Tag: National Trust
-
Cat Ice
On a puddle on Newton Moor, cat ice, ice so thin that a cat could just stand on it without it cracking. Not so a big black dog. Open Space Web-Map builder Code
-
The Grey Squirrel
A cute little furry thing but scorned by wildlife managers and conservationists. Native to North America the grey squirrel was introduced into Britain by Victorian landowners to enhance their gardens and estates and is now common and widespread. It is considered an invasive non-native species, causes damage to our woodland and wildlife and has pushed…
-
Britain’s 23rd Favourite Walk
A disappointing snowfall. Threatening but just a flindrikin. Roseberry Topping wasn’t so much wearing a cap but a grey veil. Didn’t see a soul except for this lone cyclist pushing his bike down the hill. Why? And a gravel bike at that. Roseberry, recently placed 23rd in a ITV list of Britain’s favourite walks. Part…
-
Smout House Dovecote
A dull start to the day at the National Trust’s offices in Bransdale but a shaft of sunlight fell on the white dovecote. First used by the Romans, dovecotes were used traditionally to provide a source of meat and eggs but this one I think is modern and purely ornamental. The wind was raw, thirty…
-
Sunset on Cliff Rigg Quarry
Headed up to Cliff Rigg to view the sunset which sort of fizzled out. The ridge is part of the Cleveland Dyke and is a protrusion of very hard volcanic rock cutting through the surrounding older sedimentary rocks. Formed 58 million years ago from a volcano near the Isle of Mull, it outcrops in many…
-
Little Roseberry/Big Roseberry
Finally, after a week of grey, sunshine and blue sky. A classic view of Roseberry.
-
Litter picking at Bridestones
Volunteering with the National Trust at their Bridestones property. One of the tasks today was a litter pick. Now you might think that as it takes a bit of an effort to get to these fascinating wind shaped sandstone outcrops, £8 entry into Dalby Forest, resisting the temptation of the visitor centre, a mile walk…
-
The Pepperpot, Bridestones
Of the fascinating sandstone columns and rock outcrops that are known as the Bridestones, the Pepperpot is perhaps the most photographed. The Bridestones are the last remnants of a Jurassic sedimentary rock layer deposited some 150 million years ago that have been eroded over the millennia by wind, frost and rain. The name is not…
-
Clumber Park Church
I rarely do churches, or indeed buildings of any kind, unless they are in ruins, but I’ve long been familar with the distinctive Church of Mary the Virgin at Clumber Park, a National Trust property forming part of the Dukeries in Nottinghamshire. It’s not that I’ve ever been inside but the unique imposing architecture of…
-
12th December – a special day
For Herr and Fru Munch who would, in 1863, have been celebrating the birth of their first son, Edvard, who would in his time become Norway’s most famous painter; for Frank ‘old blue eyes’ Sinatra, who, in 1992, would have been celebrating his 77th birthday; and for Princess Anne who, on the same day, would…