• Once again woke up to a duvet smothering Cleveland …

    Once again woke up to a duvet smothering Cleveland …

    … but pleasing to see it overflowing into a cloudless Bilsdale. Taken from the 390m spot height half way along the Cold Moor ridge. White Hill, aka Hasty Bank, on the far side of the mist flowing over Garfit Gap — named after the farm of the south side of the hill and documented as…

  • Ground hugging mist slowly dissipating as the day warms

    Ground hugging mist slowly dissipating as the day warms

    Roseberry was busy this morning. Along with the usual Sunday climbers, there was an abseil down the rock face going on and runners in the ‘Hanging Stone Leap‘ race. It was the 31st running of the event, although the inaugural race was run in 1988. So there’s been a bit of a gap. Today’s race…

  • A longing look at a sea fret

    A longing look at a sea fret

    Stanghow Moor, looking back towards Low Moor, amputated by the A170. A distant bank of cloud suggests a sea fret. But first, Live Moor, east of Birk Brow, a sad patch of heather moorland, scarred by generations of motorcyclists, and, in the 17th-century, by poor Jenny Frisk when she was ducked in a witch trial.…

  • Wilton village

    Wilton village

    Perhaps the most least known village of Teesside. Its tweeness belies its proximity to the petrochemical industries of the Wilton International Site, or whatever it calls itself nowadays. Wilton offers plenty of photogenic opportunities. The ‘Castle’, rebuilt 1807 and now a golf club; the old school, built 1855, and the church, rebuilt 1907/8. I think…

  • Site of Blakey House

    Site of Blakey House

    A lone gate post and some lumps and bumps mark the site of a long gone farmstead called Blakey House. The buildings must have been still extant pre-WW2 as is it recorded they were destroyed during military trainingfor that conflict. The age of the farmstead is given as ‘post medieval’ which could be anytime between…

  • The Ghost of Hoggart’s Wood

    The Ghost of Hoggart’s Wood

    The Cleveland Hills once formed a intimidating barrier that kept the dales in isolation. Access was by steep unmade tracks, Turkey Nab, Clay Bank, Carlton Bank, Scarth Nick. Nowadays of course, (most of) these routes have been tarmaced and the internal combustion engine has made the climb so much easier. The route from Ingleby Greenhow…

  • Capt. Cook’s Monument

    Capt. Cook’s Monument

    It’s been quite a few weeks since I last posted a photo of the dear old monument on Easby Moor to Great Ayton’s favourite son. Over the years, it’s been through its trials and tribulations. The originally one was made of wood and erected in 1827 but it caught fire and was replaced by the…

  • On a day like this …

    On a day like this …

    … it is not hard to imagine the short stubby valley of Greenhow Botton being a lake impounded by the wall of glacial ice near Ingleby Greenhow. Analysis of the soils reveal the limit of the ice-front. Conspicious knolls, barely requiring more than one ring-contour above the surrounding dale, reveal the presence of sand and…

  • Tea on the Topping

    Tea on the Topping

    From 2009, until Covid came along, the National Trust held their ‘Tea on the Topping’ event on the summit of Roseberry Topping on the first Sunday in August. Hot and cold drinks and homemade cakes, baked by staff and volunteers were sold in a pop-up tea room, everything including crockery, tables, boilers, gas bottles and…

  • A barrow of all seasons

    A barrow of all seasons

    I’ve posted about this Bronze Age bowl barrow many times before, here, here, here and here, but never in the summer, in a sea of purple heather. It’s on the highest point of Codhill Heights, a low subsidary top of Gisborough Moor and is the most obvious feature on a moor with other barrows, field…

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