Dalby Forest and the Bride Stones

Not too far from Pickering is Dalby Forest and the Bride Stones. Today this was our destination, a walk in the forest. It is on the southern slopes of the North Yorkshire National Park. It was a glorious day - we have been so lucky at it is November!

A memorial to the "lumberjills" - the women who worked in forestry during World War Two

As we entered the forest we saw this sculpture, so we had to investigate! Later, a little investigation revealed its origins:

The sculpture is a steel fabrication of a felled tree and two lumberjills. Some 9,000 British women were recruited to work in forestry during the war. 

The lumberjills carried out heavy work, felling trees by hand, working in sawmills, loading trucks and driving tractors.

The timber was made into telegraph poles, road blocks, packaging boxes and gun butts for the war effort, and even crosses for war graves.

Sculptor Ray Lonsdale won the Forestry Commission competition to create a lasting memorial to honour the women.

The sculpture on Haygate Bank in Dalby, called Pull Don't Push, is five metres long and three metres high. The Forestry Commission said the sculpture "captures the arduous nature of the work as well as the fun lumberjills had working in the forests during the war."

As it was November, the forest was full of late autumn colours.Leaves in many shades and of course the forest floor of bracken.

The Bridestones. 

Aptly named ‘Brink-stones’ or edge stones in Old Norse, you can follow footpaths to the top to experience the Bridestones first hand. These fascinating rocks are the remains of a sandstone ‘cap’ that was originally much higher, Jurassic sedimentary rock deposited some 150 million years ago.

Layers of hard sandstone alternating with softer calcareous layers have been eroded by wind, frost and rain over thousands of years. The result is the strange and wonderful shapes left today. 

What is this? Well, one of my interests, especially when in new places, is Geocaching. If you are unfamiliar with the term, follow this link. 

In this area was a cache I was trying to find, and realised from the clue that it was probable disguised. Suddenly, on a pile of logs I spotted a log with a screw in the end. On investigating, the top of the log rotated on the screw revealing the log book. Very crafty! 

The surrounding nature reserve is a high, wild and inspiring blend of open heather, rough pasture, wooded hillsides and stunning summer-flower filled grassy dales. It is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), so sensitive management is very important. On the open moor new tree growth is controlled and you might see cattle which are grazed to stop the land returning to the woodland it once was.

Bridestones Griff separates the two groups of stones, leading to the grassy valley of Dovedale and its ancient woodland. It’s the perfect place to enjoy wildflowers, butterflies and birds at the edge of a rippling beck, although when we visited it was just autumn colours.

The view from Sutton Bank on the way home to our holiday cottage.

Sutton Bank is a hill in the Hambleton District of the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire in England. It is a high point on the Hambleton Hills with extensive views over the Vale of York and the Vale of Mowbray.

At the foot of Sutton Bank lies the village of Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe; at 27 letters long, it has the longest hyphenated placename in England.

The A170 road runs down the bank with a maximum gradient of 1 in 4 (25%), and including a hairpin bend. Vehicles have to keep in low gear whilst travelling up or down the bank, and caravans are banned from using the section. 

After our first ascent, we relaxed on subsequent trips to the top! We walked from the Sutton Bank National Park Centre at the top to a point where we could watch the gliders taking off from the Yorkshire Gliding Club.

Another view from the top of Sutton Bank

Green phone box - Fangdale Beck, North Yorkshire.The unusual colour was by special agreement with the local landowner. 

Apparently a story circulating has this info: "It was my late father, Fred Jackson, who was responsible for the green phone box. He worked at the then Telephone Managers Office in Middlesbrough as a sales executive and was responsible for most of the selling of phones to the Dales farmers of the area during the late 1940's and early 50's. 

He hated the thought of a red kiosk in such a stunning area and worked very hard - obviously with the local landowner, to achieve the green box."

Is it true? - who knows!, but it was worth seeing.

Next morning was time to head home and we were greeted by this glorious sunrise for our last morning.

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Malham Cove and Janets Foss

When visiting the yorkshire Dales, one of the `must see` places is Malham Cove. It is a spectacular 80 metre high limestone cliff and is one of the most popular natural features to be found in the Yorkshire Dales. This our destination for the day.

We parked in the village of Malham, and set out to walk to Janet's Foss, a small waterfall which carries Gordale Beck over a limestone outcrop topped by tufa into a deep pool below.

Lone tree on our route to Janet's Foss

The pool was traditionally used for sheep dipping, an event which took on a carnival air and drew the village inhabitants for the social occasion.

The name Janet (sometimes Jennet) is believed to refer to a fairy queen held to inhabit a cave at the rear of the fall. Foss is a Nordic word for waterfall, still used in Scandinavia, and is presented in a number of cases in England as 'force'.

From Janet's Foss we walked along a fairly well used pathway until we were in sight of the top of Malham Cove.

Looking toward the Cove from the side

The view from near the top toward the river and the road - it's a big drop.

You wouldn't run around on this Limestone pavement!

Now for the technical bit: 

A limestone pavement is a flat expanse of exposed limestone formed by a combination of chemical weathering and erosion. Limestone pavements in England, Wales and Ireland are mainly formed on Carboniferous limestone 

Clints (sometimes called by their German name, flachkarren) are the blocks of limestone that form the pavement. They are chemically weathered so that their surface is covered by a series of pits and hollows (called karren).

Grykes are fissures separating the Clints in a limestone pavement. They may be well over a metre in depth, and formed when the joints in the limestone were widened by chemical weathering.

End of class!

The cove was formed thousands of years ago by a large Ice Age river that once flowed down the (now dry) valley above the cove. It then plunged over the lip of the cove in what would have been the most spectacular waterfall in the country. Only after severe amounts of rain, such as after Storm Desmond in 2015, does Malham Cove temporarily turn back into a waterfall.

While the sheer height of Malham Cove is perhaps its most impressive feature it is also famous for its limestone pavement above. While care needs to be taken to negotiate its clints and grikes a walk across the limestone pavement is not to be missed.

This natural limestone formation in the Dales appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, in a nail-biting scene when Harry and Hermione hide from Lord Voldemort in a rocky camp.

It is a spectacular sight, I just would like to see the waterfall.

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Gillamoor and Lastingham - The Moors

Today was another exploring day through the village of Gillamoor and onto Lastingham. Not sure what we will see but as we have time on our hands ,and a full tank of petrol, off we go!

Gillamoor is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of the county of North Yorkshire. It is situated about three miles north of Kirkbymoorside on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. 

Once there, the first thing to catch our eye was this sundial. An unusual, complex, four-faced sundial (pictured above) surmounted by a finely carved stone globe, a Grade II listed structure. It stands by the roadside in the centre of Gillamoor. It was erected August 27th 1800 by John Russell by public subscription

The small attractive village church of St. Aidan stands right on the edge of a moorland escarpment, dropping sharply for 150 feet to the River Dove and the southern entrance to Farndale. It was rebuilt single-handedly in 1802 by local stonemason James Smith of Farndale using stone from the dismantled medieval church in Bransdale. The building was restored in 1880, and furnished by Temple Moore in 1908.

A church has occupied the site since as far back as the twelfth century. The present church consists of a simple rectangular structure with a nave and chancel and a porch at the western end of the south wall and an attractive bellcote at the western end of the building. The church is windowless on the north and west sides, reckoned a necessary safeguard against the prevailing winds.

View from the village toward the moors before we drove onward toward Lastingham and a brief look at the church

Simon Jenkins, author of England's Thousand Best Churches, calls the Norman crypt of St Mary's church in Lastingham 'one of England's special places'. It is certainly amazing that it has existed for so long and just standing there and thinking of the generations of people who have knelt here, it is awe inspiring!

Around AD 725 the first stone church was built on this site n 1228 the former monastic church became the parish church for Lastingham village. A north aisle was added, followed by a south aisle in the 14th century, and a west tower was added in the 15th century. The church was in poor condition by the 17th century, until it was rebuilt by Thomas Ferres, a native of Lastingham who rose to become Mayor of Hull.

One interesting footnote in the history of Lastingham church comes from the 18th century when a curate named Jeremiah Carter was employed by an absentee vicar. Carter was married, with 13 children to support, so he supplemented his family income by fishing, while his wife kept the local Blacksmith's Arms pub. 

Carter was known to play the violin to entertain visitors to the pub. When questioned by the archdeacon on the propriety of his actions, Carter replied that his parishioners enjoyed three advantages, being instructed in religion, fed and entertained all at once. He argued that this method spending the Sabbath was so agreeable that his charges were 'imperceptibly led along the paths of piety and morality...'

Interior highlights include a 12th century font, a medieval floriated grave slab, and a free-standing 15th century water stoup.

The main attraction for many people is the Norman Crypt.

And so onto Lunch which was greatly enjoyed at the Moors Inn. The Moors Inn has been trading as an inn since the 17th Century in the beautiful village of Appleton- Le Moors.

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Return to the Yorkshire Moors

The Yorkshire Moors have always been popular places to visit as they are beautiful and full of history. There are many novels also written about them which give them a dark and foreboding character - places of mystery! We found a beautiful place to stay in Pickhill, (which was far from `dark and foreboding`) near Thirsk, Yorkshire. The bungalow was on a farm, and was like home from home - Amazing!

One of the first places that we visited was through Thirsk, and was called Sutton Bank. 

Sutton Bank is a hill in the Hambleton District of the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire in England. It is a high point on the Hambleton Hills with extensive views over the Vale of York and the Vale of Mowbray. 

At the foot of Sutton Bank lies the village of Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe; at 27 letters long, it has the longest hyphenated place name in England - how about that! 

The A170 road runs down the bank with a maximum gradient of 1 in 4 (25%), and including a hairpin bend. Vehicles have to keep in low gear whilst travelling up or down the bank, and caravans are banned from using the section. Luckily the weather was good the few time we drove it during the week, which made life a bit easier. 

Because it faces the prevailing westerly winds, Sutton Bank has been used by Yorkshire Gliding Club, based at the top of the hill, since the 1930`s I believe. 

Ampleforth Abbey is a monastery of Benedictine Monks a mile to the east of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England, part of the English Benedictine Congregation, and also a College for 6, 7 & 8 year old children. It claims descent from the pre-Reformation community at Westminster Abbey through the last surviving monk from Westminster Sigebert Buckley (c. 1520 - c. 1610). Unfortunately, the Abbey has recently been embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal. (2017)

Monks are known for living peaceful lives with plenty of time dedicated to study and prayer.

But the Benedictine monks at Ampleforth Abbey have also found another way to fill their days - brewing beer. It is something they have not done for more than 200 years. 

It appears to be a very successful venture!

The place is in magnificent surroundings which were highlighted by the autumn colours. 

Byland Abbey was described in the 12th century as one of the shining lights of northern monasticism. Its beginnings were unpromising – it was only after 43 years and numerous moves that the community of Byland found a permanent home – yet the abbey rose to be one of the largest of the Cistercian order in Britain. The remains of the buildings, particularly the great church with its magnificent west front, are important in the development of northern monastic architecture in the second half of the 12th century.

A good summary of the long history can be found here.

Although there appear to be a large number of ruined abbeys spread around the countryside, their downfall may well have started in the reign of Henry VIII.

After Wolsey's downfall, Thomas Cromwell became Henry's chief minister and earned the confidence of the King by helping him to break with Rome and establish Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. This act also brought him much needed wealth through the dissolution of the well-funded monasteries. Over four years Cromwell ordered that 800 monasteries be disbanded and their lands and treasures taken for the crown.

I believe in fact, that the `church` had owned as much as a third of all the land in Europe!. 

The cultural and social impact of this action was significant, as much of the land was sold to the gentry and churches and monasteries were gutted and destroyed. Henry's personal religious beliefs remained Catholic, despite the growing number of people at court and in the nation who had adopted Protestantism. 

The church of St Michael's, Coxwold, sits at the western end of the village. The current church was built in 1420-30 and is an unusually elegant church for the area, with a most impressive octagonal tower.

The first documented reference to a church at Coxwold came in 757, when Pope Paul I ordered King Eadbert of Northumbria to repair it. This early Saxon church was replaced by a 11th century Norman church, which was in turn replaced by the current elegant building, built in the perpendicular style in 1420-30 and left largely untouched since.

Day two of our holiday we intend to make our way toward Gillamor, and then onto Lastingham.

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Let's do some cooking Nana

Today I am helping Nana make some apple things - not sure what they are called but never mind!

As you can see, after Nana has put the ingredients into a bowl, it is very easy for me to mix them all up with my hands - without much mess either!

Then we take an apple and give to Nana, who will chop it into small slices.

I will then put the slices into the dishes like this.

 Perhaps I will do more than one at once.

Next, (and I like this messy bit) I will put some of that hand mixed mixture, on top of the apple slices, and fill up the dishes to the top.

Then I get another apple and start all over again - easy really!

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Dorset for a week

We had wanted to visit Dorset for some time, so this cottage was a perfect choice for a weeks holiday with Hayley and Izobelle. It was close to Portland Bill and not too far from Lulworth, in an area called Fleet. 

Fleet is a small, scattered village and civil parish in south Dorset, approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of Weymouth, and close to the shore of The Fleet, a brackish lagoon behind Chesil Beach. 

The Great Storm of 1824 caused waves to breach Chesil Beach, and many of the buildings in the village were destroyed. An eye-witness described the event:

At six o'-clock on the morning of the 23rd I was standing with other boys by the gate near the cattle pound when I saw, rushing up the valley, the tidal wave, driven by a hurricane and bearing upon its crest a whole haystack and other debris from the fields below. We ran for our lives to Chickerell, and when we returned found that five houses had been swept away and the church was in ruins.

It was much calmer on our visit!

Our end-of-row, former coastguard cottage had panoramic sea views looking out to the Fleet, Chesil Beach, with views from Portland Bill to the Devon coastline. Down a track in front of the property, and we were on the sea`s edge.

One short shower, and we had a rainbow over Chesil Beach. Not a bad start to the week.

Obviously a good spot to launch a boat from, and this old rusty shed, I assumed, was housing a boat

The lighthouse at Portland Bill.

Nearby to our holiday cottage was Weymouth and to the south, the small promontory of Portland Bill. Having heard the name numerous times on the shipping forecast, this was a place to visit obviously.!

Portland Bill is a narrow promontory (or bill) at the southern end of the Isle of Portland. One of Portland's most popular destinations is the lighthouse. Portland's coast has been notorious for the number of shipwrecked vessels over the centuries. The dangerous coastline features shallow reefs and the Shambles sandbank, made more hazardous due to the strong Portland tidal race.

The Bill is an important way-point for coastal traffic, and three lighthouses have been built to protect shipping. The original two worked as a pair from 1716, and they were replaced in 1906 by the current one.

We did not go into the lighthouse but it made a good image I thought.

A wander around the shore line near the lighthouse revealed this rocky foreshore..

Later in the day as we drove back, we came across this monument to the 2012 Olympics overlooking Weymouth harbour. As far as I can remember, most of the Olympic sailing events took place here.

Another place we visited, on the 19th, was Lulworth Cove, and very pretty it was too. Not many people about and rather plesant weather.

A couple more images from Lulworth Cove.

Then onto Durdle Door to see the much photographed rock formation which has featured in thousands of photographers portfolios! I have seen some beautiful sunrise and sunset images from roughly this spot. However, not for me today as we were here late afternoon. We did visit again.

The far side of Durdle Door.

An morning wander down the lane to the water edge and a couple of images of boats drifting at anchor, peacefully in the early morning light.

And then onto West Bay, a little way along the coast. A lovely beach and just the place to spend the day.

...or climb that cliff and look at the view. Or watch Hayley as she descended in front of me!

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