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Scorton
Headed west for a change. A cycling foray into the flat farmlands of the Vale of Mowbray. Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-1983), the renown architectural writer, described Scorton as having “a rather large, somewhat shapeless green”. But it is an unusual green in the fact that it is raised higher than the rest of the village. There are only two such…
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May Blossom
In Nottingham in the early 60s I remember me mam saying “naer cast a clout till May is out” to me when I tried to go out in the Spring without my duffle coat or string vest. I thought, and I think me mam thought too, that “may” referred to the month of May but it really…
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Bransdale Mill
There has reportedly been a water mill on this spot alongside Hodge Beck since the late 13th century. The present building was built by William Strickland in 1811 increasing the capacity with the addition of a 16 foot overshot water wheel. A window lintel gives a date of rebuilding of 1842. It had been substantially…
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Male Fern
A wet miserable day with low cloud hiding any views of the hills so my attention had to be closer to my feet. In Newton Woods the bluebells have gone off the boil. Their vivid blues have paled and the bracken fronds overtaken them. But less prevalent than bracken are clumps of ferns. Now I’m…
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Roseberry Romp
Runners negotiating the rocks on Roseberry summit in the annual Roseberry Romp, a 5 mile race involving 320m of climb. The race is organised by the National Trust and generally follows paths around the perimeter of the property including a climb up to the summit. Roseberry Topping is owned by the National Trust. The 320m…
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Belmont Ironstone Mine
Why is it that runners always think of biking as an easy option? An active rest day. My own bike ride today enabled me to get into Guisborough Woods which looked green and lush with vicious nettles on the floor and the sycamores not yet dense enough to keep out the light. I was surprised to…
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Ingleborough
Another one of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. Ingleborough. Seen from Dub Cote on the southern foothills of Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough is just a blimp on the horizon overshadowed by the great scar of Horton quarry which seems to have taken over half the mountain in its search for limestone.
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Early Purple Orchids
The information board provided by the National Park says that Early Purple Orchids can be seen on the limestone meadows of Sulber Nick in the Ingleborough nature reserve. So I guess these must be Early Purple Orchids seen against a backdrop of Pen-y-Ghent, one of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. They brightened up a trog up the motorway…
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Esklets
Esklets, the source of the River Esk, at the confluence of three streams. Perhaps once the most remotest farmstead in the whole of the North York Moors. But the last farmer left in the 1960s and the farmhouse demolished. The rubble slowly becoming lost in the undergrowth. Just a few broken roof tiles and shards…
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View from The Wainstones
As the early morning clouds swirled around the tops of the Cleveland Hills the ubiquitous yellow fields of rapeseed dominated the view onto the plain below. Rapeseed was originally only grown for machine oil as it was too bitter for human consumption but new strains developed in the 70s made the oil more palatable. In…
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