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Lealholm Bridge
Early 19th-century stone bridge spanning the River Esk at the picturesque village of Lealholm. Grade II listed, it must have replaced an earlier bridge for The Board Inn on the opposite is a former coaching inn dating from 1742 when the building was known as Lealholm Bridge House. Open Space Web-Map builder Code
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Zwartbles
In a field near Stokesley, a flock of rare breed sheep. Brown with a white blaze on their heads and white socks. Google’s first suggestion was that they were Balwens, a Welsh Mountain breed but further down the page came Zwartbles. After much deliberation, this 19th-century Dutch breed seemed the more likely.
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An undercliff, Great Fryup Dale
I posted a photo of Great Fryup Dale last year when I wrote about my fascination for an area at the head of the valley called The Hills. A chaotic jumble of knolls, ridges and depressions. The same question returned. What caused this landscape? Quarrying? Alum extraction? Canon J.C. Atkinson, the vicar of Danby, also…
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Skein of geese
I heard them first before scanning the sky to try and spot them. Flying high over Cod Beck Reservoir south for the winter. Probably from Iceland, bound for the Wash or other of the big estuaries. An alternative name when geese are flying in a ‘V’ formation is a wedge, reducing drag and enabling speeds…
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Larners Lake
This artificial fishing lake seemed to have appeared overnight but realistically it would have been sometime in the 80s when I was not resident in Great Ayton. It takes its name from Larners Hill, a ridge with a bridleway eventually leading up to Easby Moor and Captain Cook’s Monument. For many years I regularly used…
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Lonsdale Slack
Friluftsliv, a Norwegian philosophy embracing spending time connecting with nature, literally translates as “free air life”. Just being outdoors in the forests and mountains. Even the dense uninspiring commercial forestry plantation on Coate Moor can seem magical given the right lighting. Like this morning, a few minutes after sunrise. Open Space Web-Map builder Code
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Roseberry’s eastern crag
Rendered in black and white this photo contrasts the lichen-covered rocks of Roseberry’s eastern crag. Lichens are everywhere yet are often overlooked. They thrive in a variety of environments, are long-lived with a very slow growth rate but are sensitive to moisture, pH, minerals and air quality. They are actually two organisms, a fungus and…
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Mermaid’s Pool
Local legend says that a mermaid lives in this pond on the otherwise steep boulder strewn hillside below Kinder Downfall and tries to entice visitors into the water. Apparently several people have succumbed to her charms over the years. And if any refuse she’ll drag them into the depths. Of course all this is supposed…
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Booth Sheepwash
In Booth, the tiniest of Derbyshire hamlets, near Hayfield. This sheepwash was constructed in the early 20th century to replace one lost during the construction of the Kinder Reservoir. The biannual sheep wash was a community affair with local farmers sharing the workload. Wives would provide sustenance with children joining the fun. In May the…
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Kinder Valley
In the foothills of the Dark Peak looking up the Kinder valley towards the Downfall. The water is an arm of the Kinder Reservoir, built in the first decade of the 20th century to supply Stockport with a reliable supply of clean water. Open Space Web-Map builder Code
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