The course is not revealed until after you have started and involves visiting several checkpoints such as this which are all manned by members of the team. Well done. This year’s event…
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Little Blakey Howe
A bronze age burial mound, or “round barrow” on Blakey Ridge above Rosedale. The stone was erected as a boundary stone in the eighteenth century and is probably a reused standing stone of older antiquity. The contrails high amongst the cirrus clouds can be used as a navigation aid. “Contrails” is an American word, a…
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Victorian Graffiti
Roseberry Topping gained its distinctive shape on a May night in 1912 when an land slump caused the cliff to collapse. At the time the ironstone mining was blamed but I understand that it is now thought to have been just a natural occurrence. But prior to 1912 the temptation to graffiti the summit sandstone was…
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Searching for the Cook Family Cottage
What a change from yesterday. A bitterly cold wind. Helped out this morning with an archaeological survey in a small copse where it is thought the cottage was in which the young James Cook lived. The site is on National Trust land close to Aireyholme Farm where Cook’s father was employed as a farm labourer. Two surveys were…
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Roseberry from Ryston Bank
After yesterday’s Victor Meldew posting I felt the need to post something more pleasanter. Until not so long ago this view of Roseberry from the north east would not have been possible. The hillside as far as the fence that can just be made out beyond the crag was blanketed in forestry. It has since been cleared felled…
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Cliffs below Cowbar Lane
Had a pleasant walk along the coast from Easington through Staithes and Port Mulgrave before heading back inland through Roxby. It was somewhat marred by the sight of fly tipping over the cliffs at Cowbar Lane near Staithes. This is a National Park. Staithes is one of the Park’s honeypots. It is on the Cleveland Way,…
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Heather Burning
In all directions plumes of smoke can be seen on the moors on a good day at this time of the year. The gamekeepers are burning the heather. Grouse feed on heather. Young shoots provide the best nutritional value but grouse require taller heather for nesting and cover. To provide a managed supply of young heather patches of heather are…
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Westside, Bransdale
Volunteering with the National Trust today in Bransdale. Removing some old fencing. Bransdale is perhaps the most quietest and secluded dale on the North York Moors. At the moment as the road to Farndale is closed, access can only be gained via Helmsley. The National Trust owns 2,000 acres, mostly tenanted upland farms. Prior to 1934…
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Carlton Bank
Descending from Carlton Moor to Lord Stones Country Park. Stokesley industrial estate is in the distant centre.
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Commondale
Runners at the start of the Commondale Beacon fell race. The pub in the back is the Cleveland Inn otherwise known as Hacky Tom’s. Although I don’t think the current landlord is called Tom.