There and Back

Walton is a traditional seaside town on the east coast, unique in that it is surrounded on three sides by the sea. Its three miles of gently shelving sandy beaches facing south-east stretch from Frinton to the Naze. To the north, the sea sweeps round the Naze into the backwaters, known as Hamford Water, and the Walton Channel stretches right down to Walton Mere, only 300 yards from the main beach. The Naze, as well as being a natural open space, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) famed for its fossils found in the Red Crag cliffs. As well as these glorious natural features, Walton is known for its pier – the second-longest in the country – its yacht club and marina, and its iconic tower at The Naze from where panoramic views can be enjoyed of the Walton backwaters, Harwich and Felixstowe and the Suffolk coast.  The coast of East Anglia is always subject to erosion and the day of our visit to Walton demonstrated the effects which a stormy period on the North se

We expect to have January as a cold, sometimes snowy, month. There are things to photograph which are interesting, and often just eye catching, such as these cobwebs in fences and railings.  Cobwebs adorn the railings and nearby fences  The first showing of snowdrops on the roadside  Believe it or not, these Velvet Shank Fungi (Flammulina velutipes), spotted on a nearby tree.  And an image of a tree in the mist. First image in the mist, second one on a sunny day with a NIk Effex filter applied.  Home      Forward       Back

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 t

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

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 us