Category: Roseberry Topping
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The Battle Against ErosionāConservation 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 Trustās stewardship, conditions markedly improved. Paths on the lesser slopes were temporarily diverted to…
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A Swathe of Purple: Bell Heather in Full Bloom
The North York Moors hold England’s largest stretch of upland heather moorland, renowned for their late summer display of heather. Come August, the moors will be briefly blanketed by the lilac hues of Ling, or Calluna vulgaris. Another heather, Erica cinerea or Bell heather, blooms in a richer purple from June to September, adorning the…
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Making Hay While the Sun Shines
Aireyholme Farm has been hard at work hay making. The creation of dry hay is an elaborate process, involving a sequence of operations each requiring specialised machinery. These stages are: mowing, tedding, raking, and baling. The procedure begins with cutting the grass, which is then left in the field for several days, depending on the…
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The PMās Gaffe ā 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 Ministerās blunder last week. I recalled a friend’s parents acquiring a colour television set. The…
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Rescue at Roseberry: The 1929 Shale Slide
Back in sunny Cleveland, and I am in search of a new morsel of information to accompany a familiar sight. On this day in 1929, Ralph Elliott, a miner from Great Ayton, had a narrow escape. Working with several others at the āRoseberry mine bank bottomā, he ascended a spoil tip to release shale. Suddenly,…
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A Little Bit of Bread and no Cheese
The song of the yellowhammer resonates with a quaint charm, often likened to ‘a little bit of bread and no cheese,’ a delightful call immortalised by Enid Blyton in her tales and verses. Males serenade the countryside with their melodies during spring and summer, adorning our open spaces. Resembling a canary in appearance, the males…
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The merry month of May
Bluebell season has undoubtedly arrived, yet the spectacle seems somewhat diminished compared to previous years. Perhaps it’s premature to judge. If May proves to be as chilly as April, the following proverb may come to mind, though its exact significance eludes me. A cold May and a windy, Makes a barn full and a findy.
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From Warren House to Toft Hill Scout Camp
From the vantage point up Kirby Bank, one’s eyes are drawn across the Vale of Cleveland to the iconic silhouette of Roseberry Topping. Closer though, in this picturesque view, stands the Pybus Scout Camp, its white facade gleaming under the cloudy sky. Adjacent to it lies Ricey Hill, adorned with the mellow yellow flowers of…
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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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Spring Forward, Fall BackāThe Enduring Legacy of William Willett
It certainly felt like spring has sprung this morning. I guess my regular readers will not have a problem in recognising the hill in todayās photo. Plenty making the ascent on this Easter Saturday. Anyhow, weāre on the brink of transitioning to British Summer Time (BST), heralding the arrival of lighter evenings! And darker mornings!…