Langcliffe Quarry and its Hoffman Kiln Langcliffe Quarry was once a place of serious industry, producing lime from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The remains of three types of kiln still stand here: the Triple Draw, the Hoffmann, and the Spencer. Together, they tell the story of how lime production lurched from the pre-industrial age into the modern world, which is the sort of thing that I find rather interesting.

Langcliffe Quarry and its Hoffman Kiln

Langcliffe Quarry was once a place of serious industry, producing lime from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The remains of three types of kiln still stand here: the Triple Draw, the Hoffmann, and the Spencer. Together, they tell the story of how lime…

Burnsall Moor Chimney: Too Small to Be Famous, Too Stubborn to Disappear High on the moor south of Burnsall, a chimney stands alone among the remains of what was probably a boiler house. Nobody seems entirely sure what it is. At least I have found no creditable source. Opinion is that it belonged to one of the many small collieries that scratched away on these Yorkshire moors during the 18th and 19th centuries, digging out just enough coal to keep the locals warm and just enough mystery to keep wanderers wondering.

Burnsall Moor Chimney: Too Small to Be Famous, Too Stubborn to Disappear

Bloworth Slack—Not as Lazy as It Sounds Bloworth Slack, just moments before it meets Badger Gill to become Hodge Beck. Bransdale again — but today we’ve been beside this quietly lovely woodland stream, its amber rocks lit by a sky so clear it almost seems rude. I never took Geography at ‘O’ Level. I was a science boy, apparently, and Geography was firmly on the arts side of the fence.

Bloworth Slack—Not as Lazy as It Sounds

Bloworth Slack, just moments before it meets Badger Gill to become Hodge Beck. Bransdale again — but today we’ve been beside this quietly lovely woodland stream, its amber rocks lit by a sky so clear it almost seems rude. I never took Geography at ‘O’ Level.…

Easedale: Where William Paced and Dorothy Wrote​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Another photo from Monday’s climb up Helm Crag. Looking down Easedale, you see more than a rugged Cumbrian landscape. You see a living library. To the left, Helm Crag rises as what Dorothy Wordsworth called “a Being by itself” in 1801. Its summit bristles with famous rock formations: the “Lion and the Lamb,” the “Astrologer…

Easedale: Where William Paced and Dorothy Wrote​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Another photo from Monday’s climb up Helm Crag. Looking down Easedale, you see more than a rugged Cumbrian landscape. You see a living library. To the left, Helm Crag rises as what Dorothy Wordsworth called “a Being by itself” in…

A Brief Moment of Sun, Raven Crag Raven Crag catches a rare shaft of sunlight, and frankly it has earned it. This brooding giant overlooks the foot of Thirlmere Reservoir and has been stopping writers in their tracks for generations. They have called it everything from “vertical white walls” and a “chiselled face furred with conifer” to a “gigantic round tower” that appeared “

A Brief Moment of Sun, Raven Crag

Raven Crag catches a rare shaft of sunlight, and frankly it has earned it. This brooding giant overlooks the foot of Thirlmere Reservoir and has been stopping writers in their tracks for generations. They have called it everything from “vertical white walls” and a…

“A Natural Convulsion” Helm Crag holds a unique distinction. It is the only Lake District fell that Wainwright openly admitted to never actually reaching the top of. He gave up on the final scramble needed to stand on the true summit — the northwestern pinnacle. For a man who climbed everything, that is quite an admission. The summit ridge itself is worth the trip anyway.

“A Natural Convulsion”

The Last Traces of the Belmont Ironstone Mine Green “Yorkshire” fields in early spring, and nothing here looks remotely industrial. Yet the three red-brick Edwardian cottages sitting neatly in the middle distance were built for the men who ran Belmont Ironstone Mine, and the large brick building in the distance was once the stables for the horses that worked underground. The large concrete wall between supported the tipping gantry over the railway sidings.

The Last Traces of the Belmont Ironstone Mine

Green “Yorkshire” fields in early spring, and nothing here looks remotely industrial. Yet the three red-brick Edwardian cottages sitting neatly in the middle distance were built for the men who ran Belmont Ironstone Mine, and the large brick building…

Reflections on Sobriety A day of rest after yesterday’s National Trust volunteering. The body, it turns out, has opinions. So — the River Leven at Great Ayton. A stone wall keeps the High Street dry and throws its reflection onto water so calm it seems almost embarrassed to move. Daffodils and a pink-blossomed tree do their best to liven things up. Right of centre stands a solidly built, two-storey Yorkshire sandstone cottage — the sort of house that looks as though it has never once doubted itself — with a rather cheerful terracotta-tiled roof and neat white-framed sash windows.

Reflections on Sobriety

A day of rest after yesterday’s National Trust volunteering. The body, it turns out, has opinions. So — the River Leven at Great Ayton. A stone wall keeps the High Street dry and throws its reflection onto water so calm it seems almost embarrassed to move. Daffodils and a…

The Duncombe Drive: Lost in Plain Sight Repairs to fencing offered a rare glimpse into a part of Bransdale not open to the public. The photograph shows Hall Plantation, where a line of beech trees accentuates what is clearly an old trackway, its course still visible beneath a deep carpet of last year’s leaves. The track has been sitting quietly here since at least the 1850s, when the Duncombe family extensively remodelled Bransdale Lodge.

The Duncombe Drive: Lost in Plain Sight

Repairs to fencing offered a rare glimpse into a part of Bransdale not open to the public. The photograph shows Hall Plantation, where a line of beech trees accentuates what is clearly an old trackway, its course still visible beneath a deep carpet of last…

Lady Day: When England Turned Over a New Leaf March 25th was not just another date. It was the day England once held its breath, then exhaled. Until 1751, Lady Day was the legal New Year. Winter ended. Debts were called in. Contracts expired. The nation lurched back to life like a cart horse after a long cold stable. Rents fell due, farm tenancies ended overnight, and the Church marked the Archangel Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin Mary.

Lady Day: When England Turned Over a New Leaf

March 25th was not just another date. It was the day England once held its breath, then exhaled. Until 1751, Lady Day was the legal New Year. Winter ended. Debts were called in. Contracts expired. The nation lurched back to life like a cart horse after…

The Pale — Playground of the Percys Viewed here from Percy Cross Rigg, Capt. Cook’s Monument is just about visible on the highest point of Easby Moor. This eastern end, in the parish of Kildale, is known as Coate Moor and those unforested fields on the spur are labelled “The Pale” on Ordnance Survey maps. It is a relic of one of the three medieval deer parks once owned by the de Percy family, who ruled over the manor of Kildale.

The Pale — Playground of the Percys

Viewed here from Percy Cross Rigg, Capt. Cook’s Monument is just about visible on the highest point of Easby Moor. This eastern end, in the parish of Kildale, is known as Coate Moor and those unforested fields on the spur are labelled “The Pale” on Ordnance…

Who Gets the Land? Everyone Wants a Piece Britain has a land problem. There is not enough of it, what there is in the wrong place, and far too many people want it for far too many things — housing, food, energy, nature, and apparently shooting birds for fun. The Government has finally noticed and published its first Land Use Framework: a long-term plan to stop every ministry making it up as it goes along, and instead use proper maps and data to decide what goes whereThe Land Use Framework for England.

Who Gets the Land? Everyone Wants a Piece

Britain has a land problem. There is not enough of it, what there is in the wrong place, and far too many people want it for far too many things — housing, food, energy, nature, and apparently shooting birds for fun. The Government has finally noticed and…

Farndale: Rather Less Yellow Than Expected Last Friday’s trip to Farndale, home of the famous wild daffodils was, if truth be told, rather a mixed blessing. The display was, shall we say, not quite the riot of yellow one might have hoped for. The far bank of the River Dove, where the public cannot go, looked considerably more impressive. Years of well-meaning visitors trampling the near bank have clearly left their mark.

Farndale: Rather Less Yellow Than Expected

Last Friday’s trip to Farndale, home of the famous wild daffodils was, if truth be told, rather a mixed blessing. The display was, shall we say, not quite the riot of yellow one might have hoped for. The far bank of the River Dove, where the public cannot…

Iron Age on the Moors: Percy Rigg’s Hidden Houses For centuries, five Iron Age round houses sat quietly on this ridge in North Yorkshire, and nobody noticed. Not bad for a neighbourhood that was probably occupied for over 300 years. The site was only spotted in 1962, when Fred Proud of Sleddale Farm found it and reported it to local archaeologists Roland Close and Raymond Hayes. Better late than never.

Iron Age on the Moors: Percy Rigg’s Hidden Houses

For centuries, five Iron Age round houses sat quietly on this ridge in North Yorkshire, and nobody noticed. Not bad for a neighbourhood that was probably occupied for over 300 years. The site was only spotted in 1962, when Fred Proud of Sleddale…

Fog, a Hollow Way and a Reservoir That Never Was The watershed between the River Esk and River Rye tributaries was today more than a geographical line. It was a weather frontier. While Castleton and Westerdale basked in spring sunshine a mile or two away to the north, Farndale sulked under a damp mist so thick you could almost wring it out. From the aptly named Esk House in upper Farndale, a Public Bridleway climbs over the col into Esklets and Westerdale.

Fog, a Hollow Way and a Reservoir That Never Was

The watershed between the River Esk and River Rye tributaries was today more than a geographical line. It was a weather frontier. While Castleton and Westerdale basked in spring sunshine a mile or two away to the north, Farndale sulked under a damp…

Hanging Stone Dam and the Fall of Sir Joseph The pond in this photo was built in 1880 by Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease to power hydraulic machinery at his Home Farm half a kilometre downstream. It served that purpose until the 1950s, after which it became a swamp. Local volunteers restored it in 2004/5. Known originally as Hanging Stone Dam, it sits at the top of the gill variously called Hall Gill or Middle Gill, though most people would know it as Blue Lake or Blue Lagoon.

Hanging Stone Dam and the Fall of Sir Joseph

The pond in this photo was built in 1880 by Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease to power hydraulic machinery at his Home Farm half a kilometre downstream. It served that purpose until the 1950s, after which it became a swamp. Local volunteers restored it in…

Pirates, Sugar and Stone: The Carlton Bank Alum Works Some industrial stories begin with a balance sheet. This one begins with a privateer’s cannon. The alum works at Carlton Bank, gorged out of the Cleveland Hills, has a history that stretches from the Caribbean to the Cleveland coast. It is, when you look closely, a rather splendid tale of sea dogs, sugar barons, and ruthless business dealings dressed up as polite commerce.

Pirates, Sugar and Stone: The Carlton Bank Alum Works

Some industrial stories begin with a balance sheet. This one begins with a privateer’s cannon. The alum works at Carlton Bank, gorged out of the Cleveland Hills, has a history that stretches from the Caribbean to the Cleveland coast. It is,…

Egglestone Abbey— The Poorest House in England Just under two miles south-east of Barnard Castle, the remains of Egglestone Abbey stand above the south bank of the Tees. They are, not to put too fine a point on it, rather good. Egglestone was a Premonstratensian house, founded around 1195. The Premonstratensians — known as the White Canons — were ordained priests who served nearby communities. They were a serious, no-nonsense order, not given to showing offWood, Eric S.

Egglestone Abbey— The Poorest House in England

Just under two miles south-east of Barnard Castle, the remains of Egglestone Abbey stand above the south bank of the Tees. They are, not to put too fine a point on it, rather good. Egglestone was a Premonstratensian house, founded around 1195. The…

Providence Smelting Mill – Lead, Sweat and and 200 Years of Silence The arch in this image above has stood on this windswept Yorkshire moor for over two hundred years. It is now the most eye-catching feature in this otherwise barren valley. Near Greenhow, west of Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale, the ground holds centuries of industrial history just beneath the surface. In 1840, Michael Colling, agent to the Mineral Lords, declared that “

Providence Smelting Mill – Lead, Sweat and and 200 Years of Silence

The arch in this image above has stood on this windswept Yorkshire moor for over two hundred years. It is now the most eye-catching feature in this otherwise barren valley. Near Greenhow, west of Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale, the…

The Prosperous Smelt Mill These crumbling stone walls tell quite a story. Standing at the foot of a bracken-covered hillside near Pateley Bridge, the ruins of the Prosperous smelt mill look like something from a forgotten world. They are, rather fittingly, exactly that. Lead was probably first mined here by the Romans. The first written record dates from 1781. Around 1800, John Lupton built the smelt mill itself.

The Prosperous Smelt Mill

These crumbling stone walls tell quite a story. Standing at the foot of a bracken-covered hillside near Pateley Bridge, the ruins of the Prosperous smelt mill look like something from a forgotten world. They are, rather fittingly, exactly that. Lead was probably first…

Roseberry’s Hedge: Ten Years in the Making Ten years ago, I helped the National Trust plant 4,000 saplings along the north west boundary of Roseberry Topping, where it meets the fields known as Rye Banks. The North York Moors National Park Traditional Boundary Scheme footed the bill. Hawthorn made up the bulk of the planting, with blackthorn, maple, hazel and dog rose thrown in for good measure.

Roseberry’s Hedge: Ten Years in the Making

Ten years ago, I helped the National Trust plant 4,000 saplings along the north west boundary of Roseberry Topping, where it meets the fields known as Rye Banks. The North York Moors National Park Traditional Boundary Scheme footed the bill. Hawthorn made…

Cool Burns and Warm Fictions Ah, that warm, pungent smell of a recent so-called “cool burn”. Now, I do not know whether these moorland burns truly reduce the fuel load and prevents catastrophic wildfires. I will heed the scientists and the fire brigade experts, but I am immediately sceptical of lobby groups pushing a single agenda. Navigating the internet today is much like being sold a pup from a dodgy pet shop.

Cool Burns and Warm Fictions

Ah, that warm, pungent smell of a recent so-called “cool burn”. Now, I do not know whether these moorland burns truly reduce the fuel load and prevents catastrophic wildfires. I will heed the scientists and the fire brigade experts, but I am immediately sceptical of…

The Smell of Progress A lone tractor crawls below Roseberry Topping, spreading muck across an upland field. The scent hits you before the sight does. This, believe it or not, is what civilisation smells like. That machine is just the latest chapter in a very old and very smelly story. Centuries of farmers knew something we have mostly forgotten: the soil is not a given.

The Smell of Progress

A lone tractor crawls below Roseberry Topping, spreading muck across an upland field. The scent hits you before the sight does. This, believe it or not, is what civilisation smells like. That machine is just the latest chapter in a very old and very smelly story. Centuries of…

From Gold Chains To Pink Fur: Our Great Squirrel Blunder Humans have an impressive ability to create a total dog’s breakfast of the natural world. We take a creature from the other side of the ocean and decide it would look nice in a park. Now we spend millions of pounds every year trying to fix the mess‘Grey Squirrel Damage.’ 2024. Woodlands.co.uk < . Whilst keeping our native red squirrels as pets was not unknown in EnglandLady Sarah Napier, Wikipedia.

From Gold Chains To Pink Fur: Our Great Squirrel Blunder

Humans have an impressive ability to create a total dog’s breakfast of the natural world. We take a creature from the other side of the ocean and decide it would look nice in a park. Now we spend millions of pounds every year trying to fix…

Not Guilty: The Carlton Bank Case, 1972 Carlton Bank. Even on a dreich day there was a surprising number of folk around. Yet, in May 1972, it was the scene of one of the more extraordinary legal cases the North Riding has ever seen. A potato merchant named Kenneth Saddington drove five miles up to these moors one Saturday night with a body in his car. He walked 1,000 yards out into this bracken and heather, found a natural hole fourteen feet deep, dropped the body in, packed five feet of soil on top, and finished the job with a dead sheep he had found nearby‘A man charged with murder.’ Newcastle Journal - 23 May 1972.

Not Guilty: The Carlton Bank Case, 1972

Carlton Bank. Even on a dreich day there was a surprising number of folk around. Yet, in May 1972, it was the scene of one of the more extraordinary legal cases the North Riding has ever seen. A potato merchant named Kenneth Saddington drove five miles up to…

Dale Head—Fire, Rumour and a Long Silence Ryedale demanded a break. The old Stephen Thwaite farmstead has an irresistible collection of “stoups” and “hemmells” worth ten minutes of any cyclist’s time. Then the sun did what the sun does when it wants to make a point. It threw a spotlight clean across Wheat Beck and landed it squarely on Dale Head House. Rather rude, really, given the state of the place.

Dale Head—Fire, Rumour and a Long Silence

Ryedale demanded a break. The old Stephen Thwaite farmstead has an irresistible collection of “stoups” and “hemmells” worth ten minutes of any cyclist’s time. Then the sun did what the sun does when it wants to make a point. It threw a spotlight clean…

Boxer Peacock’s Cottage, Arkengarthdale Another post from last Thursday’s jaunt from Arkengarthdale, when I walked straight past one of the curiosities in the dale. On the track up from Fremington, I spotted what looked like a broken bit of Victorian drainpipe stuck in the bank, overflowing with water. I gave it barely a glance and walked on. Fool. Back home, I discovered it was actually a rather fine salt-glazed stoneware drinking fountain and hand basin, set up by Boxer Peacock himself — the last man to call this glorious ruin home.

Boxer Peacock’s Cottage, Arkengarthdale

Another post from last Thursday’s jaunt from Arkengarthdale, when I walked straight past one of the curiosities in the dale. On the track up from Fremington, I spotted what looked like a broken bit of Victorian drainpipe stuck in the bank, overflowing with…

Teapot calling the kettle ...

Wall’s End, Calver Hill Yesterday’s walk in Swaledale served up the full British weather menu — mist, mystery and a fleeting glimpse of actual sunshine. Climbing out of Reeth up Arkengarthdale, we broke above the clouds into glorious blue skies. Descending Calver Hill, the mist swallowed us whole again. As it does. Then this wall appeared from nowhere. A long, low dry-stone wall on the open moor, anchored at each end by a great upright stone — an orthostat.

Wall’s End, Calver Hill

Yesterday’s walk in Swaledale served up the full British weather menu — mist, mystery and a fleeting glimpse of actual sunshine. Climbing out of Reeth up Arkengarthdale, we broke above the clouds into glorious blue skies. Descending Calver Hill, the mist swallowed us whole…

Fremington Edge Chert: The Stone That Made Your Teacup A view from Reeth Low Moor looking across at the scars gouged onto Fremington Edge. Those wounds in this hillside are not the work of nature. They are what happens when industry decides it needs something badly enough. Chert quarrying in Swaledale ran from around 1900 to approximately 1950, driven almost entirely by the pottery industry. The potteries needed a hard, high-silica stone to grind flint into a fine powder to mix with clay.

Fremington Edge Chert: The Stone That Made Your Teacup

A view from Reeth Low Moor looking across at the scars gouged onto Fremington Edge. Those wounds in this hillside are not the work of nature. They are what happens when industry decides it needs something badly enough. Chert quarrying in…