Tag: National Trust
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Bridestone Griff
Ah, what a scene of unparalleled magnificence. Majestic sandstone columns and rock outcrops, shaped over millennia by wind and rain, now somewhat overwhelmed by a verdant sea of bracken, rippling across the landscape like an oversized duvet. Deep wooded valleys, or “griffs,” carve into the moor, a National Trust property a few miles south of…
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It were a bit barren on t’moors like, nowt much to see!
A view along the Cleveland Way as it traverses Newton Moor, with the elusive Highcliffe Nab shrouded in mist. The cartulary concerning the founding of Gisborough Priory records a significant route named Melegate, extending from a point on the Percy Cross track, known as Molecros, to Roseberry Common. The Cleveland Way here likely follows the…
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A Chance Encounter with the Great Crested Newt
Shakespeare’s witches in Macbeth famously required “Eye of newt, and toe of frog” for their cauldron. Debate lingers over whether this references the amphibian’s body part or a herbalist’s term for mustard seeds. In our garden pond, we have plenty of common newts, but today at the National Trust’s Bridestones property, I encountered my first…
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The Battle Against Erosion—Conservation Efforts at Roseberry Topping
With the ever-increasing influx of visitors, Roseberry Topping will inevitably suffer unless concerted efforts are made for its preservation. Before the National Trust assumed responsibility for the area, maintenance was minimal, as the land had been classified as agricultural. Under the Trust’s stewardship, conditions markedly improved. Paths on the lesser slopes were temporarily diverted to…
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The Pulse of Life in Bransdale
The North York Moors dales, after enduring months of rain and unseasonably cold temperatures, have erupted into a lush and vibrant green. The pastures, the crinkled oak leaves, and the dark crowns of the conifers in Barker Plantation all pulse with life. This intense greenness assails my senses: I hear it in the blackbird’s song,…
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The PM’s Gaffe — Reflections on a Wet Morning Walk
The morning walk began with a dreary wetness, and soon I found myself struggling through an encroaching jungle of bracken. I also began musing on the nature of television in my youth; this is in light of our esteemed Prime Minister’s blunder last week. I recalled a friend’s parents acquiring a colour television set. The…
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The Silent Standoff — An Unexpected Thrill of a Roe Deer Encounter
I lack the patience for birding or hiding for hours in wait of a fleeting glimpse of wildlife. However, stumbling upon the sight of a bird or creature feels like a rare privilege. Such was the case this morning when I spotted a yearling roe buck. Or rather, he spotted me. We engaged in a…
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Kissing trees
Nineteen years ago in February, the landscape draped in snow, I found myself fascinated by a pair of beech saplings, their slender forms intertwined like old lovers. Over the passing years, one of the trees has asserted dominance, its girth swelling, while its companion languished in subservience, scarcely growing at all. Yet, despite this apparent…
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Blackthorn’s Starry Flowers Precede the Bluebell Spectacle
The bluebell meadows in Newton Wood are on the verge of bursting forth in a hue of cerulean blue. However, it is not their time quite yet. The initial shoots can be seen, but presently it is the blackthorn that commands the spotlight of spring. Masses of blossom, soft and disordered, the twisted thorny shrubs…
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The Smiddy, Bransdale Mill
Doing some work at Bransdale Mill, specifically in the old smithy, known as ‘smiddy’ in the local Cleveland dialect, which is being repurposed into a wood store. This structure, formerly a dilapidated two-room, single-story building, had its fortunes revived in the recent past by the National Trust, which rendered it weatherproof with a fresh blue…