Category: Roseberry Topping
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Cliff Rigg and Roseberry
A view from Ayton Bank. On the right, Roseberry Topping, “Cleveland’s Matterhorn”, a glacial outlier, the remains of a spur of the moors eroded away by the last ice advance from the north-west as the ice, hundreds of metres thick, met the bulk of the high moors. Cliff Rigg, on the left, has a slightly…
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Common Lizard
The whole day spent on the slopes of Roseberry, piling in fencing posts. Hard work. The old ones had rotted through. Being in one place means that nature often comes to you. The flyby of a sand martin, a distance cuckoo, the first of the year and peacock butterflies, also a first. And a common…
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The National Trust Omega Sign
There’s always been an omega sign, the classic National trust design, at the end of Aireyholme Lane on Roseberry Common but the angle on which it had been erected did not give a clear view with the Topping as a backdrop. So when, a couple of weeks ago, I was tasked, as a National Trust…
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A horse’s route up Roseberry
I was perusing the North York Moors Rights of Way map the other day when I noticed that there is a Public Bridleway that zigzags its way from the top of Roseberry Lane almost to the summit. In the photo, the bridleway comes up the flagged path to the bend and then continues to the…
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Blackthorn thicket, Newton Wood
A bit of a wet morning, with wisps of cloud skirting the hills. In a few weeks time, this blackthorn thicket will have settled back into an unassuming backdrop to the wonderful display of bluebells in Newton Wood. A few early sprigs are already showing. But for now, the spiny blackthorn takes the stage with…
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Larch Roses
A common name for the female flowers of the European larch tree. The male flowers are clusters of yellow anthers which form on the underside of shoots. Pollination is by the wind after which the roses ripen into the familiar brown cones containing the seeds which dispersed by the wind. The larch is now firmly…
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The Summerhouse
“Beware the Ides of March” so said the soothsayer to Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s play. A day in the Roman calendar corresponding to the 15 March when all debts must be settled. And of course the day Caesar was assassinated. But for me, a day for a leisurely stroll up Roseberry Topping. Often erroneously referred…
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Aireyholme Farm
Best known as where James Cook lived as a boy and where his father was employed as the farm foreman, although it is likely that the Cook family’s actual cottage was sited a little distance out of shot to the left at the foot of Cliff Rigg. The modern farm buildings in the photo date…
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Dances with sheep
A flock of Aireyholme sheep complete a short set piece of contemporary dance. Very niche. A carefully choreographed outdoor performance that is a joyful exercise in shape, rhythm and sound. But back to reality, another cracking day. Should we be worried? On this day last year, we woke up to a good snowfall with a…
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Roseberry Rainbow
Moments after being caught in a shower. The rainbow was a complete semi-circle but the camera lens was not wide enough to fit it all in. One of those magic moments. A rainbow at night, Fair weather in sight. A rainbow at morn, Fair weather all gorn. Ok, not the best of poems and seemingly…