Category: North York Moors
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Highcliffe Farm
I’ve posted about Highcliffe Farm before, located on the wide and shallow col between Highcliff Nab and Great Ayton Moor; unsheltered from the winds from the north and the south. One might question the wisdom of setting up a farm in such an exposed spot. The landscape owes its origins to the ancient forces of…
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Rucksack Woes and Merry Music—Duke of Edinburgh Award Chronicles
A look back across Roseberry Common just before I reached the Topping. Below me, a Duke of Edinburgh group from a fine Durham school, all geared up for their Bronze expedition. And if you cast your gaze towards the top of Little Roseberry, you’d spot not one, not two, but a grand total of five…
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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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William Parkinson and the gibbet on Turkey Nab
I reckon Turkey Nab must be one of the steepest hill climbs in Cleveland. It’s one of those routes where vehicles can be driven without tarmac, which makes it popular with 4WD enthusiasts. But for cyclists, it’s a different story altogether. That loose gravel turns it into a proper challenge. This high moorland route has…
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Hey, it’s good to be back home again
John Denver could have sung about this old hill being like a long-lost friend. OK, I’ve paraphrased. He was actually singing about his farm. A month away and the changes around here have been absolutely dramatic. The bluebells, the mayflowers, and the primroses. They’ve all had their moment and moved on. But the bracken, of…
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Scarth Nick — from drovers to abstainers
Scarth Nick, a natural pass in the Cleveland Hills, has likely served as a route throughout history, from prehistoric times to the present. It was probably used by ancient humans and the Romans, and continued to be used as a drove road for cattle during the Medieval era. This pass acted as a precursor to…
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Shig-shags
While cutting back the bracken in Newton Wood today, I was taken by surprise when I stumbled upon what seemed to be miniature apples. Of course, these were not genuine apples, but rather galls created by insects as excrescences. And as it dawned on me that they were attached to a small oak sapling instead…
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Empire Day: a forgotten anniversary for an imperialist mindset
In the last century, for a period of more than 50 years, children were granted a half-day off from school on May 24th to commemorate ‘Empire Day.’ This celebration was aimed to highlight the grandeur of the empire and foster a sense of connection among its subjects. It was initiated in response to concerns raised…
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Au’d Nan o’ Sexhow
The wooded Whorl Hill, a glacial outlier. Behind and just to the left is Sexhow, a township in the former parish of Rudby-in-Cleveland. Nowadays, it is a Civil Parish in its own right. There is not much there, maybe just the trio of the Hall, the Park and the Grange. It was once though described…
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Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease’s Thoroughbred Hunters and Bousdale Farm
Bousdale Farm, perched on the plateau of Bousdale Hill, provides a splendid panoramic view of Guisborough and, in the distance, the North Sea. Although the farm was likely constructed in the early 1880s, it does not appear on the 1881 census. Apparently, the buildings were initially erected to accommodate Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease’s prized thoroughbred…