Category: North York Moors
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Ladhill Gill
Ladhill Beck separates the parish of Hawnby from Bilsdale Westside. The upper reaches have a desolate feel with forlorn farmsteads: Honey Hill, Sike House, Low and High Twaites, Hazelshaw House, Sod Hall, Weather House, and Bumper Castle. That’s Bumper Castle in the photo, right of centre. It seems to have grown more forlorn since the…
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One of the few areas of natural moorland on the North York Moors
There are very few areas of relict semi-natural moorland to be found on the North York Moors which has not been extensively managed solely to maximise the grouse population. The National Trust’s Bridestones Moor is one such area and, visually, is currently at its best with the ling coming into bloom. Although the vegetation is…
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Roseberry Summit
A rather unusual view of the summit crag, the result of playing with a GoPro on a selfie-stick. The rock face is not as vertical as I remember but that may be due to an optical illusion due to the wide angle lens. The sandstone crag looks good but is considered unstable by the climbing fraternity.…
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A 19th-century description of Highcliff Nab
Overhanging the romantic and picturesque vale of Gisborough, a bold prominent rock rears its reverend head, hoary with mosses and lichens, and rent into vast chasms by the storms and tempests of centuries. It is skirted to the north with rich plantations of fir and venerable forests of oak; towards the south it is surrounded…
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Gold Hill
A wander around Whorlton and Carlton Moors on a lovely morning. The first blooms of the ling are out and looking good. Down below in the vale of Cleveland pastures are dry and crops are ready for harvesting, giving the feel of an African savannah. A small excursion across the heather to the site of…
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Commondale from Sand Hill
Said to be named after Colmán, Bishop of Lindisfarne. So what was the venerable prelate doing in this remote dale that resulted in it taking his name? It is known he was present at the Synod of Whitby in 664 A.D., having been was appointed bishop 3 years earlier. Colmán led a delegation of monks representing…
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Roseberry Well
I moved up to the Cleveland area in the Autumn of 1973 and I’ve been climbing Roseberry on a regular basis every since. It’s my patch. And I thought I knew every nook and cranny. I knew about Roseberry Well, where the young Prince Oswy is said to have drowned having been taken to the…
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Wild fire on Cockshaw Hill
Just a reminder that there is a very high fire risk on the moors at the moment. This morning, I came across the remains of a fire on Cockshaw Hill. I think it happened about three weeks ago and was caused by a disposable BBQ. The lush-looking bracken below disguises the risk, but I think…
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Weir, Scugdale Beck
Just below the familiar crossing of Scugdale Beck on the Cleveland Way are these remains of a weir. The crossing is known as Bittling Mill Wath — ‘wath’ meaning a ford — but the weir is more likely to be associated with a fulling mill that was sited about 200m downstream powered by a race…
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Top of Brant Gate
I learnt the other day of the Old Norse word ‘brantr‘ meaning steep, although it’s unattested and has been ‘reconstructed’ from the Old Icelandic and Old Norwegian form ‘brattr‘. I guess this means that it’s a bit of a guess. However, I read also that ‘brant‘ is actually a Cleveland dialect word for steep, and…