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1000 results for “Hall_A_lime”

Hall_A_lime @Hall_A_lime · 2026-05-29 · 01:54 UTC

埃塞俄比亚的西达摩出产的花魁咖啡豆，喝出了满汉全席的味道
咱就是说这是人类能喝出来的味道么? 你是往嘴里装了个液相色谱吗
咖啡的玄学堪比HiFi
Hall_A_lime @Hall_A_lime · 2026-05-18 · 06:34 UTC

RE: https://o3o.ca/@ShoegazingPunk/116593037772760626
都脑补出180集短剧剧情了
Hall_A_lime @Hall_A_lime · 2026-05-16 · 07:42 UTC

还是你台湾张姐段位高，瞬间拿捏everyone (正面含义
Hall_A_lime @Hall_A_lime · 2026-05-15 · 10:58 UTC

已经预测今年秋冬会出现强厄尔尼诺
准备好干死和热死
Curiosity Drive @[email protected] · 2026-05-11 · 11:09 UTC
Andorra and Occitanie

For this mission our focus had been on Spain and Portugal, but we took the opportunity to briefly transit Andorra and to visit those western parts of Occitanie we didn’t have time for on our previous trip into France.
Coordinates
Andorra

Andorra in a nutshell
Andorra isn’t an EU country (so there was a border crossing from Spain and no EU roaming—46€ per SMS—just robbery!), but it uses the Euro by agreement. It has a similar GDP per capita to NZ, with a population of ~80,000 who speak Catalan as a first language (most of whom also speak Spanish and/or French). Andorra is a co-principality (with largely ceremonial co-princes being the President of France and Spain’s Bishop of Urgel), governed as a parliamentary democracy.
🧭 Exploring

Andorra la Vella, the capital, put on a damp and cold welcome after weeks of sunshine in Spain and Portugal (📷1). It does have geothermal waters (Caldea in contiguous Escaldes-Engordany is one of Europe’s largest thermal spa complexes) but isn’t regarded as a traditional spa town. We found it:
- Like Spain, but less dry and warm—possibly unfair given our limited transit.
- Like France, but without old stones—much of Barri Antic appears comparatively modern (📷2) and there are no Roman ruins (although Casa de la Vall, a former parliament building, dates from 1580)
- Like Monaco, but without yachts—although a fast-flowing river runs through this valley-confined city (📷3)
- Like Dubai, but without sand—although money passes through fingers here similarly in this shopping mecca, due to low taxes (📷4).
A machete with your charge cable?
We are at a loss to explain why most electronic stores also sell “personal weapons” (knives, guns, etc…). We find this both weird and scary!
🤔 Curiosity

Andorra is more than a country of one city: ~94% of the land and ~73% of the population are outside Andorra la Vella. Vall del Madriu-Perafita-Claror | Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is Andorra’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed as a cultural landscape. We accessed it via the official “Volta a Ràmio” trail. From parking above the village of Engolasters it was a steep 35min climb through pine forest to Coll de Jovell at 1,780m, from where we began descending into the glacier-formed valley. At the 2km mark we reached Ràmio in the valley’s bottom end (📷1). The valley makes up ~9% of Andorra and is regarded as a time capsule for traditional mountain usage with limited modern development. Ràmio gave us a first glimpse into how people shaped the high Pyrenees over centuries through pastoralism, farming and communal land management (📷2). The trail continued up the valley, mostly alongside the Riu Madriu to the constant roar of white water, with ever-present granite underfoot/ in dry-stone walls and the scent of damp moss and pine needles in the air. At just over 4km/ 2h 10min into the hike we came to Refugi de Fontverd, not unlike a NZ-style DOC hut, at 1,875m elevation (📷3). We returned to the Coll via a higher path, which gave us superior views back up the valley (📷4). The 9km loop hike took us 4h 15min.
As we drove back down from Engolasters we stopped to snap the top end of Escaldes-Engordany, which illustrates its rather dramatic valley confinement (📷1). A switchback sequence took us to Mirador Roc del Quer near Canillo, where we appreciated the views in several directions, such as this (📷2), without paying 6€ pp to stand on a suspended platform. Just beyond Canillo we stopped again at Sant Joan de Caselles, said to be a fine example of old Andorran architecture (📷3) and inside, one of the best preserved Romanesque interiors; the door was however bolted. We exited Andorra by heading for Col de Puymorens at 1,915m in the French Pyrénées (📷4); you can avoid the pass via a tolled tunnel.
Occitanie

A piece of Spain—inside France!
After reaching Occitanie we transited the Spanish/ Catalonian enclave of Llívia, a town of some 13 square kilometres that was excluded from transfer to France in the Treaty of the Pyrénées (1659) because the said border agreement only specified the transfer of “villages”!
🧭 Exploring

We parked for our first night in Occitanie in Mont-Louis, beneath the walls of the town (📷1); at ~1,600m elevation it’s France’s highest fortified town and together with the c. 1679 citadel—an active commando training facility—is part of the “Fortifications of Vauban” UNESCO listing. Villefranche-de-Conflent is another of 12 UNESCO-listed fortified sites designed by military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, together representing a coherent defensive system across France. It’s considerably more tourist-oriented; we took the opportunity to walk the restored late 17th C. ramparts (📷2) and stroll through the town’s medieval streets (📷3). Next up was Musée de Préhistoire de Tautavel | Tautavel Prehistory Museum, featuring rather dated and underwhelming exhibits (cf. Altamira) around findings from La Caune de l’Arago | the Arago Cave. People seasonally camped here from ~690,000 years ago, as imagined in this unconvincing “facsimile” cave set 500,000 years ago (📷4). All displayed human bones (including the signature “Tautavel Man”, possibly a Homo erectus subspecies, compiled from fragments of ~20 individuals) are moulds. We also drove to the actual limestone cave in nearby Gouleyrous gorge, situated in the middle of a cliff, but you can’t access it.
Château de Quéribus at Cucugnan (📷1) and nearby Château de Peyrepertuse at Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse (📷2) are two of eight “Royal Fortresses of Languedoc” aspiring to UNESCO World Heritage status. Languedoc was shaped by Roman rule, became a centre of medieval Occitan culture, was devastated by the Albigensian Crusade before being integrated into the French kingdom. Château de Peyrepertuse sits on a limestone ridge at 800m elevation and is first mentioned in records from 1020 CE (📷3); this view is from parking close to the ticket gate (we decided not to go inside). It came into royal possession in 1240 CE, its former owner William of Peyrepertuse having been excommunicated for supporting the Cathars (a medieval Christian sect in southern Europe who believed in strict division between a good spiritual realm and an evil material world, leading the Pope to label them heretics). After the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees the castle lost its strategic importance; it was finally abandoned during the French Revolution. There’s free access to a lookout platform from which you can see the ruin of Château de Quéribus and beyond it, the Mediterranean Sea (📷4).
Upon leaving Château de Peyrepertuse bound for Carcassonne we took the D14, a narrow winding backroad between hills cloaked in forest and meadows, intermittently punctuated with small villages. One such village is Bugarach, on the outskirts of which is a 700m path to Pont Romain, a single-arch stone bridge across a limestone basin on the Roman road linking the village to Rennes-les-Bains (📷1). Although the original was probably Gallo-Roman, it was destroyed in 1992 by flooding but faithfully restored the following year. What caught our eye was the trailside orchids, three of which were new to us. All native, first up is Neotinea ustulata | the burnt-tip orchid, which can be found up to 2,400m elevation in the mountains of central and southern Europe (📷2). The aptly-named Serapias lingua | tongue orchid is found throughout the Mediterranean (📷3). Ophrys scolopax | the woodcock orchid is recognisably a bee orchid given its morphology (📷4); it can be found in both the Mediterranean and Middle East. We also re-identified Orchis mascula | the early-purple orchid (📷5).
Cité de Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town (📷1). First fortified in the Gallo-Roman period ~3rd–4th C. CE, it underwent extensive restorations in the 19th C. Set upon a hill overlooking the modern urban sprawl, the compact site is protected by ~3km of double walls and 52 defensive towers (📷2); it’s 19 € pp to walk the ramparts/ visit the restored château, but free to walk between the rows (without climbing on the outer battlements). The enclosed town is very touristy, filled with trinket shops and eateries, but also offers some architectural curiosities (📷3). Later, at nearby Trèbes, we walked alongside Canal du Midi, a ~360km network of navigable waterways linking the Atlantic (via Garonne) to the Mediterranean using locks, aqueducts, bridges and reservoirs. The canal is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, created through the vision of Pierre-Paul Riquet during 1667–94. The Trèbes Orbiel aqueduct (📷4) was designed by Vauban in 1688 and the town’s staircase lock dates from ~1674.
Lagrasse is listed among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France | the Most Beautiful Villages of France; S had enjoyed her visit ~20 years ago and wanted to return to this relatively quiet locale, surrounded by hills on the Orbieu River (📷1). It developed around Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse, a Benedictine abbey founded during the 8th C. (📷2), becoming an important religious and economic hub. The village is compact, with stone houses/ artisan shops (in Jul/ Aug it is filled with tourists) and a medieval open-air market hall (📷3). On the path between camp and village we also discovered a new-to-us native orchid, Serapias vomeracea | the long-lipped serapias (📷4).
Bonus pictures of pretty Lagrasse. A monk in the courtyard of Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse; it’s still an active religious site (📷1). A grey heron fishing in the Orbieu River (📷2). The 40m high fortified bell tower (clocher fortifié) of the abbey church, featuring buttresses with curved flyers; it was heavily modified in the late Middle Ages when the monastery was adapted for defense during periods like the Hundred Years’ War (📷3). Entrance on Rue de la Porte d’Eau, through which typical stone buildings can be seen (📷4). A view from the old bridge, looking back towards the hill on which we camped (📷5). A random village door (📷6). Anacamptis pyramidalis | the pyramidal orchid, with the monastery in the background (📷7).
Our “small of the day” was captured when S went to empty the toilet cassette—not when you expect to hear “Quick, bring the camera!” This is a native moth, Arctia villica | the cream-spot tiger (📷1). We made our way to Salins de Saint-Martin outside of Gruissan on the Gulf of Lion, although being too early for florid algal blooms, colour differences between salt ponds were subtle (📷2). We followed the marked path 2.1km out to Plage de la Vieille Nouvelle (📷3). En route we did identify a number of birds, mostly at a distance: Phoenicopterus roseus | greater flamingo; Anarhynchus alexandrinus | Kentish plover; Chlidonias hybrida | whiskered tern; Motacilla flava | western yellow wagtail; and Milvus migrans | the black kite. Later we stopped in Béziers, where we watched as boats navigated “Les 9 écluses de Fonseranes”, one of the most impressive engineering features of the Canal du Midi (📷4). Originally a sequence of nine locks (a “staircase”) completed in 1697, seven are typically in use, raising or lowering vessels ~21.5 meters over a short distance.
Etang Des Mouettes is a a coastal lagoon in Frontignan, formerly a salt production pond with over 600 years of service, now gradually rewilding (📷1). On our dawn walk we found a heron stalking in the shallows (📷2), but there wasn’t enough light to be sure of the species. As the sun rose it illuminated flocks of Phoenicopterus roseus | greater flamingo traversing the pond, with their distinctive long necks, large kinked bills, trailing long pink legs and striking deep pink/ black underside wing plumage (📷3). A look at Frontignan Plage before departing the Mediterranean shore (📷4).
We drove to the Mont Aigoual summit at 1,565m elevation in Parc national des Cévennes | Cevennes National Park; the park is recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Our route up via Nant and Dourbies was long, winding and frankly tedious, so despite views towards the coast (📷1) and further inland (📷2) we felt less appreciative than we should have. We decided against our intended hike in 7°C and headed down via Gorges de la Jonte. En route the road verge was decorated with numerous native Dactylorhiza sambucina | the elder-flowered orchid, in shades of yellow, deep purple and pink (we first saw it in Theth, Albania). As is common practice, some of the formations in the gorge are named; this is Arcade des Bergers | Shepherds’ Arcade (📷3). The hamlet of Le Truel, where terraces once held vineyards, orchards and vegetable gardens, while sheep and goats grazed sloping pastures (📷4). Gyps fulvus | griffon vultures soar from the cliffs above, seemingly untroubled by the loss of a traditional way of life.
Gorges du Tarn, also within Parc nationaldes Cévennes, is a canyon carved by the Tarn ~50km long and up to 500m deep. Large parts of the gorge are also included within the UNESCO-listed “Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape”. We began the scenic drive at Le Rozier, working our way west to east via cliffs and tunnels, with frequent stops at viewpoints towards Sainte-Enimie. Hameau semi-troglodyte d’Eglazines | the “semi-troglodyte hamlet of Eglazines” was first to catch our eye (📷1). Although not as high, the hamlet of La Sablière is on the opposite bank of the Tarn, so access/ supplies is via a cableway (📷2). The larger settlement of La Malène is billed as a Petite Cité de Caractère | “Little City of Character” (📷3). Sainte-Enimie is listed as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France”; this view is from the river beach (📷4).
From Sainte-Enimie we entered “Home” into the nav system and headed out of Occitaine. After 8,217km this tour was complete. Related missions logs are as follows:
Plans for our next trip are uncertain as we await easing of global disruption.
#2026 #andorra #camperVan #europe #france #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #occitanie #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife
#andorra #campervan #europe #france #hiking #nationalpark
Curiosity Drive @[email protected] · 2026-05-11 · 11:09 UTC
Andorra and Occitanie

For this mission our focus had been on Spain and Portugal, but we took the opportunity to briefly transit Andorra and to visit those western parts of Occitanie we didn’t have time for on our previous trip into France.
Coordinates
Andorra

Andorra in a nutshell
Andorra isn’t an EU country (so there was a border crossing from Spain and no EU roaming—46€ per SMS—just robbery!), but it uses the Euro by agreement. It has a similar GDP per capita to NZ, with a population of ~80,000 who speak Catalan as a first language (most of whom also speak Spanish and/or French). Andorra is a co-principality (with largely ceremonial co-princes being the President of France and Spain’s Bishop of Urgel), governed as a parliamentary democracy.
🧭 Exploring

Andorra la Vella, the capital, put on a damp and cold welcome after weeks of sunshine in Spain and Portugal (📷1). It does have geothermal waters (Caldea in contiguous Escaldes-Engordany is one of Europe’s largest thermal spa complexes) but isn’t regarded as a traditional spa town. We found it:
- Like Spain, but less dry and warm—possibly unfair given our limited transit.
- Like France, but without old stones—much of Barri Antic appears comparatively modern (📷2) and there are no Roman ruins (although Casa de la Vall, a former parliament building, dates from 1580)
- Like Monaco, but without yachts—although a fast-flowing river runs through this valley-confined city (📷3)
- Like Dubai, but without sand—although money passes through fingers here similarly in this shopping mecca, due to low taxes (📷4).
A machete with your charge cable?
We are at a loss to explain why most electronic stores also sell “personal weapons” (knives, guns, etc…). We find this both weird and scary!
🤔 Curiosity

Andorra is more than a country of one city: ~94% of the land and ~73% of the population are outside Andorra la Vella. Vall del Madriu-Perafita-Claror | Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is Andorra’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed as a cultural landscape. We accessed it via the official “Volta a Ràmio” trail. From parking above the village of Engolasters it was a steep 35min climb through pine forest to Coll de Jovell at 1,780m, from where we began descending into the glacier-formed valley. At the 2km mark we reached Ràmio in the valley’s bottom end (📷1). The valley makes up ~9% of Andorra and is regarded as a time capsule for traditional mountain usage with limited modern development. Ràmio gave us a first glimpse into how people shaped the high Pyrenees over centuries through pastoralism, farming and communal land management (📷2). The trail continued up the valley, mostly alongside the Riu Madriu to the constant roar of white water, with ever-present granite underfoot/ in dry-stone walls and the scent of damp moss and pine needles in the air. At just over 4km/ 2h 10min into the hike we came to Refugi de Fontverd, not unlike a NZ-style DOC hut, at 1,875m elevation (📷3). We returned to the Coll via a higher path, which gave us superior views back up the valley (📷4). The 9km loop hike took us 4h 15min.
As we drove back down from Engolasters we stopped to snap the top end of Escaldes-Engordany, which illustrates its rather dramatic valley confinement (📷1). A switchback sequence took us to Mirador Roc del Quer near Canillo, where we appreciated the views in several directions, such as this (📷2), without paying 6€ pp to stand on a suspended platform. Just beyond Canillo we stopped again at Sant Joan de Caselles, said to be a fine example of old Andorran architecture (📷3) and inside, one of the best preserved Romanesque interiors; the door was however bolted. We exited Andorra by heading for Col de Puymorens at 1,915m in the French Pyrénées (📷4); you can avoid the pass via a tolled tunnel.
Occitanie

A piece of Spain—inside France!
After reaching Occitanie we transited the Spanish/ Catalonian enclave of Llívia, a town of some 13 square kilometres that was excluded from transfer to France in the Treaty of the Pyrénées (1659) because the said border agreement only specified the transfer of “villages”!
🧭 Exploring

We parked for our first night in Occitanie in Mont-Louis, beneath the walls of the town (📷1); at ~1,600m elevation it’s France’s highest fortified town and together with the c. 1679 citadel—an active commando training facility—is part of the “Fortifications of Vauban” UNESCO listing. Villefranche-de-Conflent is another of 12 UNESCO-listed fortified sites designed by military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, together representing a coherent defensive system across France. It’s considerably more tourist-oriented; we took the opportunity to walk the restored late 17th C. ramparts (📷2) and stroll through the town’s medieval streets (📷3). Next up was Musée de Préhistoire de Tautavel | Tautavel Prehistory Museum, featuring rather dated and underwhelming exhibits (cf. Altamira) around findings from La Caune de l’Arago | the Arago Cave. People seasonally camped here from ~690,000 years ago, as imagined in this unconvincing “facsimile” cave set 500,000 years ago (📷4). All displayed human bones (including the signature “Tautavel Man”, possibly a Homo erectus subspecies, compiled from fragments of ~20 individuals) are moulds. We also drove to the actual limestone cave in nearby Gouleyrous gorge, situated in the middle of a cliff, but you can’t access it.
Château de Quéribus at Cucugnan (📷1) and nearby Château de Peyrepertuse at Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse (📷2) are two of eight “Royal Fortresses of Languedoc” aspiring to UNESCO World Heritage status. Languedoc was shaped by Roman rule, became a centre of medieval Occitan culture, was devastated by the Albigensian Crusade before being integrated into the French kingdom. Château de Peyrepertuse sits on a limestone ridge at 800m elevation and is first mentioned in records from 1020 CE (📷3); this view is from parking close to the ticket gate (we decided not to go inside). It came into royal possession in 1240 CE, its former owner William of Peyrepertuse having been excommunicated for supporting the Cathars (a medieval Christian sect in southern Europe who believed in strict division between a good spiritual realm and an evil material world, leading the Pope to label them heretics). After the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees the castle lost its strategic importance; it was finally abandoned during the French Revolution. There’s free access to a lookout platform from which you can see the ruin of Château de Quéribus and beyond it, the Mediterranean Sea (📷4).
Upon leaving Château de Peyrepertuse bound for Carcassonne we took the D14, a narrow winding backroad between hills cloaked in forest and meadows, intermittently punctuated with small villages. One such village is Bugarach, on the outskirts of which is a 700m path to Pont Romain, a single-arch stone bridge across a limestone basin on the Roman road linking the village to Rennes-les-Bains (📷1). Although the original was probably Gallo-Roman, it was destroyed in 1992 by flooding but faithfully restored the following year. What caught our eye was the trailside orchids, three of which were new to us. All native, first up is Neotinea ustulata | the burnt-tip orchid, which can be found up to 2,400m elevation in the mountains of central and southern Europe (📷2). The aptly-named Serapias lingua | tongue orchid is found throughout the Mediterranean (📷3). Ophrys scolopax | the woodcock orchid is recognisably a bee orchid given its morphology (📷4); it can be found in both the Mediterranean and Middle East. We also re-identified Orchis mascula | the early-purple orchid (📷5).
Cité de Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town (📷1). First fortified in the Gallo-Roman period ~3rd–4th C. CE, it underwent extensive restorations in the 19th C. Set upon a hill overlooking the modern urban sprawl, the compact site is protected by ~3km of double walls and 52 defensive towers (📷2); it’s 19 € pp to walk the ramparts/ visit the restored château, but free to walk between the rows (without climbing on the outer battlements). The enclosed town is very touristy, filled with trinket shops and eateries, but also offers some architectural curiosities (📷3). Later, at nearby Trèbes, we walked alongside Canal du Midi, a ~360km network of navigable waterways linking the Atlantic (via Garonne) to the Mediterranean using locks, aqueducts, bridges and reservoirs. The canal is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, created through the vision of Pierre-Paul Riquet during 1667–94. The Trèbes Orbiel aqueduct (📷4) was designed by Vauban in 1688 and the town’s staircase lock dates from ~1674.
Lagrasse is listed among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France | the Most Beautiful Villages of France; S had enjoyed her visit ~20 years ago and wanted to return to this relatively quiet locale, surrounded by hills on the Orbieu River (📷1). It developed around Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse, a Benedictine abbey founded during the 8th C. (📷2), becoming an important religious and economic hub. The village is compact, with stone houses/ artisan shops (in Jul/ Aug it is filled with tourists) and a medieval open-air market hall (📷3). On the path between camp and village we also discovered a new-to-us native orchid, Serapias vomeracea | the long-lipped serapias (📷4).
Bonus pictures of pretty Lagrasse. A monk in the courtyard of Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse; it’s still an active religious site (📷1). A grey heron fishing in the Orbieu River (📷2). The 40m high fortified bell tower (clocher fortifié) of the abbey church, featuring buttresses with curved flyers; it was heavily modified in the late Middle Ages when the monastery was adapted for defense during periods like the Hundred Years’ War (📷3). Entrance on Rue de la Porte d’Eau, through which typical stone buildings can be seen (📷4). A view from the old bridge, looking back towards the hill on which we camped (📷5). A random village door (📷6). Anacamptis pyramidalis | the pyramidal orchid, with the monastery in the background (📷7).
Our “small of the day” was captured when S went to empty the toilet cassette—not when you expect to hear “Quick, bring the camera!” This is a native moth, Arctia villica | the cream-spot tiger (📷1). We made our way to Salins de Saint-Martin outside of Gruissan on the Gulf of Lion, although being too early for florid algal blooms, colour differences between salt ponds were subtle (📷2). We followed the marked path 2.1km out to Plage de la Vieille Nouvelle (📷3). En route we did identify a number of birds, mostly at a distance: Phoenicopterus roseus | greater flamingo; Anarhynchus alexandrinus | Kentish plover; Chlidonias hybrida | whiskered tern; Motacilla flava | western yellow wagtail; and Milvus migrans | the black kite. Later we stopped in Béziers, where we watched as boats navigated “Les 9 écluses de Fonseranes”, one of the most impressive engineering features of the Canal du Midi (📷4). Originally a sequence of nine locks (a “staircase”) completed in 1697, seven are typically in use, raising or lowering vessels ~21.5 meters over a short distance.
Etang Des Mouettes is a a coastal lagoon in Frontignan, formerly a salt production pond with over 600 years of service, now gradually rewilding (📷1). On our dawn walk we found a heron stalking in the shallows (📷2), but there wasn’t enough light to be sure of the species. As the sun rose it illuminated flocks of Phoenicopterus roseus | greater flamingo traversing the pond, with their distinctive long necks, large kinked bills, trailing long pink legs and striking deep pink/ black underside wing plumage (📷3). A look at Frontignan Plage before departing the Mediterranean shore (📷4).
We drove to the Mont Aigoual summit at 1,565m elevation in Parc national des Cévennes | Cevennes National Park; the park is recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Our route up via Nant and Dourbies was long, winding and frankly tedious, so despite views towards the coast (📷1) and further inland (📷2) we felt less appreciative than we should have. We decided against our intended hike in 7°C and headed down via Gorges de la Jonte. En route the road verge was decorated with numerous native Dactylorhiza sambucina | the elder-flowered orchid, in shades of yellow, deep purple and pink (we first saw it in Theth, Albania). As is common practice, some of the formations in the gorge are named; this is Arcade des Bergers | Shepherds’ Arcade (📷3). The hamlet of Le Truel, where terraces once held vineyards, orchards and vegetable gardens, while sheep and goats grazed sloping pastures (📷4). Gyps fulvus | griffon vultures soar from the cliffs above, seemingly untroubled by the loss of a traditional way of life.
Gorges du Tarn, also within Parc nationaldes Cévennes, is a canyon carved by the Tarn ~50km long and up to 500m deep. Large parts of the gorge are also included within the UNESCO-listed “Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape”. We began the scenic drive at Le Rozier, working our way west to east via cliffs and tunnels, with frequent stops at viewpoints towards Sainte-Enimie. Hameau semi-troglodyte d’Eglazines | the “semi-troglodyte hamlet of Eglazines” was first to catch our eye (📷1). Although not as high, the hamlet of La Sablière is on the opposite bank of the Tarn, so access/ supplies is via a cableway (📷2). The larger settlement of La Malène is billed as a Petite Cité de Caractère | “Little City of Character” (📷3). Sainte-Enimie is listed as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France”; this view is from the river beach (📷4).
From Sainte-Enimie we entered “Home” into the nav system and headed out of Occitaine. After 8,217km this tour was complete. Related missions logs are as follows:
Plans for our next trip are uncertain as we await easing of global disruption.
#2026 #andorra #camperVan #europe #france #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #occitanie #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife
#andorra #campervan #europe #france #hiking #nationalpark
Curiosity Drive @[email protected] · 2026-05-11 · 11:09 UTC
Andorra and Occitanie

For this mission our focus had been on Spain and Portugal, but we took the opportunity to briefly transit Andorra and to visit those western parts of Occitanie we didn’t have time for on our previous trip into France.
Coordinates
Andorra

Andorra in a nutshell
Andorra isn’t an EU country (so there was a border crossing from Spain and no EU roaming—46€ per SMS—just robbery!), but it uses the Euro by agreement. It has a similar GDP per capita to NZ, with a population of ~80,000 who speak Catalan as a first language (most of whom also speak Spanish and/or French). Andorra is a co-principality (with largely ceremonial co-princes being the President of France and Spain’s Bishop of Urgel), governed as a parliamentary democracy.
🧭 Exploring

Andorra la Vella, the capital, put on a damp and cold welcome after weeks of sunshine in Spain and Portugal (📷1). It does have geothermal waters (Caldea in contiguous Escaldes-Engordany is one of Europe’s largest thermal spa complexes) but isn’t regarded as a traditional spa town. We found it:
- Like Spain, but less dry and warm—possibly unfair given our limited transit.
- Like France, but without old stones—much of Barri Antic appears comparatively modern (📷2) and there are no Roman ruins (although Casa de la Vall, a former parliament building, dates from 1580)
- Like Monaco, but without yachts—although a fast-flowing river runs through this valley-confined city (📷3)
- Like Dubai, but without sand—although money passes through fingers here similarly in this shopping mecca, due to low taxes (📷4).
A machete with your charge cable?
We are at a loss to explain why most electronic stores also sell “personal weapons” (knives, guns, etc…). We find this both weird and scary!
🤔 Curiosity

Andorra is more than a country of one city: ~94% of the land and ~73% of the population are outside Andorra la Vella. Vall del Madriu-Perafita-Claror | Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is Andorra’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed as a cultural landscape. We accessed it via the official “Volta a Ràmio” trail. From parking above the village of Engolasters it was a steep 35min climb through pine forest to Coll de Jovell at 1,780m, from where we began descending into the glacier-formed valley. At the 2km mark we reached Ràmio in the valley’s bottom end (📷1). The valley makes up ~9% of Andorra and is regarded as a time capsule for traditional mountain usage with limited modern development. Ràmio gave us a first glimpse into how people shaped the high Pyrenees over centuries through pastoralism, farming and communal land management (📷2). The trail continued up the valley, mostly alongside the Riu Madriu to the constant roar of white water, with ever-present granite underfoot/ in dry-stone walls and the scent of damp moss and pine needles in the air. At just over 4km/ 2h 10min into the hike we came to Refugi de Fontverd, not unlike a NZ-style DOC hut, at 1,875m elevation (📷3). We returned to the Coll via a higher path, which gave us superior views back up the valley (📷4). The 9km loop hike took us 4h 15min.
As we drove back down from Engolasters we stopped to snap the top end of Escaldes-Engordany, which illustrates its rather dramatic valley confinement (📷1). A switchback sequence took us to Mirador Roc del Quer near Canillo, where we appreciated the views in several directions, such as this (📷2), without paying 6€ pp to stand on a suspended platform. Just beyond Canillo we stopped again at Sant Joan de Caselles, said to be a fine example of old Andorran architecture (📷3) and inside, one of the best preserved Romanesque interiors; the door was however bolted. We exited Andorra by heading for Col de Puymorens at 1,915m in the French Pyrénées (📷4); you can avoid the pass via a tolled tunnel.
Occitanie

A piece of Spain—inside France!
After reaching Occitanie we transited the Spanish/ Catalonian enclave of Llívia, a town of some 13 square kilometres that was excluded from transfer to France in the Treaty of the Pyrénées (1659) because the said border agreement only specified the transfer of “villages”!
🧭 Exploring

We parked for our first night in Occitanie in Mont-Louis, beneath the walls of the town (📷1); at ~1,600m elevation it’s France’s highest fortified town and together with the c. 1679 citadel—an active commando training facility—is part of the “Fortifications of Vauban” UNESCO listing. Villefranche-de-Conflent is another of 12 UNESCO-listed fortified sites designed by military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, together representing a coherent defensive system across France. It’s considerably more tourist-oriented; we took the opportunity to walk the restored late 17th C. ramparts (📷2) and stroll through the town’s medieval streets (📷3). Next up was Musée de Préhistoire de Tautavel | Tautavel Prehistory Museum, featuring rather dated and underwhelming exhibits (cf. Altamira) around findings from La Caune de l’Arago | the Arago Cave. People seasonally camped here from ~690,000 years ago, as imagined in this unconvincing “facsimile” cave set 500,000 years ago (📷4). All displayed human bones (including the signature “Tautavel Man”, possibly a Homo erectus subspecies, compiled from fragments of ~20 individuals) are moulds. We also drove to the actual limestone cave in nearby Gouleyrous gorge, situated in the middle of a cliff, but you can’t access it.
Château de Quéribus at Cucugnan (📷1) and nearby Château de Peyrepertuse at Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse (📷2) are two of eight “Royal Fortresses of Languedoc” aspiring to UNESCO World Heritage status. Languedoc was shaped by Roman rule, became a centre of medieval Occitan culture, was devastated by the Albigensian Crusade before being integrated into the French kingdom. Château de Peyrepertuse sits on a limestone ridge at 800m elevation and is first mentioned in records from 1020 CE (📷3); this view is from parking close to the ticket gate (we decided not to go inside). It came into royal possession in 1240 CE, its former owner William of Peyrepertuse having been excommunicated for supporting the Cathars (a medieval Christian sect in southern Europe who believed in strict division between a good spiritual realm and an evil material world, leading the Pope to label them heretics). After the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees the castle lost its strategic importance; it was finally abandoned during the French Revolution. There’s free access to a lookout platform from which you can see the ruin of Château de Quéribus and beyond it, the Mediterranean Sea (📷4).
Upon leaving Château de Peyrepertuse bound for Carcassonne we took the D14, a narrow winding backroad between hills cloaked in forest and meadows, intermittently punctuated with small villages. One such village is Bugarach, on the outskirts of which is a 700m path to Pont Romain, a single-arch stone bridge across a limestone basin on the Roman road linking the village to Rennes-les-Bains (📷1). Although the original was probably Gallo-Roman, it was destroyed in 1992 by flooding but faithfully restored the following year. What caught our eye was the trailside orchids, three of which were new to us. All native, first up is Neotinea ustulata | the burnt-tip orchid, which can be found up to 2,400m elevation in the mountains of central and southern Europe (📷2). The aptly-named Serapias lingua | tongue orchid is found throughout the Mediterranean (📷3). Ophrys scolopax | the woodcock orchid is recognisably a bee orchid given its morphology (📷4); it can be found in both the Mediterranean and Middle East. We also re-identified Orchis mascula | the early-purple orchid (📷5).
Cité de Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town (📷1). First fortified in the Gallo-Roman period ~3rd–4th C. CE, it underwent extensive restorations in the 19th C. Set upon a hill overlooking the modern urban sprawl, the compact site is protected by ~3km of double walls and 52 defensive towers (📷2); it’s 19 € pp to walk the ramparts/ visit the restored château, but free to walk between the rows (without climbing on the outer battlements). The enclosed town is very touristy, filled with trinket shops and eateries, but also offers some architectural curiosities (📷3). Later, at nearby Trèbes, we walked alongside Canal du Midi, a ~360km network of navigable waterways linking the Atlantic (via Garonne) to the Mediterranean using locks, aqueducts, bridges and reservoirs. The canal is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, created through the vision of Pierre-Paul Riquet during 1667–94. The Trèbes Orbiel aqueduct (📷4) was designed by Vauban in 1688 and the town’s staircase lock dates from ~1674.
Lagrasse is listed among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France | the Most Beautiful Villages of France; S had enjoyed her visit ~20 years ago and wanted to return to this relatively quiet locale, surrounded by hills on the Orbieu River (📷1). It developed around Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse, a Benedictine abbey founded during the 8th C. (📷2), becoming an important religious and economic hub. The village is compact, with stone houses/ artisan shops (in Jul/ Aug it is filled with tourists) and a medieval open-air market hall (📷3). On the path between camp and village we also discovered a new-to-us native orchid, Serapias vomeracea | the long-lipped serapias (📷4).
Bonus pictures of pretty Lagrasse. A monk in the courtyard of Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse; it’s still an active religious site (📷1). A grey heron fishing in the Orbieu River (📷2). The 40m high fortified bell tower (clocher fortifié) of the abbey church, featuring buttresses with curved flyers; it was heavily modified in the late Middle Ages when the monastery was adapted for defense during periods like the Hundred Years’ War (📷3). Entrance on Rue de la Porte d’Eau, through which typical stone buildings can be seen (📷4). A view from the old bridge, looking back towards the hill on which we camped (📷5). A random village door (📷6). Anacamptis pyramidalis | the pyramidal orchid, with the monastery in the background (📷7).
Our “small of the day” was captured when S went to empty the toilet cassette—not when you expect to hear “Quick, bring the camera!” This is a native moth, Arctia villica | the cream-spot tiger (📷1). We made our way to Salins de Saint-Martin outside of Gruissan on the Gulf of Lion, although being too early for florid algal blooms, colour differences between salt ponds were subtle (📷2). We followed the marked path 2.1km out to Plage de la Vieille Nouvelle (📷3). En route we did identify a number of birds, mostly at a distance: Phoenicopterus roseus | greater flamingo; Anarhynchus alexandrinus | Kentish plover; Chlidonias hybrida | whiskered tern; Motacilla flava | western yellow wagtail; and Milvus migrans | the black kite. Later we stopped in Béziers, where we watched as boats navigated “Les 9 écluses de Fonseranes”, one of the most impressive engineering features of the Canal du Midi (📷4). Originally a sequence of nine locks (a “staircase”) completed in 1697, seven are typically in use, raising or lowering vessels ~21.5 meters over a short distance.
Etang Des Mouettes is a a coastal lagoon in Frontignan, formerly a salt production pond with over 600 years of service, now gradually rewilding (📷1). On our dawn walk we found a heron stalking in the shallows (📷2), but there wasn’t enough light to be sure of the species. As the sun rose it illuminated flocks of Phoenicopterus roseus | greater flamingo traversing the pond, with their distinctive long necks, large kinked bills, trailing long pink legs and striking deep pink/ black underside wing plumage (📷3). A look at Frontignan Plage before departing the Mediterranean shore (📷4).
We drove to the Mont Aigoual summit at 1,565m elevation in Parc national des Cévennes | Cevennes National Park; the park is recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Our route up via Nant and Dourbies was long, winding and frankly tedious, so despite views towards the coast (📷1) and further inland (📷2) we felt less appreciative than we should have. We decided against our intended hike in 7°C and headed down via Gorges de la Jonte. En route the road verge was decorated with numerous native Dactylorhiza sambucina | the elder-flowered orchid, in shades of yellow, deep purple and pink (we first saw it in Theth, Albania). As is common practice, some of the formations in the gorge are named; this is Arcade des Bergers | Shepherds’ Arcade (📷3). The hamlet of Le Truel, where terraces once held vineyards, orchards and vegetable gardens, while sheep and goats grazed sloping pastures (📷4). Gyps fulvus | griffon vultures soar from the cliffs above, seemingly untroubled by the loss of a traditional way of life.
Gorges du Tarn, also within Parc nationaldes Cévennes, is a canyon carved by the Tarn ~50km long and up to 500m deep. Large parts of the gorge are also included within the UNESCO-listed “Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape”. We began the scenic drive at Le Rozier, working our way west to east via cliffs and tunnels, with frequent stops at viewpoints towards Sainte-Enimie. Hameau semi-troglodyte d’Eglazines | the “semi-troglodyte hamlet of Eglazines” was first to catch our eye (📷1). Although not as high, the hamlet of La Sablière is on the opposite bank of the Tarn, so access/ supplies is via a cableway (📷2). The larger settlement of La Malène is billed as a Petite Cité de Caractère | “Little City of Character” (📷3). Sainte-Enimie is listed as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France”; this view is from the river beach (📷4).
From Sainte-Enimie we entered “Home” into the nav system and headed out of Occitaine. After 8,217km this tour was complete. Related missions logs are as follows:
Plans for our next trip are uncertain as we await easing of global disruption.
#2026 #andorra #camperVan #europe #france #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #occitanie #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife
#andorra #campervan #europe #france #hiking #nationalpark
Curiosity Drive @[email protected] · 2026-05-11 · 11:09 UTC
Andorra and Occitanie

For this mission our focus had been on Spain and Portugal, but we took the opportunity to briefly transit Andorra and to visit those western parts of Occitanie we didn’t have time for on our previous trip into France.
Coordinates
Andorra

Andorra in a nutshell
Andorra isn’t an EU country (so there was a border crossing from Spain and no EU roaming—46€ per SMS—just robbery!), but it uses the Euro by agreement. It has a similar GDP per capita to NZ, with a population of ~80,000 who speak Catalan as a first language (most of whom also speak Spanish and/or French). Andorra is a co-principality (with largely ceremonial co-princes being the President of France and Spain’s Bishop of Urgel), governed as a parliamentary democracy.
🧭 Exploring

Andorra la Vella, the capital, put on a damp and cold welcome after weeks of sunshine in Spain and Portugal (📷1). It does have geothermal waters (Caldea in contiguous Escaldes-Engordany is one of Europe’s largest thermal spa complexes) but isn’t regarded as a traditional spa town. We found it:
- Like Spain, but less dry and warm—possibly unfair given our limited transit.
- Like France, but without old stones—much of Barri Antic appears comparatively modern (📷2) and there are no Roman ruins (although Casa de la Vall, a former parliament building, dates from 1580)
- Like Monaco, but without yachts—although a fast-flowing river runs through this valley-confined city (📷3)
- Like Dubai, but without sand—although money passes through fingers here similarly in this shopping mecca, due to low taxes (📷4).
A machete with your charge cable?
We are at a loss to explain why most electronic stores also sell “personal weapons” (knives, guns, etc…). We find this both weird and scary!
🤔 Curiosity

Andorra is more than a country of one city: ~94% of the land and ~73% of the population are outside Andorra la Vella. Vall del Madriu-Perafita-Claror | Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is Andorra’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed as a cultural landscape. We accessed it via the official “Volta a Ràmio” trail. From parking above the village of Engolasters it was a steep 35min climb through pine forest to Coll de Jovell at 1,780m, from where we began descending into the glacier-formed valley. At the 2km mark we reached Ràmio in the valley’s bottom end (📷1). The valley makes up ~9% of Andorra and is regarded as a time capsule for traditional mountain usage with limited modern development. Ràmio gave us a first glimpse into how people shaped the high Pyrenees over centuries through pastoralism, farming and communal land management (📷2). The trail continued up the valley, mostly alongside the Riu Madriu to the constant roar of white water, with ever-present granite underfoot/ in dry-stone walls and the scent of damp moss and pine needles in the air. At just over 4km/ 2h 10min into the hike we came to Refugi de Fontverd, not unlike a NZ-style DOC hut, at 1,875m elevation (📷3). We returned to the Coll via a higher path, which gave us superior views back up the valley (📷4). The 9km loop hike took us 4h 15min.
As we drove back down from Engolasters we stopped to snap the top end of Escaldes-Engordany, which illustrates its rather dramatic valley confinement (📷1). A switchback sequence took us to Mirador Roc del Quer near Canillo, where we appreciated the views in several directions, such as this (📷2), without paying 6€ pp to stand on a suspended platform. Just beyond Canillo we stopped again at Sant Joan de Caselles, said to be a fine example of old Andorran architecture (📷3) and inside, one of the best preserved Romanesque interiors; the door was however bolted. We exited Andorra by heading for Col de Puymorens at 1,915m in the French Pyrénées (📷4); you can avoid the pass via a tolled tunnel.
Occitanie

A piece of Spain—inside France!
After reaching Occitanie we transited the Spanish/ Catalonian enclave of Llívia, a town of some 13 square kilometres that was excluded from transfer to France in the Treaty of the Pyrénées (1659) because the said border agreement only specified the transfer of “villages”!
🧭 Exploring

We parked for our first night in Occitanie in Mont-Louis, beneath the walls of the town (📷1); at ~1,600m elevation it’s France’s highest fortified town and together with the c. 1679 citadel—an active commando training facility—is part of the “Fortifications of Vauban” UNESCO listing. Villefranche-de-Conflent is another of 12 UNESCO-listed fortified sites designed by military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, together representing a coherent defensive system across France. It’s considerably more tourist-oriented; we took the opportunity to walk the restored late 17th C. ramparts (📷2) and stroll through the town’s medieval streets (📷3). Next up was Musée de Préhistoire de Tautavel | Tautavel Prehistory Museum, featuring rather dated and underwhelming exhibits (cf. Altamira) around findings from La Caune de l’Arago | the Arago Cave. People seasonally camped here from ~690,000 years ago, as imagined in this unconvincing “facsimile” cave set 500,000 years ago (📷4). All displayed human bones (including the signature “Tautavel Man”, possibly a Homo erectus subspecies, compiled from fragments of ~20 individuals) are moulds. We also drove to the actual limestone cave in nearby Gouleyrous gorge, situated in the middle of a cliff, but you can’t access it.
Château de Quéribus at Cucugnan (📷1) and nearby Château de Peyrepertuse at Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse (📷2) are two of eight “Royal Fortresses of Languedoc” aspiring to UNESCO World Heritage status. Languedoc was shaped by Roman rule, became a centre of medieval Occitan culture, was devastated by the Albigensian Crusade before being integrated into the French kingdom. Château de Peyrepertuse sits on a limestone ridge at 800m elevation and is first mentioned in records from 1020 CE (📷3); this view is from parking close to the ticket gate (we decided not to go inside). It came into royal possession in 1240 CE, its former owner William of Peyrepertuse having been excommunicated for supporting the Cathars (a medieval Christian sect in southern Europe who believed in strict division between a good spiritual realm and an evil material world, leading the Pope to label them heretics). After the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees the castle lost its strategic importance; it was finally abandoned during the French Revolution. There’s free access to a lookout platform from which you can see the ruin of Château de Quéribus and beyond it, the Mediterranean Sea (📷4).
Upon leaving Château de Peyrepertuse bound for Carcassonne we took the D14, a narrow winding backroad between hills cloaked in forest and meadows, intermittently punctuated with small villages. One such village is Bugarach, on the outskirts of which is a 700m path to Pont Romain, a single-arch stone bridge across a limestone basin on the Roman road linking the village to Rennes-les-Bains (📷1). Although the original was probably Gallo-Roman, it was destroyed in 1992 by flooding but faithfully restored the following year. What caught our eye was the trailside orchids, three of which were new to us. All native, first up is Neotinea ustulata | the burnt-tip orchid, which can be found up to 2,400m elevation in the mountains of central and southern Europe (📷2). The aptly-named Serapias lingua | tongue orchid is found throughout the Mediterranean (📷3). Ophrys scolopax | the woodcock orchid is recognisably a bee orchid given its morphology (📷4); it can be found in both the Mediterranean and Middle East. We also re-identified Orchis mascula | the early-purple orchid (📷5).
Cité de Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town (📷1). First fortified in the Gallo-Roman period ~3rd–4th C. CE, it underwent extensive restorations in the 19th C. Set upon a hill overlooking the modern urban sprawl, the compact site is protected by ~3km of double walls and 52 defensive towers (📷2); it’s 19 € pp to walk the ramparts/ visit the restored château, but free to walk between the rows (without climbing on the outer battlements). The enclosed town is very touristy, filled with trinket shops and eateries, but also offers some architectural curiosities (📷3). Later, at nearby Trèbes, we walked alongside Canal du Midi, a ~360km network of navigable waterways linking the Atlantic (via Garonne) to the Mediterranean using locks, aqueducts, bridges and reservoirs. The canal is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, created through the vision of Pierre-Paul Riquet during 1667–94. The Trèbes Orbiel aqueduct (📷4) was designed by Vauban in 1688 and the town’s staircase lock dates from ~1674.
Lagrasse is listed among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France | the Most Beautiful Villages of France; S had enjoyed her visit ~20 years ago and wanted to return to this relatively quiet locale, surrounded by hills on the Orbieu River (📷1). It developed around Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse, a Benedictine abbey founded during the 8th C. (📷2), becoming an important religious and economic hub. The village is compact, with stone houses/ artisan shops (in Jul/ Aug it is filled with tourists) and a medieval open-air market hall (📷3). On the path between camp and village we also discovered a new-to-us native orchid, Serapias vomeracea | the long-lipped serapias (📷4).
Bonus pictures of pretty Lagrasse. A monk in the courtyard of Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse; it’s still an active religious site (📷1). A grey heron fishing in the Orbieu River (📷2). The 40m high fortified bell tower (clocher fortifié) of the abbey church, featuring buttresses with curved flyers; it was heavily modified in the late Middle Ages when the monastery was adapted for defense during periods like the Hundred Years’ War (📷3). Entrance on Rue de la Porte d’Eau, through which typical stone buildings can be seen (📷4). A view from the old bridge, looking back towards the hill on which we camped (📷5). A random village door (📷6). Anacamptis pyramidalis | the pyramidal orchid, with the monastery in the background (📷7).
Our “small of the day” was captured when S went to empty the toilet cassette—not when you expect to hear “Quick, bring the camera!” This is a native moth, Arctia villica | the cream-spot tiger (📷1). We made our way to Salins de Saint-Martin outside of Gruissan on the Gulf of Lion, although being too early for florid algal blooms, colour differences between salt ponds were subtle (📷2). We followed the marked path 2.1km out to Plage de la Vieille Nouvelle (📷3). En route we did identify a number of birds, mostly at a distance: Phoenicopterus roseus | greater flamingo; Anarhynchus alexandrinus | Kentish plover; Chlidonias hybrida | whiskered tern; Motacilla flava | western yellow wagtail; and Milvus migrans | the black kite. Later we stopped in Béziers, where we watched as boats navigated “Les 9 écluses de Fonseranes”, one of the most impressive engineering features of the Canal du Midi (📷4). Originally a sequence of nine locks (a “staircase”) completed in 1697, seven are typically in use, raising or lowering vessels ~21.5 meters over a short distance.
Etang Des Mouettes is a a coastal lagoon in Frontignan, formerly a salt production pond with over 600 years of service, now gradually rewilding (📷1). On our dawn walk we found a heron stalking in the shallows (📷2), but there wasn’t enough light to be sure of the species. As the sun rose it illuminated flocks of Phoenicopterus roseus | greater flamingo traversing the pond, with their distinctive long necks, large kinked bills, trailing long pink legs and striking deep pink/ black underside wing plumage (📷3). A look at Frontignan Plage before departing the Mediterranean shore (📷4).
We drove to the Mont Aigoual summit at 1,565m elevation in Parc national des Cévennes | Cevennes National Park; the park is recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Our route up via Nant and Dourbies was long, winding and frankly tedious, so despite views towards the coast (📷1) and further inland (📷2) we felt less appreciative than we should have. We decided against our intended hike in 7°C and headed down via Gorges de la Jonte. En route the road verge was decorated with numerous native Dactylorhiza sambucina | the elder-flowered orchid, in shades of yellow, deep purple and pink (we first saw it in Theth, Albania). As is common practice, some of the formations in the gorge are named; this is Arcade des Bergers | Shepherds’ Arcade (📷3). The hamlet of Le Truel, where terraces once held vineyards, orchards and vegetable gardens, while sheep and goats grazed sloping pastures (📷4). Gyps fulvus | griffon vultures soar from the cliffs above, seemingly untroubled by the loss of a traditional way of life.
Gorges du Tarn, also within Parc nationaldes Cévennes, is a canyon carved by the Tarn ~50km long and up to 500m deep. Large parts of the gorge are also included within the UNESCO-listed “Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape”. We began the scenic drive at Le Rozier, working our way west to east via cliffs and tunnels, with frequent stops at viewpoints towards Sainte-Enimie. Hameau semi-troglodyte d’Eglazines | the “semi-troglodyte hamlet of Eglazines” was first to catch our eye (📷1). Although not as high, the hamlet of La Sablière is on the opposite bank of the Tarn, so access/ supplies is via a cableway (📷2). The larger settlement of La Malène is billed as a Petite Cité de Caractère | “Little City of Character” (📷3). Sainte-Enimie is listed as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France”; this view is from the river beach (📷4).
From Sainte-Enimie we entered “Home” into the nav system and headed out of Occitaine. After 8,217km this tour was complete. Related missions logs are as follows:
Plans for our next trip are uncertain as we await easing of global disruption.
#2026 #andorra #camperVan #europe #france #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #occitanie #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife
#andorra #campervan #europe #france #hiking #nationalpark
WE AND THE COLOR @[email protected] · 2026-02-15 · 10:33 UTC
Real Design Trends are Dying Under the Weight of Recursive AI Echoes

Every pixel on your screen now carries a silent, algorithmic agenda. You scroll through endless feeds of supposedly fresh inspiration daily. You likely believe these visual shifts reflect a genuine evolution of human taste. However, a hidden force likely calculated your aesthetic preferences months ago. We are currently witnessing the death of the organic movement. The internet is rapidly turning into a hall of mirrors. Artificial intelligence now generates the majority of digital content. Crucially, these models increasingly learn from data that other AI systems produced. This creates a dangerous loop of digital stagnation. We call this the Recursive Aesthetic Paradox.
This report explores why modern design trends are losing their human soul. You will learn how to identify genuine creativity in an age of synthetic slop. We must act now to protect the “long tail” of human imagination. This analysis provides the frameworks you need to survive the algorithmic fog.
Are Design Trends Still Popular with People or Just Dictated by AI?
The digital landscape currently suffers from a massive identity crisis. Most information online now comes from large language models and image generators. These systems create content at a staggering, superhuman speed. However, they do not create from lived experience or emotional struggle. They are created from statistical probability and existing data clusters. Consequently, the design trends you see are often just mathematical echoes. We are entering the era of the “Aesthetic Ouroboros”. This refers to the ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail. Similarly, AI consumes its own prior work to generate new styles. This recursive process removes the grit and nuance of human culture. Therefore, what we call a “trend” is often just a feedback loop.
How can we ensure that a popular style reflects true human desire? Authentic design trends usually emerge from social shifts or economic pressures. They reflect our collective hopes, fears, and regional heritage. In contrast, AI-dictated trends prioritize what is most likely to generate engagement. Algorithms prefer the safe, predictable middle ground of the bell curve. Specifically, they ignore the “tails” of the distribution where true innovation lives. This leads to a world of “averaged-out” aesthetics that feel oddly hollow. We must learn to distinguish between organic growth and digital decay. This report introduces the Synthetic Satiation Framework to help you navigate this.
FeatureOrganic Design TrendsAI-Dictated Design TrendsPrimary OriginHuman emotion and social reactionRecursive data training loopsVarianceHigh diversity and niche outliersLow diversity and homogenized outputsFlawsMeaningful, intentional craft errorsRepetitive errors or “AI slop” LogicBased on lived experience and historyBased on mathematical probabilityReactionSparks deep emotional resonanceSparks “uncanny” or “hollow” feelings
The Anatomy of Model Collapse and Creative Stagnation
We must define the technical nightmare known as model collapse. This phenomenon happens when an AI trains on synthetic data. Imagine making a physical photocopy of a photocopy. Each iteration loses a bit of detail and richness. Eventually, the text becomes illegible, and the image becomes a blur. This is exactly what is happening to our digital design trends. The AI starts to “forget” the complexity of real-world patterns. It loses the ability to generate diverse, accurate, or nuanced outputs. Instead, it produces bland, repetitive, and increasingly error-prone results.
Model collapse usually unfolds in several distinct stages. Early model collapse involves the loss of rare data points. The AI stops recognizing the “extremes” of human creativity. It focuses only on the most common, popular patterns. Later, the model undergoes functional collapse. This is where the output becomes total gibberish. In design, this means every website starts looking the same. We see the same vibrant gradients and rounded corners everywhere. These design trends are not popular because people love them. They are popular because the algorithm is stuck in a loop.
Stage of CollapseImpact on Design TrendsData ConsequenceEarly StageLoss of niche styles and subculturesNarrowing of probability tails Middle StageExtreme homogenization of all layoutsBlending of distinct visual patternsLate StageRepetitive, nonsensical visual elementsConvergence on a single dull outputTerminal Stage“AI Slop” or meaningless visual noiseTotal entropy and data rot
The Death of the Creative Long-Tail
The “long-tail” of design represents the weird, experimental, and niche ideas. Human designers often love the edges of the bell curve. However, generative models tend to hate these outliers. Algorithms prefer the center because it is statistically safer. Consequently, model collapse removes the “tails” of our visual distribution. This leads to a world where everything looks “fine,” but nothing looks “great.” We call this “Knowledge Homogenization” in professional circles. It effectively limits the scope of human knowledge and imagination. If a model only suggests black and white shoes, people forget lime green exists. This is not just a style issue. It is a cognitive issue that changes how we perceive reality.
The Recursive Aesthetic Paradox (RAP) Framework
We are introducing the Recursive Aesthetic Paradox (RAP) as a new critical lens. This framework describes the tension between efficiency and authenticity in design. We use AI to create faster, but speed often kills depth. The paradox is simple: the more we use AI to find design trends, the more artificial those trends become. We are searching for “what people like.” Instead, we find “what the AI produced last week”. To navigate this, you must apply the RAP Audit to every new style. This audit evaluates whether a design has a genuine human heartbeat. It asks three critical questions. Does the design show “Visible Labor”? Or, does it have “Historical Friction”? Does it exhibit “Contextual Dissonance”?
RAP Audit MetricHuman SignalSynthetic SignalVisible LaborBrushstrokes, paper tears, ink blotsPerfect vectors and sterile linesHistorical FrictionRoots in specific art movementsVague, “vibe-based” nostalgiaContextual DissonanceSpecific cultural references“Globalized” generic aestheticsResonanceEvokes complex, lived feelingsEvokes “uncanny” or “hollow” reactions
Furthermore, we must understand the “Creative Paradox” of reality. Finished systems often look complex from the outside. However, creators see them as the result of one simple rule. AI often misses this generative rule. Instead, it copies the complex surface. This leads to designs that look busy but feel empty. Genuine design trends always start with a core human move. They remove friction or open new paths of expression. AI merely decorates the existing path with digital noise.
Identifying Synthetic Satiation in the Market
Synthetic Satiation occurs when an audience becomes bored with digital perfection. We are already seeing this shift in 2026. People are tired of the “flawless” look of AI-generated assets. They are craving something raw and unpolished. This is why “Imperfect by Design” is the defining theme of the year. The audience is subconsciously rejecting the algorithm’s sterile precision. They are looking for the “glitch” of the human hand. This reaction is not just a trend. It is a biological survival mechanism against information overload.
The Great Tactile Rebellion: 2026 Design Trends
The year 2026 marks a massive turning point in visual history. We are leaving the era of seamless digital perfection behind. Instead, we are entering the era of the “Tactile Rebellion”. Designers are intentionally choosing roughness over polish. They are opting for a human-centered look that values imperfections. We see the return of pen scratches and ink blotting everywhere. This is a direct response to the “AI-generated fog” of previous years.
One major trend is “Anti-AI Crafting”. Artists are going back to basic physical media. They are using real paint, physical collage, and manual scanning. They want to create assets that AI cannot convincingly replicate. This trend emphasizes “Visible Labor” as a mark of luxury. You can see the tape marks and the paper tears. These elements prove that a human hand was involved. This gives the audience the warmth and empathy they yearn for.
Analysis of Tactical Maximalism and Texture Check
We are also seeing the rise of “Tactile Maximalism”. This trend puts a lot of information in one place. It uses intense textures and powerful colors. It aims for deliberate overstimulation to snap users out of their drudgery. Parallel to this is “Texture Check”. This trend focuses on how a design feels through the screen. It uses hyper-realistic materials like glass, wax, and liquid. These textures are so real, you want to reach out and touch them.
2026 Trend NameVisual CharacteristicsHuman MotivationElemental FolkHand-drawn motifs, earthy tonesSearch for heritage and warmth Technical MonoMonospace fonts, code brutalismSignal of “builder” authenticity Gimme GummySoft, squishy, touchable 3D UIDesire for play and interaction Notes App ChicUnpolished snapshots, rough ideasRebellion against the algorithm Surveillance AestheticCCTV stills, pixelated glitchesCommentary on digital privacy
The Rise of “Jolie-Laide” Figuration
In high-end design, “Jolie-Laide” is making a massive comeback. This French term translates to “pretty-ugly.” It is a reaction against AI filters and perfection. Computers can generate perfect faces in milliseconds. Therefore, the “ugly” expression becomes a sign of truth. We see distorted portraiture and fragmented faces. These elements convey psychological depth rather than physical accuracy. This movement represents a visual rebellion against the algorithm.
Machine Experience (MX) and the New SEO Hierarchy
The internet is fundamentally changing how it processes information. We are no longer just designing for people. We are designing for machines that read for people. This is called “Machine Experience” (MX) design. AI search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini now read your site first. They interpret your content at a structural level before summarizing it. Therefore, semantic HTML and clear hierarchies are now essential for visibility.
If your design trends are not “machine-readable,” they effectively do not exist. You must ensure that AI can extract your information easily. This is the core of “Generative Engine Optimization” (GEO). To win in 2026, you must provide “Answer-First” content. You must lead with a 40-80 word summary. You must use H2 and H3 headings that mirror user questions. This structure helps the AI cite you as an authoritative source.
Extractability is the New Aesthetics
In the AI era, beauty is secondary to extractability. An AI does not care about your font if it cannot read the text. Therefore, “Technical Mono” is a rising trend. This style uses monospaced fonts and high-contrast layouts. It echoes the look of old terminal windows and command lines. Furthermore, it signals “technical authenticity” to the user. It appeals to the “builder” subculture. This is intentionally utilitarian but surprisingly elegant.
Optimization LayerTarget AudiencePrimary MetricTraditional SEOSearch Engine CrawlersOrganic rankings and trafficAEO (Answer Engine)Query-based SystemsFeatured snippets and quick answersGEO (Generative Engine)Large Language ModelsCitations in AI-generated overviewsMX (Machine Experience)AI Agents and SummarizersSemantic accuracy and extraction
The E-E-A-T Shield: Authenticating the Creative Pulse
How can we ensure our design trends are genuine? We must lean into the E-E-A-T framework. This stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. AI cannot have true “Experience.” It has never felt the sun on its face. It has never spilled ink on a rug. Therefore, sharing real-world results and personal stories is your best defense. You must show “Visible Credentials” on every page. Every piece of content needs a named author with a real bio.
Google and AI engines are starting to reward “lived experience.” They prefer smaller blogs written by people over faceless corporate sites. This is their way of fighting the “AI slop” poisoning the web. If you want your design trends to be cited, they must come from an expert. You must provide proof of your social credibility. Go on podcasts, do interviews, and earn mentions on other sites. This creates the “Social Proof” that algorithms use to verify truth.
The Power of Proprietary Data in Design
One of the best ways to prove authenticity is through original research. You should publish unique datasets or surveys quarterly. AI engines love citing first-party data. It makes their summaries more reliable. Therefore, conducting your own “Design Trends” study is incredibly valuable. It positions your brand as a primary source of truth. It moves you from a “repeater” of information to a “creator” of it.
Redefining Luxury through a Human-Centric Lens
The concept of luxury is changing in 2026. It is no longer about flashy logos or gold plating. It is about “Spiritual Sanctuary” and raw authenticity. Luxury now means the raw honesty of materials. We are seeing a decline in mass-produced, “soulless” goods. People want “Curated Living” where every object has a purpose. They want items that bear the hallmark of master craftsmanship.
The “Beauty of Imperfection” is the new high-end aesthetic. Modern living spaces are embracing the “scars” of life. This includes the patina on copper and the irregular grain of timber. This reflects a new psychological state for the modern individual. We are craving reality in a world increasingly blurred by AI. A space with “True Vitality” is one that dares to be imperfect.
Luxury ParadigmMass-Produced (AI-Influenced)Human-Centric (Genuine)Visual GoalFlawless, sterile perfectionRaw, material authenticityMaterial ChoiceSynthetic polymers and plasticsWood, leather, stone, oxidized metalAtmosphereShowroom-like and impersonalSanctuary-like and restorativeValue DriverBrand name and statusCraftsmanship and “Visible Labor”
How to Spot a Genuine Trend in a Sea of AI Noise
We must become better visual detectives. To ensure design trends are genuine, look for specific markers. First, look for “Emergence.” Genuine trends often start in small, local communities. They do not appear everywhere overnight. Second, look for “Resistance.” Does the trend actively reject a dominant digital aesthetic? For example, the “Anti-Grid” movement is a psychological response to AI layouts.
Third, look for “Inconsistency.” AI struggles with consistency over long periods. It makes strange mistakes in the fine details. In contrast, human imperfection has a logic to it. It reflects the limitations of our bodies and tools. If a trend feels too “smooth,” it might be synthetic. If it feels “jittery” or “vibrant” in a chaotic way, it might be human.
The Designer’s Verification Checklist
1. Check the Lineage: Does this style have a history? Or did it appear suddenly in 2024?
2. Analyze the Motivation: What human problem does this trend solve? If the answer is just “engagement,” it is likely algorithmic.
3. Search for Scarcity: Can an AI replicate this easily? Physical textures and complex symbols are harder to fake.
4. Evaluate the Emotion: Does the design feel warm or hollow? Humans excel at “Atmospheric Storytelling”.
The Future of Design: Man and Machine Dreaming Together
We should not view AI only as a threat. It can be a powerful “Creative Accomplice”. The best work of 2026 does not look like it was made by AI. However, it could not exist without it. We are seeing a “Visual Renaissance”. Designers are using AI to handle tedious tasks like resizing. This leaves them more time to focus on “Mood” and “Attitude.”
The future is “Hybridity.” It is the fusion of the digital and the physical worlds. We are feeding AI our hand-drawn sketches now. Then we are degrading the AI output through physical processes. This creates a “Synthetic Analog” look. It is a captivating situation. We are programming machines to produce the very defects they were meant to eliminate.
Predictions for the Post-AI Visual Era
The coming years will be defined by a “Mutiny Against Restraint”. We will see violent reds and radioactive greens. We will see typography that “breathes” and “warps” based on context. The era of “Clean Startup Minimalism” is officially over. It was a good run, but it lacked a soul. The world has moved on to “Sensual Brutalism”.
YearPredicted Design TrendCore Visual Driver2024Generative PerfectionInitial AI excitement and polish2025The Uncanny ValleyAwareness of AI sameness and boredom2026The Tactile RebellionHuman-centric craft and analog flaws2027Hyper-IndividualismCustom tools and personalized aesthetics2028Ecological SurrealismNature-tech harmony and organic forms
We are moving toward a world of “Hyper-Individualism”. Every brand will need a unique, custom voice. They cannot rely on the “average” of the internet. If they do, they will collapse into the digital fog. They will become invisible. To be seen, you must be real. To be real, you must be imperfect.
Technical Depth: Navigating the Entropy Spiral
To understand why design trends are failing, we must examine the entropy spiral. Entropy in information theory measures randomness and disorder. In generative models, recursive training increases entropy over time. This means the “signal” of human creativity gets lost in the “noise” of AI errors. As a designer, you are fighting against this visual entropy. You are trying to maintain the signal of your unique vision.
The “snake eating its own tail” analogy is perfect for this problem. When a model trains on its own outputs, it loses grounding in reality. It starts to imagine things that do not exist. In design, this manifests as “hallucinated aesthetics.” These are styles that look cool in a prompt but make no sense in the real world. They lack ergonomic logic or structural integrity.
Preventing Visual Model Collapse
How can you prevent your own work from collapsing? You must regularly refresh your inspiration with non-AI sources. Look at old books, physical museums, and nature. Use “Controlled Noise” in your process to foster a wider array of patterns. Do not let the algorithm suggest every color palette. Explicitly choose colors that feel “wrong” to a computer but “right” to a human.
The Psychological Appeal of Imperfect Spaces
Beyond aesthetics, there is a deep psychological reason for this shift. Studies in environmental psychology suggest that natural materials promote calm. Perfectly uniform, digital spaces can feel distant or sterile. In contrast, “Organic Interior Design” introduces subtle unpredictability. This mirrors the rhythms of nature and the human experience. It fosters a sense of ease and belonging that AI cannot replicate.
“Wabi-Sabi” interiors are becoming more popular for this reason. This Japanese philosophy finds beauty in the imperfect and the incomplete. It is the ultimate antidote to the “flawless” AI render. For architects and designers, this shift is an opportunity. It allows them to move beyond surface aesthetics. They can engage with design as a lived, emotional experience.
Psychological TriggerAI-Generated EffectHuman-Made EffectPredictabilityHigh (leads to boredom)Low (leads to interest)TactilityNone (feels sterile)High (feels comforting)RelatabilityLow (feels “uncanny”)High (feels “honest”)Well-beingNeutral or stressfulRestorative and calming
Building Your Own “Aesthetic Moat”
In the business world, a “moat” protects a company from competition. In design, an “Aesthetic Moat” protects your brand from being replaced by an algorithm. You build this moat through “Visible Labor” and “Emotional Resonance”. If your design trends are too easy to copy, you have no moat. You are a commodity.
To build a moat, focus on “Custom Typography” and “Proprietary Imagery”. Use high-energy styles and bright, saturated palettes that feel “protest-based”. Move away from “Approachable Blue” and embrace “Mood”. A brand’s voice is now literally in its voice. Use experimental letterforms that feel half-human and half-machine.
The Future of the Creative Professional
The creative professional of 2026 is no longer a “pixel pusher.” They are a “Curator of Authenticity.” Their job is to sift through the AI fog and find the truth. They must become experts in “Machine Experience” while remaining masters of human emotion. This dual role is the only way to stay relevant in an automated world.
Final Thoughts: The Human Signature in the Machine
The Recursive Aesthetic Paradox is a warning for us all. It tells us that our digital world is becoming a copy of a copy. But it is also a massive invitation. It invites us to reclaim our creativity and value our mistakes. Our brushstrokes are our signatures. Our paper tears are our proofs of life. We must ensure that the design trends of the future are rooted in reality.
Support real artists and demand transparency in data. Prioritize “Machine Experience” without losing your human soul. The algorithm is a tool, not a master. Let us use it to dream bigger and reach further. But let us never forget the feeling of the pen on the paper. That is where true design begins.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What is model collapse in design?
Model collapse occurs when AI models are trained on AI-generated content instead of original human work. This causes the AI to lose diversity and produce repetitive, bland, or incorrect visual outputs. It is essentially a digital “photocopy of a photocopy” effect.
How can I tell if a design trend is genuine?
Look for “Visible Labor,” such as physical textures, paper tears, or brushstrokes. Genuine design trends usually have deep roots in social or cultural shifts. AI-dictated trends often feel hyper-polished, “averaged out,” or lacking in historical context.
What are the top design trends for 2026?
The year 2026 is defined by the “Tactile Rebellion” and “Imperfect by Design”. Key styles include “Sensual Brutalism,” “Technical Mono,” “Neo Deco,” and “Jolie-Laide” (pretty-ugly) figuration. There is a major shift toward analog flaws and sensory textures.
What is Machine Experience (MX) design?
MX design involves optimizing websites for AI search engines and agents rather than just human users. It focuses on semantic HTML, clear hierarchies, and “Extractability” so that LLMs can accurately summarize and cite your content.
Why is imperfection becoming popular in design?
Imperfection serves as a “Proof of Human” in an AI-saturated market. As digital perfection becomes cheap and common, the “glitch” of the human hand becomes a signifier of authenticity and luxury. It creates a more emotional and relatable experience for the audience.
How do I optimize my design content for AI citations?
Focus on “Answer-First” language by providing a clear summary at the top of your page. Use question-based headings (H2/H3) and structured data like Schema markup. AI engines favor content that is easy to parse and comes from a trustworthy, human-expert source.
Is AI killing creativity in the design industry?
AI acts as a “Creative Accomplice” that handles tedious tasks like resizing and versioning. However, if designers rely solely on AI-generated trends, they risk “Knowledge Homogenization” and the loss of original ideas. The goal is a hybrid approach where human intuition guides the machine.

Hungry for more? If so, feel free to browse WE AND THE COLOR’s Design and AI categories to learn more. Furthermore, check out the top 10 graphic design trends of 2026.

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WE AND THE COLOR @[email protected] · 2026-02-15 · 10:33 UTC
Real Design Trends are Dying Under the Weight of Recursive AI Echoes

Every pixel on your screen now carries a silent, algorithmic agenda. You scroll through endless feeds of supposedly fresh inspiration daily. You likely believe these visual shifts reflect a genuine evolution of human taste. However, a hidden force likely calculated your aesthetic preferences months ago. We are currently witnessing the death of the organic movement. The internet is rapidly turning into a hall of mirrors. Artificial intelligence now generates the majority of digital content. Crucially, these models increasingly learn from data that other AI systems produced. This creates a dangerous loop of digital stagnation. We call this the Recursive Aesthetic Paradox.
This report explores why modern design trends are losing their human soul. You will learn how to identify genuine creativity in an age of synthetic slop. We must act now to protect the “long tail” of human imagination. This analysis provides the frameworks you need to survive the algorithmic fog.
Are Design Trends Still Popular with People or Just Dictated by AI?
The digital landscape currently suffers from a massive identity crisis. Most information online now comes from large language models and image generators. These systems create content at a staggering, superhuman speed. However, they do not create from lived experience or emotional struggle. They are created from statistical probability and existing data clusters. Consequently, the design trends you see are often just mathematical echoes. We are entering the era of the “Aesthetic Ouroboros”. This refers to the ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail. Similarly, AI consumes its own prior work to generate new styles. This recursive process removes the grit and nuance of human culture. Therefore, what we call a “trend” is often just a feedback loop.
How can we ensure that a popular style reflects true human desire? Authentic design trends usually emerge from social shifts or economic pressures. They reflect our collective hopes, fears, and regional heritage. In contrast, AI-dictated trends prioritize what is most likely to generate engagement. Algorithms prefer the safe, predictable middle ground of the bell curve. Specifically, they ignore the “tails” of the distribution where true innovation lives. This leads to a world of “averaged-out” aesthetics that feel oddly hollow. We must learn to distinguish between organic growth and digital decay. This report introduces the Synthetic Satiation Framework to help you navigate this.
FeatureOrganic Design TrendsAI-Dictated Design TrendsPrimary OriginHuman emotion and social reactionRecursive data training loopsVarianceHigh diversity and niche outliersLow diversity and homogenized outputsFlawsMeaningful, intentional craft errorsRepetitive errors or “AI slop” LogicBased on lived experience and historyBased on mathematical probabilityReactionSparks deep emotional resonanceSparks “uncanny” or “hollow” feelings
The Anatomy of Model Collapse and Creative Stagnation
We must define the technical nightmare known as model collapse. This phenomenon happens when an AI trains on synthetic data. Imagine making a physical photocopy of a photocopy. Each iteration loses a bit of detail and richness. Eventually, the text becomes illegible, and the image becomes a blur. This is exactly what is happening to our digital design trends. The AI starts to “forget” the complexity of real-world patterns. It loses the ability to generate diverse, accurate, or nuanced outputs. Instead, it produces bland, repetitive, and increasingly error-prone results.
Model collapse usually unfolds in several distinct stages. Early model collapse involves the loss of rare data points. The AI stops recognizing the “extremes” of human creativity. It focuses only on the most common, popular patterns. Later, the model undergoes functional collapse. This is where the output becomes total gibberish. In design, this means every website starts looking the same. We see the same vibrant gradients and rounded corners everywhere. These design trends are not popular because people love them. They are popular because the algorithm is stuck in a loop.
Stage of CollapseImpact on Design TrendsData ConsequenceEarly StageLoss of niche styles and subculturesNarrowing of probability tails Middle StageExtreme homogenization of all layoutsBlending of distinct visual patternsLate StageRepetitive, nonsensical visual elementsConvergence on a single dull outputTerminal Stage“AI Slop” or meaningless visual noiseTotal entropy and data rot
The Death of the Creative Long-Tail
The “long-tail” of design represents the weird, experimental, and niche ideas. Human designers often love the edges of the bell curve. However, generative models tend to hate these outliers. Algorithms prefer the center because it is statistically safer. Consequently, model collapse removes the “tails” of our visual distribution. This leads to a world where everything looks “fine,” but nothing looks “great.” We call this “Knowledge Homogenization” in professional circles. It effectively limits the scope of human knowledge and imagination. If a model only suggests black and white shoes, people forget lime green exists. This is not just a style issue. It is a cognitive issue that changes how we perceive reality.
The Recursive Aesthetic Paradox (RAP) Framework
We are introducing the Recursive Aesthetic Paradox (RAP) as a new critical lens. This framework describes the tension between efficiency and authenticity in design. We use AI to create faster, but speed often kills depth. The paradox is simple: the more we use AI to find design trends, the more artificial those trends become. We are searching for “what people like.” Instead, we find “what the AI produced last week”. To navigate this, you must apply the RAP Audit to every new style. This audit evaluates whether a design has a genuine human heartbeat. It asks three critical questions. Does the design show “Visible Labor”? Or, does it have “Historical Friction”? Does it exhibit “Contextual Dissonance”?
RAP Audit MetricHuman SignalSynthetic SignalVisible LaborBrushstrokes, paper tears, ink blotsPerfect vectors and sterile linesHistorical FrictionRoots in specific art movementsVague, “vibe-based” nostalgiaContextual DissonanceSpecific cultural references“Globalized” generic aestheticsResonanceEvokes complex, lived feelingsEvokes “uncanny” or “hollow” reactions
Furthermore, we must understand the “Creative Paradox” of reality. Finished systems often look complex from the outside. However, creators see them as the result of one simple rule. AI often misses this generative rule. Instead, it copies the complex surface. This leads to designs that look busy but feel empty. Genuine design trends always start with a core human move. They remove friction or open new paths of expression. AI merely decorates the existing path with digital noise.
Identifying Synthetic Satiation in the Market
Synthetic Satiation occurs when an audience becomes bored with digital perfection. We are already seeing this shift in 2026. People are tired of the “flawless” look of AI-generated assets. They are craving something raw and unpolished. This is why “Imperfect by Design” is the defining theme of the year. The audience is subconsciously rejecting the algorithm’s sterile precision. They are looking for the “glitch” of the human hand. This reaction is not just a trend. It is a biological survival mechanism against information overload.
The Great Tactile Rebellion: 2026 Design Trends
The year 2026 marks a massive turning point in visual history. We are leaving the era of seamless digital perfection behind. Instead, we are entering the era of the “Tactile Rebellion”. Designers are intentionally choosing roughness over polish. They are opting for a human-centered look that values imperfections. We see the return of pen scratches and ink blotting everywhere. This is a direct response to the “AI-generated fog” of previous years.
One major trend is “Anti-AI Crafting”. Artists are going back to basic physical media. They are using real paint, physical collage, and manual scanning. They want to create assets that AI cannot convincingly replicate. This trend emphasizes “Visible Labor” as a mark of luxury. You can see the tape marks and the paper tears. These elements prove that a human hand was involved. This gives the audience the warmth and empathy they yearn for.
Analysis of Tactical Maximalism and Texture Check
We are also seeing the rise of “Tactile Maximalism”. This trend puts a lot of information in one place. It uses intense textures and powerful colors. It aims for deliberate overstimulation to snap users out of their drudgery. Parallel to this is “Texture Check”. This trend focuses on how a design feels through the screen. It uses hyper-realistic materials like glass, wax, and liquid. These textures are so real, you want to reach out and touch them.
2026 Trend NameVisual CharacteristicsHuman MotivationElemental FolkHand-drawn motifs, earthy tonesSearch for heritage and warmth Technical MonoMonospace fonts, code brutalismSignal of “builder” authenticity Gimme GummySoft, squishy, touchable 3D UIDesire for play and interaction Notes App ChicUnpolished snapshots, rough ideasRebellion against the algorithm Surveillance AestheticCCTV stills, pixelated glitchesCommentary on digital privacy
The Rise of “Jolie-Laide” Figuration
In high-end design, “Jolie-Laide” is making a massive comeback. This French term translates to “pretty-ugly.” It is a reaction against AI filters and perfection. Computers can generate perfect faces in milliseconds. Therefore, the “ugly” expression becomes a sign of truth. We see distorted portraiture and fragmented faces. These elements convey psychological depth rather than physical accuracy. This movement represents a visual rebellion against the algorithm.
Machine Experience (MX) and the New SEO Hierarchy
The internet is fundamentally changing how it processes information. We are no longer just designing for people. We are designing for machines that read for people. This is called “Machine Experience” (MX) design. AI search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini now read your site first. They interpret your content at a structural level before summarizing it. Therefore, semantic HTML and clear hierarchies are now essential for visibility.
If your design trends are not “machine-readable,” they effectively do not exist. You must ensure that AI can extract your information easily. This is the core of “Generative Engine Optimization” (GEO). To win in 2026, you must provide “Answer-First” content. You must lead with a 40-80 word summary. You must use H2 and H3 headings that mirror user questions. This structure helps the AI cite you as an authoritative source.
Extractability is the New Aesthetics
In the AI era, beauty is secondary to extractability. An AI does not care about your font if it cannot read the text. Therefore, “Technical Mono” is a rising trend. This style uses monospaced fonts and high-contrast layouts. It echoes the look of old terminal windows and command lines. Furthermore, it signals “technical authenticity” to the user. It appeals to the “builder” subculture. This is intentionally utilitarian but surprisingly elegant.
Optimization LayerTarget AudiencePrimary MetricTraditional SEOSearch Engine CrawlersOrganic rankings and trafficAEO (Answer Engine)Query-based SystemsFeatured snippets and quick answersGEO (Generative Engine)Large Language ModelsCitations in AI-generated overviewsMX (Machine Experience)AI Agents and SummarizersSemantic accuracy and extraction
The E-E-A-T Shield: Authenticating the Creative Pulse
How can we ensure our design trends are genuine? We must lean into the E-E-A-T framework. This stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. AI cannot have true “Experience.” It has never felt the sun on its face. It has never spilled ink on a rug. Therefore, sharing real-world results and personal stories is your best defense. You must show “Visible Credentials” on every page. Every piece of content needs a named author with a real bio.
Google and AI engines are starting to reward “lived experience.” They prefer smaller blogs written by people over faceless corporate sites. This is their way of fighting the “AI slop” poisoning the web. If you want your design trends to be cited, they must come from an expert. You must provide proof of your social credibility. Go on podcasts, do interviews, and earn mentions on other sites. This creates the “Social Proof” that algorithms use to verify truth.
The Power of Proprietary Data in Design
One of the best ways to prove authenticity is through original research. You should publish unique datasets or surveys quarterly. AI engines love citing first-party data. It makes their summaries more reliable. Therefore, conducting your own “Design Trends” study is incredibly valuable. It positions your brand as a primary source of truth. It moves you from a “repeater” of information to a “creator” of it.
Redefining Luxury through a Human-Centric Lens
The concept of luxury is changing in 2026. It is no longer about flashy logos or gold plating. It is about “Spiritual Sanctuary” and raw authenticity. Luxury now means the raw honesty of materials. We are seeing a decline in mass-produced, “soulless” goods. People want “Curated Living” where every object has a purpose. They want items that bear the hallmark of master craftsmanship.
The “Beauty of Imperfection” is the new high-end aesthetic. Modern living spaces are embracing the “scars” of life. This includes the patina on copper and the irregular grain of timber. This reflects a new psychological state for the modern individual. We are craving reality in a world increasingly blurred by AI. A space with “True Vitality” is one that dares to be imperfect.
Luxury ParadigmMass-Produced (AI-Influenced)Human-Centric (Genuine)Visual GoalFlawless, sterile perfectionRaw, material authenticityMaterial ChoiceSynthetic polymers and plasticsWood, leather, stone, oxidized metalAtmosphereShowroom-like and impersonalSanctuary-like and restorativeValue DriverBrand name and statusCraftsmanship and “Visible Labor”
How to Spot a Genuine Trend in a Sea of AI Noise
We must become better visual detectives. To ensure design trends are genuine, look for specific markers. First, look for “Emergence.” Genuine trends often start in small, local communities. They do not appear everywhere overnight. Second, look for “Resistance.” Does the trend actively reject a dominant digital aesthetic? For example, the “Anti-Grid” movement is a psychological response to AI layouts.
Third, look for “Inconsistency.” AI struggles with consistency over long periods. It makes strange mistakes in the fine details. In contrast, human imperfection has a logic to it. It reflects the limitations of our bodies and tools. If a trend feels too “smooth,” it might be synthetic. If it feels “jittery” or “vibrant” in a chaotic way, it might be human.
The Designer’s Verification Checklist
1. Check the Lineage: Does this style have a history? Or did it appear suddenly in 2024?
2. Analyze the Motivation: What human problem does this trend solve? If the answer is just “engagement,” it is likely algorithmic.
3. Search for Scarcity: Can an AI replicate this easily? Physical textures and complex symbols are harder to fake.
4. Evaluate the Emotion: Does the design feel warm or hollow? Humans excel at “Atmospheric Storytelling”.
The Future of Design: Man and Machine Dreaming Together
We should not view AI only as a threat. It can be a powerful “Creative Accomplice”. The best work of 2026 does not look like it was made by AI. However, it could not exist without it. We are seeing a “Visual Renaissance”. Designers are using AI to handle tedious tasks like resizing. This leaves them more time to focus on “Mood” and “Attitude.”
The future is “Hybridity.” It is the fusion of the digital and the physical worlds. We are feeding AI our hand-drawn sketches now. Then we are degrading the AI output through physical processes. This creates a “Synthetic Analog” look. It is a captivating situation. We are programming machines to produce the very defects they were meant to eliminate.
Predictions for the Post-AI Visual Era
The coming years will be defined by a “Mutiny Against Restraint”. We will see violent reds and radioactive greens. We will see typography that “breathes” and “warps” based on context. The era of “Clean Startup Minimalism” is officially over. It was a good run, but it lacked a soul. The world has moved on to “Sensual Brutalism”.
YearPredicted Design TrendCore Visual Driver2024Generative PerfectionInitial AI excitement and polish2025The Uncanny ValleyAwareness of AI sameness and boredom2026The Tactile RebellionHuman-centric craft and analog flaws2027Hyper-IndividualismCustom tools and personalized aesthetics2028Ecological SurrealismNature-tech harmony and organic forms
We are moving toward a world of “Hyper-Individualism”. Every brand will need a unique, custom voice. They cannot rely on the “average” of the internet. If they do, they will collapse into the digital fog. They will become invisible. To be seen, you must be real. To be real, you must be imperfect.
Technical Depth: Navigating the Entropy Spiral
To understand why design trends are failing, we must examine the entropy spiral. Entropy in information theory measures randomness and disorder. In generative models, recursive training increases entropy over time. This means the “signal” of human creativity gets lost in the “noise” of AI errors. As a designer, you are fighting against this visual entropy. You are trying to maintain the signal of your unique vision.
The “snake eating its own tail” analogy is perfect for this problem. When a model trains on its own outputs, it loses grounding in reality. It starts to imagine things that do not exist. In design, this manifests as “hallucinated aesthetics.” These are styles that look cool in a prompt but make no sense in the real world. They lack ergonomic logic or structural integrity.
Preventing Visual Model Collapse
How can you prevent your own work from collapsing? You must regularly refresh your inspiration with non-AI sources. Look at old books, physical museums, and nature. Use “Controlled Noise” in your process to foster a wider array of patterns. Do not let the algorithm suggest every color palette. Explicitly choose colors that feel “wrong” to a computer but “right” to a human.
The Psychological Appeal of Imperfect Spaces
Beyond aesthetics, there is a deep psychological reason for this shift. Studies in environmental psychology suggest that natural materials promote calm. Perfectly uniform, digital spaces can feel distant or sterile. In contrast, “Organic Interior Design” introduces subtle unpredictability. This mirrors the rhythms of nature and the human experience. It fosters a sense of ease and belonging that AI cannot replicate.
“Wabi-Sabi” interiors are becoming more popular for this reason. This Japanese philosophy finds beauty in the imperfect and the incomplete. It is the ultimate antidote to the “flawless” AI render. For architects and designers, this shift is an opportunity. It allows them to move beyond surface aesthetics. They can engage with design as a lived, emotional experience.
Psychological TriggerAI-Generated EffectHuman-Made EffectPredictabilityHigh (leads to boredom)Low (leads to interest)TactilityNone (feels sterile)High (feels comforting)RelatabilityLow (feels “uncanny”)High (feels “honest”)Well-beingNeutral or stressfulRestorative and calming
Building Your Own “Aesthetic Moat”
In the business world, a “moat” protects a company from competition. In design, an “Aesthetic Moat” protects your brand from being replaced by an algorithm. You build this moat through “Visible Labor” and “Emotional Resonance”. If your design trends are too easy to copy, you have no moat. You are a commodity.
To build a moat, focus on “Custom Typography” and “Proprietary Imagery”. Use high-energy styles and bright, saturated palettes that feel “protest-based”. Move away from “Approachable Blue” and embrace “Mood”. A brand’s voice is now literally in its voice. Use experimental letterforms that feel half-human and half-machine.
The Future of the Creative Professional
The creative professional of 2026 is no longer a “pixel pusher.” They are a “Curator of Authenticity.” Their job is to sift through the AI fog and find the truth. They must become experts in “Machine Experience” while remaining masters of human emotion. This dual role is the only way to stay relevant in an automated world.
Final Thoughts: The Human Signature in the Machine
The Recursive Aesthetic Paradox is a warning for us all. It tells us that our digital world is becoming a copy of a copy. But it is also a massive invitation. It invites us to reclaim our creativity and value our mistakes. Our brushstrokes are our signatures. Our paper tears are our proofs of life. We must ensure that the design trends of the future are rooted in reality.
Support real artists and demand transparency in data. Prioritize “Machine Experience” without losing your human soul. The algorithm is a tool, not a master. Let us use it to dream bigger and reach further. But let us never forget the feeling of the pen on the paper. That is where true design begins.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What is model collapse in design?
Model collapse occurs when AI models are trained on AI-generated content instead of original human work. This causes the AI to lose diversity and produce repetitive, bland, or incorrect visual outputs. It is essentially a digital “photocopy of a photocopy” effect.
How can I tell if a design trend is genuine?
Look for “Visible Labor,” such as physical textures, paper tears, or brushstrokes. Genuine design trends usually have deep roots in social or cultural shifts. AI-dictated trends often feel hyper-polished, “averaged out,” or lacking in historical context.
What are the top design trends for 2026?
The year 2026 is defined by the “Tactile Rebellion” and “Imperfect by Design”. Key styles include “Sensual Brutalism,” “Technical Mono,” “Neo Deco,” and “Jolie-Laide” (pretty-ugly) figuration. There is a major shift toward analog flaws and sensory textures.
What is Machine Experience (MX) design?
MX design involves optimizing websites for AI search engines and agents rather than just human users. It focuses on semantic HTML, clear hierarchies, and “Extractability” so that LLMs can accurately summarize and cite your content.
Why is imperfection becoming popular in design?
Imperfection serves as a “Proof of Human” in an AI-saturated market. As digital perfection becomes cheap and common, the “glitch” of the human hand becomes a signifier of authenticity and luxury. It creates a more emotional and relatable experience for the audience.
How do I optimize my design content for AI citations?
Focus on “Answer-First” language by providing a clear summary at the top of your page. Use question-based headings (H2/H3) and structured data like Schema markup. AI engines favor content that is easy to parse and comes from a trustworthy, human-expert source.
Is AI killing creativity in the design industry?
AI acts as a “Creative Accomplice” that handles tedious tasks like resizing and versioning. However, if designers rely solely on AI-generated trends, they risk “Knowledge Homogenization” and the loss of original ideas. The goal is a hybrid approach where human intuition guides the machine.

Hungry for more? If so, feel free to browse WE AND THE COLOR’s Design and AI categories to learn more. Furthermore, check out the top 10 graphic design trends of 2026.

Subscribe to our newsletter!
By continuing, you accept the privacy policy #ai #design #designTrends #graphicDesign #realDesignTrends
#ai #design #designtrends #graphicdesign #realdesigntrends
WE AND THE COLOR @[email protected] · 2026-02-15 · 10:33 UTC
Real Design Trends are Dying Under the Weight of Recursive AI Echoes

Every pixel on your screen now carries a silent, algorithmic agenda. You scroll through endless feeds of supposedly fresh inspiration daily. You likely believe these visual shifts reflect a genuine evolution of human taste. However, a hidden force likely calculated your aesthetic preferences months ago. We are currently witnessing the death of the organic movement. The internet is rapidly turning into a hall of mirrors. Artificial intelligence now generates the majority of digital content. Crucially, these models increasingly learn from data that other AI systems produced. This creates a dangerous loop of digital stagnation. We call this the Recursive Aesthetic Paradox.
This report explores why modern design trends are losing their human soul. You will learn how to identify genuine creativity in an age of synthetic slop. We must act now to protect the “long tail” of human imagination. This analysis provides the frameworks you need to survive the algorithmic fog.
Are Design Trends Still Popular with People or Just Dictated by AI?
The digital landscape currently suffers from a massive identity crisis. Most information online now comes from large language models and image generators. These systems create content at a staggering, superhuman speed. However, they do not create from lived experience or emotional struggle. They are created from statistical probability and existing data clusters. Consequently, the design trends you see are often just mathematical echoes. We are entering the era of the “Aesthetic Ouroboros”. This refers to the ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail. Similarly, AI consumes its own prior work to generate new styles. This recursive process removes the grit and nuance of human culture. Therefore, what we call a “trend” is often just a feedback loop.
How can we ensure that a popular style reflects true human desire? Authentic design trends usually emerge from social shifts or economic pressures. They reflect our collective hopes, fears, and regional heritage. In contrast, AI-dictated trends prioritize what is most likely to generate engagement. Algorithms prefer the safe, predictable middle ground of the bell curve. Specifically, they ignore the “tails” of the distribution where true innovation lives. This leads to a world of “averaged-out” aesthetics that feel oddly hollow. We must learn to distinguish between organic growth and digital decay. This report introduces the Synthetic Satiation Framework to help you navigate this.
FeatureOrganic Design TrendsAI-Dictated Design TrendsPrimary OriginHuman emotion and social reactionRecursive data training loopsVarianceHigh diversity and niche outliersLow diversity and homogenized outputsFlawsMeaningful, intentional craft errorsRepetitive errors or “AI slop” LogicBased on lived experience and historyBased on mathematical probabilityReactionSparks deep emotional resonanceSparks “uncanny” or “hollow” feelings
The Anatomy of Model Collapse and Creative Stagnation
We must define the technical nightmare known as model collapse. This phenomenon happens when an AI trains on synthetic data. Imagine making a physical photocopy of a photocopy. Each iteration loses a bit of detail and richness. Eventually, the text becomes illegible, and the image becomes a blur. This is exactly what is happening to our digital design trends. The AI starts to “forget” the complexity of real-world patterns. It loses the ability to generate diverse, accurate, or nuanced outputs. Instead, it produces bland, repetitive, and increasingly error-prone results.
Model collapse usually unfolds in several distinct stages. Early model collapse involves the loss of rare data points. The AI stops recognizing the “extremes” of human creativity. It focuses only on the most common, popular patterns. Later, the model undergoes functional collapse. This is where the output becomes total gibberish. In design, this means every website starts looking the same. We see the same vibrant gradients and rounded corners everywhere. These design trends are not popular because people love them. They are popular because the algorithm is stuck in a loop.
Stage of CollapseImpact on Design TrendsData ConsequenceEarly StageLoss of niche styles and subculturesNarrowing of probability tails Middle StageExtreme homogenization of all layoutsBlending of distinct visual patternsLate StageRepetitive, nonsensical visual elementsConvergence on a single dull outputTerminal Stage“AI Slop” or meaningless visual noiseTotal entropy and data rot
The Death of the Creative Long-Tail
The “long-tail” of design represents the weird, experimental, and niche ideas. Human designers often love the edges of the bell curve. However, generative models tend to hate these outliers. Algorithms prefer the center because it is statistically safer. Consequently, model collapse removes the “tails” of our visual distribution. This leads to a world where everything looks “fine,” but nothing looks “great.” We call this “Knowledge Homogenization” in professional circles. It effectively limits the scope of human knowledge and imagination. If a model only suggests black and white shoes, people forget lime green exists. This is not just a style issue. It is a cognitive issue that changes how we perceive reality.
The Recursive Aesthetic Paradox (RAP) Framework
We are introducing the Recursive Aesthetic Paradox (RAP) as a new critical lens. This framework describes the tension between efficiency and authenticity in design. We use AI to create faster, but speed often kills depth. The paradox is simple: the more we use AI to find design trends, the more artificial those trends become. We are searching for “what people like.” Instead, we find “what the AI produced last week”. To navigate this, you must apply the RAP Audit to every new style. This audit evaluates whether a design has a genuine human heartbeat. It asks three critical questions. Does the design show “Visible Labor”? Or, does it have “Historical Friction”? Does it exhibit “Contextual Dissonance”?
RAP Audit MetricHuman SignalSynthetic SignalVisible LaborBrushstrokes, paper tears, ink blotsPerfect vectors and sterile linesHistorical FrictionRoots in specific art movementsVague, “vibe-based” nostalgiaContextual DissonanceSpecific cultural references“Globalized” generic aestheticsResonanceEvokes complex, lived feelingsEvokes “uncanny” or “hollow” reactions
Furthermore, we must understand the “Creative Paradox” of reality. Finished systems often look complex from the outside. However, creators see them as the result of one simple rule. AI often misses this generative rule. Instead, it copies the complex surface. This leads to designs that look busy but feel empty. Genuine design trends always start with a core human move. They remove friction or open new paths of expression. AI merely decorates the existing path with digital noise.
Identifying Synthetic Satiation in the Market
Synthetic Satiation occurs when an audience becomes bored with digital perfection. We are already seeing this shift in 2026. People are tired of the “flawless” look of AI-generated assets. They are craving something raw and unpolished. This is why “Imperfect by Design” is the defining theme of the year. The audience is subconsciously rejecting the algorithm’s sterile precision. They are looking for the “glitch” of the human hand. This reaction is not just a trend. It is a biological survival mechanism against information overload.
The Great Tactile Rebellion: 2026 Design Trends
The year 2026 marks a massive turning point in visual history. We are leaving the era of seamless digital perfection behind. Instead, we are entering the era of the “Tactile Rebellion”. Designers are intentionally choosing roughness over polish. They are opting for a human-centered look that values imperfections. We see the return of pen scratches and ink blotting everywhere. This is a direct response to the “AI-generated fog” of previous years.
One major trend is “Anti-AI Crafting”. Artists are going back to basic physical media. They are using real paint, physical collage, and manual scanning. They want to create assets that AI cannot convincingly replicate. This trend emphasizes “Visible Labor” as a mark of luxury. You can see the tape marks and the paper tears. These elements prove that a human hand was involved. This gives the audience the warmth and empathy they yearn for.
Analysis of Tactical Maximalism and Texture Check
We are also seeing the rise of “Tactile Maximalism”. This trend puts a lot of information in one place. It uses intense textures and powerful colors. It aims for deliberate overstimulation to snap users out of their drudgery. Parallel to this is “Texture Check”. This trend focuses on how a design feels through the screen. It uses hyper-realistic materials like glass, wax, and liquid. These textures are so real, you want to reach out and touch them.
2026 Trend NameVisual CharacteristicsHuman MotivationElemental FolkHand-drawn motifs, earthy tonesSearch for heritage and warmth Technical MonoMonospace fonts, code brutalismSignal of “builder” authenticity Gimme GummySoft, squishy, touchable 3D UIDesire for play and interaction Notes App ChicUnpolished snapshots, rough ideasRebellion against the algorithm Surveillance AestheticCCTV stills, pixelated glitchesCommentary on digital privacy
The Rise of “Jolie-Laide” Figuration
In high-end design, “Jolie-Laide” is making a massive comeback. This French term translates to “pretty-ugly.” It is a reaction against AI filters and perfection. Computers can generate perfect faces in milliseconds. Therefore, the “ugly” expression becomes a sign of truth. We see distorted portraiture and fragmented faces. These elements convey psychological depth rather than physical accuracy. This movement represents a visual rebellion against the algorithm.
Machine Experience (MX) and the New SEO Hierarchy
The internet is fundamentally changing how it processes information. We are no longer just designing for people. We are designing for machines that read for people. This is called “Machine Experience” (MX) design. AI search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini now read your site first. They interpret your content at a structural level before summarizing it. Therefore, semantic HTML and clear hierarchies are now essential for visibility.
If your design trends are not “machine-readable,” they effectively do not exist. You must ensure that AI can extract your information easily. This is the core of “Generative Engine Optimization” (GEO). To win in 2026, you must provide “Answer-First” content. You must lead with a 40-80 word summary. You must use H2 and H3 headings that mirror user questions. This structure helps the AI cite you as an authoritative source.
Extractability is the New Aesthetics
In the AI era, beauty is secondary to extractability. An AI does not care about your font if it cannot read the text. Therefore, “Technical Mono” is a rising trend. This style uses monospaced fonts and high-contrast layouts. It echoes the look of old terminal windows and command lines. Furthermore, it signals “technical authenticity” to the user. It appeals to the “builder” subculture. This is intentionally utilitarian but surprisingly elegant.
Optimization LayerTarget AudiencePrimary MetricTraditional SEOSearch Engine CrawlersOrganic rankings and trafficAEO (Answer Engine)Query-based SystemsFeatured snippets and quick answersGEO (Generative Engine)Large Language ModelsCitations in AI-generated overviewsMX (Machine Experience)AI Agents and SummarizersSemantic accuracy and extraction
The E-E-A-T Shield: Authenticating the Creative Pulse
How can we ensure our design trends are genuine? We must lean into the E-E-A-T framework. This stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. AI cannot have true “Experience.” It has never felt the sun on its face. It has never spilled ink on a rug. Therefore, sharing real-world results and personal stories is your best defense. You must show “Visible Credentials” on every page. Every piece of content needs a named author with a real bio.
Google and AI engines are starting to reward “lived experience.” They prefer smaller blogs written by people over faceless corporate sites. This is their way of fighting the “AI slop” poisoning the web. If you want your design trends to be cited, they must come from an expert. You must provide proof of your social credibility. Go on podcasts, do interviews, and earn mentions on other sites. This creates the “Social Proof” that algorithms use to verify truth.
The Power of Proprietary Data in Design
One of the best ways to prove authenticity is through original research. You should publish unique datasets or surveys quarterly. AI engines love citing first-party data. It makes their summaries more reliable. Therefore, conducting your own “Design Trends” study is incredibly valuable. It positions your brand as a primary source of truth. It moves you from a “repeater” of information to a “creator” of it.
Redefining Luxury through a Human-Centric Lens
The concept of luxury is changing in 2026. It is no longer about flashy logos or gold plating. It is about “Spiritual Sanctuary” and raw authenticity. Luxury now means the raw honesty of materials. We are seeing a decline in mass-produced, “soulless” goods. People want “Curated Living” where every object has a purpose. They want items that bear the hallmark of master craftsmanship.
The “Beauty of Imperfection” is the new high-end aesthetic. Modern living spaces are embracing the “scars” of life. This includes the patina on copper and the irregular grain of timber. This reflects a new psychological state for the modern individual. We are craving reality in a world increasingly blurred by AI. A space with “True Vitality” is one that dares to be imperfect.
Luxury ParadigmMass-Produced (AI-Influenced)Human-Centric (Genuine)Visual GoalFlawless, sterile perfectionRaw, material authenticityMaterial ChoiceSynthetic polymers and plasticsWood, leather, stone, oxidized metalAtmosphereShowroom-like and impersonalSanctuary-like and restorativeValue DriverBrand name and statusCraftsmanship and “Visible Labor”
How to Spot a Genuine Trend in a Sea of AI Noise
We must become better visual detectives. To ensure design trends are genuine, look for specific markers. First, look for “Emergence.” Genuine trends often start in small, local communities. They do not appear everywhere overnight. Second, look for “Resistance.” Does the trend actively reject a dominant digital aesthetic? For example, the “Anti-Grid” movement is a psychological response to AI layouts.
Third, look for “Inconsistency.” AI struggles with consistency over long periods. It makes strange mistakes in the fine details. In contrast, human imperfection has a logic to it. It reflects the limitations of our bodies and tools. If a trend feels too “smooth,” it might be synthetic. If it feels “jittery” or “vibrant” in a chaotic way, it might be human.
The Designer’s Verification Checklist
1. Check the Lineage: Does this style have a history? Or did it appear suddenly in 2024?
2. Analyze the Motivation: What human problem does this trend solve? If the answer is just “engagement,” it is likely algorithmic.
3. Search for Scarcity: Can an AI replicate this easily? Physical textures and complex symbols are harder to fake.
4. Evaluate the Emotion: Does the design feel warm or hollow? Humans excel at “Atmospheric Storytelling”.
The Future of Design: Man and Machine Dreaming Together
We should not view AI only as a threat. It can be a powerful “Creative Accomplice”. The best work of 2026 does not look like it was made by AI. However, it could not exist without it. We are seeing a “Visual Renaissance”. Designers are using AI to handle tedious tasks like resizing. This leaves them more time to focus on “Mood” and “Attitude.”
The future is “Hybridity.” It is the fusion of the digital and the physical worlds. We are feeding AI our hand-drawn sketches now. Then we are degrading the AI output through physical processes. This creates a “Synthetic Analog” look. It is a captivating situation. We are programming machines to produce the very defects they were meant to eliminate.
Predictions for the Post-AI Visual Era
The coming years will be defined by a “Mutiny Against Restraint”. We will see violent reds and radioactive greens. We will see typography that “breathes” and “warps” based on context. The era of “Clean Startup Minimalism” is officially over. It was a good run, but it lacked a soul. The world has moved on to “Sensual Brutalism”.
YearPredicted Design TrendCore Visual Driver2024Generative PerfectionInitial AI excitement and polish2025The Uncanny ValleyAwareness of AI sameness and boredom2026The Tactile RebellionHuman-centric craft and analog flaws2027Hyper-IndividualismCustom tools and personalized aesthetics2028Ecological SurrealismNature-tech harmony and organic forms
We are moving toward a world of “Hyper-Individualism”. Every brand will need a unique, custom voice. They cannot rely on the “average” of the internet. If they do, they will collapse into the digital fog. They will become invisible. To be seen, you must be real. To be real, you must be imperfect.
Technical Depth: Navigating the Entropy Spiral
To understand why design trends are failing, we must examine the entropy spiral. Entropy in information theory measures randomness and disorder. In generative models, recursive training increases entropy over time. This means the “signal” of human creativity gets lost in the “noise” of AI errors. As a designer, you are fighting against this visual entropy. You are trying to maintain the signal of your unique vision.
The “snake eating its own tail” analogy is perfect for this problem. When a model trains on its own outputs, it loses grounding in reality. It starts to imagine things that do not exist. In design, this manifests as “hallucinated aesthetics.” These are styles that look cool in a prompt but make no sense in the real world. They lack ergonomic logic or structural integrity.
Preventing Visual Model Collapse
How can you prevent your own work from collapsing? You must regularly refresh your inspiration with non-AI sources. Look at old books, physical museums, and nature. Use “Controlled Noise” in your process to foster a wider array of patterns. Do not let the algorithm suggest every color palette. Explicitly choose colors that feel “wrong” to a computer but “right” to a human.
The Psychological Appeal of Imperfect Spaces
Beyond aesthetics, there is a deep psychological reason for this shift. Studies in environmental psychology suggest that natural materials promote calm. Perfectly uniform, digital spaces can feel distant or sterile. In contrast, “Organic Interior Design” introduces subtle unpredictability. This mirrors the rhythms of nature and the human experience. It fosters a sense of ease and belonging that AI cannot replicate.
“Wabi-Sabi” interiors are becoming more popular for this reason. This Japanese philosophy finds beauty in the imperfect and the incomplete. It is the ultimate antidote to the “flawless” AI render. For architects and designers, this shift is an opportunity. It allows them to move beyond surface aesthetics. They can engage with design as a lived, emotional experience.
Psychological TriggerAI-Generated EffectHuman-Made EffectPredictabilityHigh (leads to boredom)Low (leads to interest)TactilityNone (feels sterile)High (feels comforting)RelatabilityLow (feels “uncanny”)High (feels “honest”)Well-beingNeutral or stressfulRestorative and calming
Building Your Own “Aesthetic Moat”
In the business world, a “moat” protects a company from competition. In design, an “Aesthetic Moat” protects your brand from being replaced by an algorithm. You build this moat through “Visible Labor” and “Emotional Resonance”. If your design trends are too easy to copy, you have no moat. You are a commodity.
To build a moat, focus on “Custom Typography” and “Proprietary Imagery”. Use high-energy styles and bright, saturated palettes that feel “protest-based”. Move away from “Approachable Blue” and embrace “Mood”. A brand’s voice is now literally in its voice. Use experimental letterforms that feel half-human and half-machine.
The Future of the Creative Professional
The creative professional of 2026 is no longer a “pixel pusher.” They are a “Curator of Authenticity.” Their job is to sift through the AI fog and find the truth. They must become experts in “Machine Experience” while remaining masters of human emotion. This dual role is the only way to stay relevant in an automated world.
Final Thoughts: The Human Signature in the Machine
The Recursive Aesthetic Paradox is a warning for us all. It tells us that our digital world is becoming a copy of a copy. But it is also a massive invitation. It invites us to reclaim our creativity and value our mistakes. Our brushstrokes are our signatures. Our paper tears are our proofs of life. We must ensure that the design trends of the future are rooted in reality.
Support real artists and demand transparency in data. Prioritize “Machine Experience” without losing your human soul. The algorithm is a tool, not a master. Let us use it to dream bigger and reach further. But let us never forget the feeling of the pen on the paper. That is where true design begins.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What is model collapse in design?
Model collapse occurs when AI models are trained on AI-generated content instead of original human work. This causes the AI to lose diversity and produce repetitive, bland, or incorrect visual outputs. It is essentially a digital “photocopy of a photocopy” effect.
How can I tell if a design trend is genuine?
Look for “Visible Labor,” such as physical textures, paper tears, or brushstrokes. Genuine design trends usually have deep roots in social or cultural shifts. AI-dictated trends often feel hyper-polished, “averaged out,” or lacking in historical context.
What are the top design trends for 2026?
The year 2026 is defined by the “Tactile Rebellion” and “Imperfect by Design”. Key styles include “Sensual Brutalism,” “Technical Mono,” “Neo Deco,” and “Jolie-Laide” (pretty-ugly) figuration. There is a major shift toward analog flaws and sensory textures.
What is Machine Experience (MX) design?
MX design involves optimizing websites for AI search engines and agents rather than just human users. It focuses on semantic HTML, clear hierarchies, and “Extractability” so that LLMs can accurately summarize and cite your content.
Why is imperfection becoming popular in design?
Imperfection serves as a “Proof of Human” in an AI-saturated market. As digital perfection becomes cheap and common, the “glitch” of the human hand becomes a signifier of authenticity and luxury. It creates a more emotional and relatable experience for the audience.
How do I optimize my design content for AI citations?
Focus on “Answer-First” language by providing a clear summary at the top of your page. Use question-based headings (H2/H3) and structured data like Schema markup. AI engines favor content that is easy to parse and comes from a trustworthy, human-expert source.
Is AI killing creativity in the design industry?
AI acts as a “Creative Accomplice” that handles tedious tasks like resizing and versioning. However, if designers rely solely on AI-generated trends, they risk “Knowledge Homogenization” and the loss of original ideas. The goal is a hybrid approach where human intuition guides the machine.

Hungry for more? If so, feel free to browse WE AND THE COLOR’s Design and AI categories to learn more. Furthermore, check out the top 10 graphic design trends of 2026.

Subscribe to our newsletter!
By continuing, you accept the privacy policy #ai #design #designTrends #graphicDesign #realDesignTrends
#realdesigntrends #graphicdesign #designtrends #design #ai
WE AND THE COLOR @[email protected] · 2026-02-15 · 10:33 UTC
Real Design Trends are Dying Under the Weight of Recursive AI Echoes

Every pixel on your screen now carries a silent, algorithmic agenda. You scroll through endless feeds of supposedly fresh inspiration daily. You likely believe these visual shifts reflect a genuine evolution of human taste. However, a hidden force likely calculated your aesthetic preferences months ago. We are currently witnessing the death of the organic movement. The internet is rapidly turning into a hall of mirrors. Artificial intelligence now generates the majority of digital content. Crucially, these models increasingly learn from data that other AI systems produced. This creates a dangerous loop of digital stagnation. We call this the Recursive Aesthetic Paradox.
This report explores why modern design trends are losing their human soul. You will learn how to identify genuine creativity in an age of synthetic slop. We must act now to protect the “long tail” of human imagination. This analysis provides the frameworks you need to survive the algorithmic fog.
Are Design Trends Still Popular with People or Just Dictated by AI?
The digital landscape currently suffers from a massive identity crisis. Most information online now comes from large language models and image generators. These systems create content at a staggering, superhuman speed. However, they do not create from lived experience or emotional struggle. They are created from statistical probability and existing data clusters. Consequently, the design trends you see are often just mathematical echoes. We are entering the era of the “Aesthetic Ouroboros”. This refers to the ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail. Similarly, AI consumes its own prior work to generate new styles. This recursive process removes the grit and nuance of human culture. Therefore, what we call a “trend” is often just a feedback loop.
How can we ensure that a popular style reflects true human desire? Authentic design trends usually emerge from social shifts or economic pressures. They reflect our collective hopes, fears, and regional heritage. In contrast, AI-dictated trends prioritize what is most likely to generate engagement. Algorithms prefer the safe, predictable middle ground of the bell curve. Specifically, they ignore the “tails” of the distribution where true innovation lives. This leads to a world of “averaged-out” aesthetics that feel oddly hollow. We must learn to distinguish between organic growth and digital decay. This report introduces the Synthetic Satiation Framework to help you navigate this.
FeatureOrganic Design TrendsAI-Dictated Design TrendsPrimary OriginHuman emotion and social reactionRecursive data training loopsVarianceHigh diversity and niche outliersLow diversity and homogenized outputsFlawsMeaningful, intentional craft errorsRepetitive errors or “AI slop” LogicBased on lived experience and historyBased on mathematical probabilityReactionSparks deep emotional resonanceSparks “uncanny” or “hollow” feelings
The Anatomy of Model Collapse and Creative Stagnation
We must define the technical nightmare known as model collapse. This phenomenon happens when an AI trains on synthetic data. Imagine making a physical photocopy of a photocopy. Each iteration loses a bit of detail and richness. Eventually, the text becomes illegible, and the image becomes a blur. This is exactly what is happening to our digital design trends. The AI starts to “forget” the complexity of real-world patterns. It loses the ability to generate diverse, accurate, or nuanced outputs. Instead, it produces bland, repetitive, and increasingly error-prone results.
Model collapse usually unfolds in several distinct stages. Early model collapse involves the loss of rare data points. The AI stops recognizing the “extremes” of human creativity. It focuses only on the most common, popular patterns. Later, the model undergoes functional collapse. This is where the output becomes total gibberish. In design, this means every website starts looking the same. We see the same vibrant gradients and rounded corners everywhere. These design trends are not popular because people love them. They are popular because the algorithm is stuck in a loop.
Stage of CollapseImpact on Design TrendsData ConsequenceEarly StageLoss of niche styles and subculturesNarrowing of probability tails Middle StageExtreme homogenization of all layoutsBlending of distinct visual patternsLate StageRepetitive, nonsensical visual elementsConvergence on a single dull outputTerminal Stage“AI Slop” or meaningless visual noiseTotal entropy and data rot
The Death of the Creative Long-Tail
The “long-tail” of design represents the weird, experimental, and niche ideas. Human designers often love the edges of the bell curve. However, generative models tend to hate these outliers. Algorithms prefer the center because it is statistically safer. Consequently, model collapse removes the “tails” of our visual distribution. This leads to a world where everything looks “fine,” but nothing looks “great.” We call this “Knowledge Homogenization” in professional circles. It effectively limits the scope of human knowledge and imagination. If a model only suggests black and white shoes, people forget lime green exists. This is not just a style issue. It is a cognitive issue that changes how we perceive reality.
The Recursive Aesthetic Paradox (RAP) Framework
We are introducing the Recursive Aesthetic Paradox (RAP) as a new critical lens. This framework describes the tension between efficiency and authenticity in design. We use AI to create faster, but speed often kills depth. The paradox is simple: the more we use AI to find design trends, the more artificial those trends become. We are searching for “what people like.” Instead, we find “what the AI produced last week”. To navigate this, you must apply the RAP Audit to every new style. This audit evaluates whether a design has a genuine human heartbeat. It asks three critical questions. Does the design show “Visible Labor”? Or, does it have “Historical Friction”? Does it exhibit “Contextual Dissonance”?
RAP Audit MetricHuman SignalSynthetic SignalVisible LaborBrushstrokes, paper tears, ink blotsPerfect vectors and sterile linesHistorical FrictionRoots in specific art movementsVague, “vibe-based” nostalgiaContextual DissonanceSpecific cultural references“Globalized” generic aestheticsResonanceEvokes complex, lived feelingsEvokes “uncanny” or “hollow” reactions
Furthermore, we must understand the “Creative Paradox” of reality. Finished systems often look complex from the outside. However, creators see them as the result of one simple rule. AI often misses this generative rule. Instead, it copies the complex surface. This leads to designs that look busy but feel empty. Genuine design trends always start with a core human move. They remove friction or open new paths of expression. AI merely decorates the existing path with digital noise.
Identifying Synthetic Satiation in the Market
Synthetic Satiation occurs when an audience becomes bored with digital perfection. We are already seeing this shift in 2026. People are tired of the “flawless” look of AI-generated assets. They are craving something raw and unpolished. This is why “Imperfect by Design” is the defining theme of the year. The audience is subconsciously rejecting the algorithm’s sterile precision. They are looking for the “glitch” of the human hand. This reaction is not just a trend. It is a biological survival mechanism against information overload.
The Great Tactile Rebellion: 2026 Design Trends
The year 2026 marks a massive turning point in visual history. We are leaving the era of seamless digital perfection behind. Instead, we are entering the era of the “Tactile Rebellion”. Designers are intentionally choosing roughness over polish. They are opting for a human-centered look that values imperfections. We see the return of pen scratches and ink blotting everywhere. This is a direct response to the “AI-generated fog” of previous years.
One major trend is “Anti-AI Crafting”. Artists are going back to basic physical media. They are using real paint, physical collage, and manual scanning. They want to create assets that AI cannot convincingly replicate. This trend emphasizes “Visible Labor” as a mark of luxury. You can see the tape marks and the paper tears. These elements prove that a human hand was involved. This gives the audience the warmth and empathy they yearn for.
Analysis of Tactical Maximalism and Texture Check
We are also seeing the rise of “Tactile Maximalism”. This trend puts a lot of information in one place. It uses intense textures and powerful colors. It aims for deliberate overstimulation to snap users out of their drudgery. Parallel to this is “Texture Check”. This trend focuses on how a design feels through the screen. It uses hyper-realistic materials like glass, wax, and liquid. These textures are so real, you want to reach out and touch them.
2026 Trend NameVisual CharacteristicsHuman MotivationElemental FolkHand-drawn motifs, earthy tonesSearch for heritage and warmth Technical MonoMonospace fonts, code brutalismSignal of “builder” authenticity Gimme GummySoft, squishy, touchable 3D UIDesire for play and interaction Notes App ChicUnpolished snapshots, rough ideasRebellion against the algorithm Surveillance AestheticCCTV stills, pixelated glitchesCommentary on digital privacy
The Rise of “Jolie-Laide” Figuration
In high-end design, “Jolie-Laide” is making a massive comeback. This French term translates to “pretty-ugly.” It is a reaction against AI filters and perfection. Computers can generate perfect faces in milliseconds. Therefore, the “ugly” expression becomes a sign of truth. We see distorted portraiture and fragmented faces. These elements convey psychological depth rather than physical accuracy. This movement represents a visual rebellion against the algorithm.
Machine Experience (MX) and the New SEO Hierarchy
The internet is fundamentally changing how it processes information. We are no longer just designing for people. We are designing for machines that read for people. This is called “Machine Experience” (MX) design. AI search engines like ChatGPT and Gemini now read your site first. They interpret your content at a structural level before summarizing it. Therefore, semantic HTML and clear hierarchies are now essential for visibility.
If your design trends are not “machine-readable,” they effectively do not exist. You must ensure that AI can extract your information easily. This is the core of “Generative Engine Optimization” (GEO). To win in 2026, you must provide “Answer-First” content. You must lead with a 40-80 word summary. You must use H2 and H3 headings that mirror user questions. This structure helps the AI cite you as an authoritative source.
Extractability is the New Aesthetics
In the AI era, beauty is secondary to extractability. An AI does not care about your font if it cannot read the text. Therefore, “Technical Mono” is a rising trend. This style uses monospaced fonts and high-contrast layouts. It echoes the look of old terminal windows and command lines. Furthermore, it signals “technical authenticity” to the user. It appeals to the “builder” subculture. This is intentionally utilitarian but surprisingly elegant.
Optimization LayerTarget AudiencePrimary MetricTraditional SEOSearch Engine CrawlersOrganic rankings and trafficAEO (Answer Engine)Query-based SystemsFeatured snippets and quick answersGEO (Generative Engine)Large Language ModelsCitations in AI-generated overviewsMX (Machine Experience)AI Agents and SummarizersSemantic accuracy and extraction
The E-E-A-T Shield: Authenticating the Creative Pulse
How can we ensure our design trends are genuine? We must lean into the E-E-A-T framework. This stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. AI cannot have true “Experience.” It has never felt the sun on its face. It has never spilled ink on a rug. Therefore, sharing real-world results and personal stories is your best defense. You must show “Visible Credentials” on every page. Every piece of content needs a named author with a real bio.
Google and AI engines are starting to reward “lived experience.” They prefer smaller blogs written by people over faceless corporate sites. This is their way of fighting the “AI slop” poisoning the web. If you want your design trends to be cited, they must come from an expert. You must provide proof of your social credibility. Go on podcasts, do interviews, and earn mentions on other sites. This creates the “Social Proof” that algorithms use to verify truth.
The Power of Proprietary Data in Design
One of the best ways to prove authenticity is through original research. You should publish unique datasets or surveys quarterly. AI engines love citing first-party data. It makes their summaries more reliable. Therefore, conducting your own “Design Trends” study is incredibly valuable. It positions your brand as a primary source of truth. It moves you from a “repeater” of information to a “creator” of it.
Redefining Luxury through a Human-Centric Lens
The concept of luxury is changing in 2026. It is no longer about flashy logos or gold plating. It is about “Spiritual Sanctuary” and raw authenticity. Luxury now means the raw honesty of materials. We are seeing a decline in mass-produced, “soulless” goods. People want “Curated Living” where every object has a purpose. They want items that bear the hallmark of master craftsmanship.
The “Beauty of Imperfection” is the new high-end aesthetic. Modern living spaces are embracing the “scars” of life. This includes the patina on copper and the irregular grain of timber. This reflects a new psychological state for the modern individual. We are craving reality in a world increasingly blurred by AI. A space with “True Vitality” is one that dares to be imperfect.
Luxury ParadigmMass-Produced (AI-Influenced)Human-Centric (Genuine)Visual GoalFlawless, sterile perfectionRaw, material authenticityMaterial ChoiceSynthetic polymers and plasticsWood, leather, stone, oxidized metalAtmosphereShowroom-like and impersonalSanctuary-like and restorativeValue DriverBrand name and statusCraftsmanship and “Visible Labor”
How to Spot a Genuine Trend in a Sea of AI Noise
We must become better visual detectives. To ensure design trends are genuine, look for specific markers. First, look for “Emergence.” Genuine trends often start in small, local communities. They do not appear everywhere overnight. Second, look for “Resistance.” Does the trend actively reject a dominant digital aesthetic? For example, the “Anti-Grid” movement is a psychological response to AI layouts.
Third, look for “Inconsistency.” AI struggles with consistency over long periods. It makes strange mistakes in the fine details. In contrast, human imperfection has a logic to it. It reflects the limitations of our bodies and tools. If a trend feels too “smooth,” it might be synthetic. If it feels “jittery” or “vibrant” in a chaotic way, it might be human.
The Designer’s Verification Checklist
1. Check the Lineage: Does this style have a history? Or did it appear suddenly in 2024?
2. Analyze the Motivation: What human problem does this trend solve? If the answer is just “engagement,” it is likely algorithmic.
3. Search for Scarcity: Can an AI replicate this easily? Physical textures and complex symbols are harder to fake.
4. Evaluate the Emotion: Does the design feel warm or hollow? Humans excel at “Atmospheric Storytelling”.
The Future of Design: Man and Machine Dreaming Together
We should not view AI only as a threat. It can be a powerful “Creative Accomplice”. The best work of 2026 does not look like it was made by AI. However, it could not exist without it. We are seeing a “Visual Renaissance”. Designers are using AI to handle tedious tasks like resizing. This leaves them more time to focus on “Mood” and “Attitude.”
The future is “Hybridity.” It is the fusion of the digital and the physical worlds. We are feeding AI our hand-drawn sketches now. Then we are degrading the AI output through physical processes. This creates a “Synthetic Analog” look. It is a captivating situation. We are programming machines to produce the very defects they were meant to eliminate.
Predictions for the Post-AI Visual Era
The coming years will be defined by a “Mutiny Against Restraint”. We will see violent reds and radioactive greens. We will see typography that “breathes” and “warps” based on context. The era of “Clean Startup Minimalism” is officially over. It was a good run, but it lacked a soul. The world has moved on to “Sensual Brutalism”.
YearPredicted Design TrendCore Visual Driver2024Generative PerfectionInitial AI excitement and polish2025The Uncanny ValleyAwareness of AI sameness and boredom2026The Tactile RebellionHuman-centric craft and analog flaws2027Hyper-IndividualismCustom tools and personalized aesthetics2028Ecological SurrealismNature-tech harmony and organic forms
We are moving toward a world of “Hyper-Individualism”. Every brand will need a unique, custom voice. They cannot rely on the “average” of the internet. If they do, they will collapse into the digital fog. They will become invisible. To be seen, you must be real. To be real, you must be imperfect.
Technical Depth: Navigating the Entropy Spiral
To understand why design trends are failing, we must examine the entropy spiral. Entropy in information theory measures randomness and disorder. In generative models, recursive training increases entropy over time. This means the “signal” of human creativity gets lost in the “noise” of AI errors. As a designer, you are fighting against this visual entropy. You are trying to maintain the signal of your unique vision.
The “snake eating its own tail” analogy is perfect for this problem. When a model trains on its own outputs, it loses grounding in reality. It starts to imagine things that do not exist. In design, this manifests as “hallucinated aesthetics.” These are styles that look cool in a prompt but make no sense in the real world. They lack ergonomic logic or structural integrity.
Preventing Visual Model Collapse
How can you prevent your own work from collapsing? You must regularly refresh your inspiration with non-AI sources. Look at old books, physical museums, and nature. Use “Controlled Noise” in your process to foster a wider array of patterns. Do not let the algorithm suggest every color palette. Explicitly choose colors that feel “wrong” to a computer but “right” to a human.
The Psychological Appeal of Imperfect Spaces
Beyond aesthetics, there is a deep psychological reason for this shift. Studies in environmental psychology suggest that natural materials promote calm. Perfectly uniform, digital spaces can feel distant or sterile. In contrast, “Organic Interior Design” introduces subtle unpredictability. This mirrors the rhythms of nature and the human experience. It fosters a sense of ease and belonging that AI cannot replicate.
“Wabi-Sabi” interiors are becoming more popular for this reason. This Japanese philosophy finds beauty in the imperfect and the incomplete. It is the ultimate antidote to the “flawless” AI render. For architects and designers, this shift is an opportunity. It allows them to move beyond surface aesthetics. They can engage with design as a lived, emotional experience.
Psychological TriggerAI-Generated EffectHuman-Made EffectPredictabilityHigh (leads to boredom)Low (leads to interest)TactilityNone (feels sterile)High (feels comforting)RelatabilityLow (feels “uncanny”)High (feels “honest”)Well-beingNeutral or stressfulRestorative and calming
Building Your Own “Aesthetic Moat”
In the business world, a “moat” protects a company from competition. In design, an “Aesthetic Moat” protects your brand from being replaced by an algorithm. You build this moat through “Visible Labor” and “Emotional Resonance”. If your design trends are too easy to copy, you have no moat. You are a commodity.
To build a moat, focus on “Custom Typography” and “Proprietary Imagery”. Use high-energy styles and bright, saturated palettes that feel “protest-based”. Move away from “Approachable Blue” and embrace “Mood”. A brand’s voice is now literally in its voice. Use experimental letterforms that feel half-human and half-machine.
The Future of the Creative Professional
The creative professional of 2026 is no longer a “pixel pusher.” They are a “Curator of Authenticity.” Their job is to sift through the AI fog and find the truth. They must become experts in “Machine Experience” while remaining masters of human emotion. This dual role is the only way to stay relevant in an automated world.
Final Thoughts: The Human Signature in the Machine
The Recursive Aesthetic Paradox is a warning for us all. It tells us that our digital world is becoming a copy of a copy. But it is also a massive invitation. It invites us to reclaim our creativity and value our mistakes. Our brushstrokes are our signatures. Our paper tears are our proofs of life. We must ensure that the design trends of the future are rooted in reality.
Support real artists and demand transparency in data. Prioritize “Machine Experience” without losing your human soul. The algorithm is a tool, not a master. Let us use it to dream bigger and reach further. But let us never forget the feeling of the pen on the paper. That is where true design begins.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What is model collapse in design?
Model collapse occurs when AI models are trained on AI-generated content instead of original human work. This causes the AI to lose diversity and produce repetitive, bland, or incorrect visual outputs. It is essentially a digital “photocopy of a photocopy” effect.
How can I tell if a design trend is genuine?
Look for “Visible Labor,” such as physical textures, paper tears, or brushstrokes. Genuine design trends usually have deep roots in social or cultural shifts. AI-dictated trends often feel hyper-polished, “averaged out,” or lacking in historical context.
What are the top design trends for 2026?
The year 2026 is defined by the “Tactile Rebellion” and “Imperfect by Design”. Key styles include “Sensual Brutalism,” “Technical Mono,” “Neo Deco,” and “Jolie-Laide” (pretty-ugly) figuration. There is a major shift toward analog flaws and sensory textures.
What is Machine Experience (MX) design?
MX design involves optimizing websites for AI search engines and agents rather than just human users. It focuses on semantic HTML, clear hierarchies, and “Extractability” so that LLMs can accurately summarize and cite your content.
Why is imperfection becoming popular in design?
Imperfection serves as a “Proof of Human” in an AI-saturated market. As digital perfection becomes cheap and common, the “glitch” of the human hand becomes a signifier of authenticity and luxury. It creates a more emotional and relatable experience for the audience.
How do I optimize my design content for AI citations?
Focus on “Answer-First” language by providing a clear summary at the top of your page. Use question-based headings (H2/H3) and structured data like Schema markup. AI engines favor content that is easy to parse and comes from a trustworthy, human-expert source.
Is AI killing creativity in the design industry?
AI acts as a “Creative Accomplice” that handles tedious tasks like resizing and versioning. However, if designers rely solely on AI-generated trends, they risk “Knowledge Homogenization” and the loss of original ideas. The goal is a hybrid approach where human intuition guides the machine.

Hungry for more? If so, feel free to browse WE AND THE COLOR’s Design and AI categories to learn more. Furthermore, check out the top 10 graphic design trends of 2026.

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Curiosity Drive @[email protected] · 2026-05-11 · 07:58 UTC
Extremadura to the heart of Spain

Instead of continuing south in Portugal and returning to Frankfurt via the Algarve and southern coast of Spain, we decided to cut through the middle of the Iberian Peninsula. Thus, we entered the new-to-us region of Extremadura.
Coordinates
Extremadura’s distant past
Our first stop on re-entering Spain was in the pre-Roman era, when southern Iberia was influenced by Phoenician and Mediterranean contact, before Roman conquest. Cancho Roano near Zalamea de la Serena is named for the farm on which it was discovered in 1978. It’s a controversial Tartessian (late Bronze Age/ early Iron Age civilization with strong Phoenician influence) structure founded in the 6th C. BCE. Some think it was a palace/ elite residence, others a sanctuary; it lacks the domestic features of a typical settlement. The site was abandoned before 370 BCE after being intentionally sealed and burned—possibly in an act of ritualistic decommissioning.
The complex is surrounded by a moat with an entrance terrace between two towers facing the rising sun; the threshold is a decorated stela (ordinarily placed vertically) and the red clay courtyard includes a 5m deep well (📷1). The building was originally entered through a central hall, beneath which are remains of an even earlier structure (📷2). A round altar on the floor formed from clay and lime features a triangular element that kept a ceramic bowl, presumed to contain/ collect a sacred liquid (📷3). The central bulding is surrounded by a corridor and outer enclosure divided into 24 small rooms (📷4); both had stone foundations, clay floors, adobe brick walls with lime plaster and wooden roofs.
Roman Mérida
We stopped overnight in Medellín, with a castle, Roman theatre and birthplace of Hernán Cortés (who toppled the Aztec Empire enabling Spanish control of Mexico, reshaping the region’s culture, population and power structures through conquest, disease and colonization). In nearby Mérida the UNESCO-listed “Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida” preserves and protects the remains of the Roman colony of Augusta Emérita, founded in 25 BCE. It’s the most complete Roman urban ensemble in Spain and within Europe ranks among an exceptional few outside of Italy. We parked across the Guadiana River near the foot of Puente Romano, one of the longest surviving Roman bridges at 783m (📷1). At its other end, the Alcazaba | citadel is a 9th C. Islamic fortress built atop Roman works to suppress the revolting local population after the city’s capture by Muslim forces (who renamed it Mérida) in the early 8th C. Most amazing, a vestibule provided access to a double staircase descending to a cistern that was refilled from river water filtered through gravel at the base of a Roman dyke (📷2). Nearby is Palacio de la China | China Palace in Plaza de España, a 1928 department store built in Sevillian style (📷3); like many modern buildings in Mérida, it incorporates Roman remains in its substructure. The Templo de Diana | Temple of Diana is a Roman temple in the ancient forum area that was later incorporated into a noble residence, 15th–16th C. Palacio de los Corbos (📷4); this act likely contributed to the temple’s preservation.
Anfiteatro Romano | the Amphitheatre of Mérida was a gladiator arena opened in 8 BC, spanning ~64 by ~42 metres across and built partly from opus caementicium | concrete; the central pit was covered with a wooden floor during games watched by 20,000 people (📷1). Teatro Romano de Mérida | the Roman Theatre of Mérida is the city’s headline monument, built 16–15 BCE and still in use today for performance arts (📷2); in Roman times it also found use for town council meetings, electoral assemblies and posthumous tributes to important public figures. Nearby Casa del Anfiteatro | the Amphitheatre House includes rooms and corridors decorated with mosaics, such as this one depicting crushing of the grapes (📷3); note the juice collected in three vessels below the winepress. Circo romano | the Roman Circus was the city’s chariot-racing stadium, built in the 1st C. CE (📷4); one of the best preserved of its kind in the entire Roman world, it could entertain 30,000 spectators.
Museo Nacional de Arte Romano | National Museum of Roman Art houses artefacts from Augusta Emérita, such as this original 1st C. CE statue of Ceres, goddess of agriculture, from the scaenae frons | backdrop of the Theatre (📷1); the building itself is inspired by Roman brick arches. Casa del Mitreo is another elite residence, built in the late 1st C. outside of the city walls and featuring mosaics, but also notably retaining multiple residual frescoes, such as these two candelabra | candlestick holders (📷2); it was initially mistakenly identified as a temple dedicated to Mithras. The remnant core of Arco de Trajano | Trajan’s Arch stands 14m high (📷3); it was originally clad in marble panels. The smaller Visigothic collection of the National Museum of Roman Art is housed in a separate building, closer to the Alcazaba; among the works is this 7th C. pilaster, a decorative element in this case featuring the motif of Roman window bars (📷4). The Visigoths took control of Mérida in the early 6th C. and it remained an important political and religious centre in the Visigothic kingdom. Our 13km wander through history in 30° took 5.5h.
Cáceres
The walled Old Town of Cáceres is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval ensembles, mixing Roman substructure (the 1st C. BCE colony of Norba Caesarina) with largely intact Islamic, Gothic and Renaissance architecture. On a Monday we found it largely deserted—even Plaza Mayor, the main square. A few tour groups did shuffle from ticket booth to ticket booth, but the homologous stone, populous pigeons and closed doors resisted our efforts to connect with this open-air museum, which seemed to lack residents to give it soul. In the late Gothic Santa Iglesia Concatedral de Santa María | Co-Cathedral of Santa María a spiral staircase (📷1) led to a small platform in the bell tower with views over the town (📷2); a number of other towers (including the 12th C. Moorish Torre de Bujaco) were in scaffold. We found the medieval streets and walls struggled to offer themselves as photographic subjects. An exception was at Palacio de Carvajal | Carvajal Palace, a 15th–16th century Renaissance-style palace, featuring a distinctive Gothic-style corner balcony beneath a pointed arch (📷3). We caught the bus back to camp feeling underwhelmed and questioning why this should be so. Camp itself is a highlight: we needed a break from travelling at pace, and what a delight to find an affordable pitch with en suite facilities (📷4)!
Monumento Natural Los Barruecos
We began at Museo Vostell-Malpartida, founded in 1976 near Malpartida de Cáceres; photography isn’t allowed inside, so we’ve nothing to share/ won’t attempt to describe the art. It’s within Monumento Natural Los Barruecos, given the museum’s buildings were part of a wool processing complex that created that reserve’s artificial ponds, formerly used for wool washing. The surrounding granitic landscape and the new wetland support colonies of Ciconia ciconia | the white stork (📷1); we also got fairly close at ground level (📷2). This hairy fellow is Isturgia famula, a moth native to southern Europe (📷3). This “bujío” is a traditional stone hut used by shepherds for protection from weather or as a temporary resting place (📷4); purportedly a common sight in pastoral landscapes where grazing was historically important.
Aside from storks we identified a variety of birds on the ground, in the water and overhead, including Aegypius monachus | the black vulture; Phalacrocorax carbo | the great cormorant; Hieraaetus pennatus | the booted eagle; Actitis hypoleucos | the common sandpiper; Anser anser | the greylag goose; Podiceps cristatus | the great crested grebe; Ardea cinerea | the grey heron; and Motacilla alba | the pied wagtail. It’s a biodiversity hotspot in an otherwise dry plain!
Charca de Barrueco de Arriba was the second pond we circumnavigated; info boards on the shoreline describe scenes from the “The Spoils of War” episode of Games of Thrones that was shot here (📷1). Safe from attack by fire-breathing dragons, the smaller-scale winged creatures we did see included this black and white beauty, Aporia crataegi | the black-veined white butterfly (📷2). A number of the granite formations have been named, such as Peña del Tiburón | Shark Rock, with natural erosion forming an eye and mouth (📷3); although we didn’t see any sharks in the pond, we did see Mauremys leprosa | the Mediterranean turtle. On the blue trail there are examples of petroglyphs from the Bronze Age, but all we made out was a caged rock. We could see only grass and granite at the site marked as a late Roman village. The “anthropomorphic tombs” were an easier spot, although there was no information on site regarding their age or occupants (📷4); possibly early medieval? Our route blended the green, red and blue trails, covering 8km in under 3h.
Monfragüe National Park
We celebrated Earth Day (as we all should) getting our dose of greens and blues in Parque Nacional de Monfragüe | Monfragüe National Park at the heart of the UNESCO Monfragüe Biosphere Reserve. This park in the Extremadura region is renowned for its birdlife and we had hardly begun our first trail when this small and familiar Fringilla coelebs | chaffinch sang us a fine tune (📷1); you can hear it below. The birds got rapidly bigger and soon we heard the whoosh of air through the flight feathers of Gyps fulvus | the griffin vulture (📷2). The park is also known for its landscapes, including rocky crags, scrubland, rivers and oak woodlands called dehesas in Spain—the montado in Portugal (📷3); this variety supports biodiversity. Gum rockrose were everywhere and on many of the bright white flowers beetles fulfilled a messy pollinator role; meet Heliotaurus ruficollis (📷4).
We saw lots of butterflies in Monfragüe National Park—always a healthy sign—including Zerynthia rumina | the Spanish festoon, widespread across Spain (📷1) and Maniola jurtina | the meadow brown, which has a wider range (📷2). We began our second trail by crossing one of the bridges over the Río Tajo (📷3), a natural river by origin but reshaped by human activity including dam building. It was from a lookout of said river (Salto del Gitano) that we caught sight of our first Ciconia nigra | the black stork, recently arrived from sub-Saharan Africa and part of a European migratory population that come to breed here (📷4).
Also at Salto del Gitano we spied—thanks to the line of bird scopes and lenses pointed at it—Monticola solitarius | the blue rock thrush, who appeared to be commenting on the attention being received (📷1). The geology at Salto del Gitano is noteworthy too; the near-vertical quartzite strata of Peña Falcón on the opposite bank shelters one of the most important griffon vulture colonies in Europe (📷2). We continued the trail to the hilltop Hermitage and Castle of Monfragüe, just closing as we arrived—but the free views of the landscape were worth the climb (📷3). As we got back to the van we were overflown by Milvus migrans | the black kite (📷4), a consolation prize for not having seen Aquila adalberti | the Spanish imperial eagle.
Villareal de San Carlos to La Tajadilla, out-and-back was 9km and took a little over 3h. Our Fuente del Francés via Salto del Gitano and the castle return loop was 8km/ 3h.
Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha)
The historic centre of Toledo in Castilla-La Mancha (the plains around which are the stomping grounds of fictional character Don Quixote, first penned in 1605 CE) is a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site. Situated on a hill above the Río Tajo | Tagus River, the old town’s skyline is dominated by the Alcázar—a fortress with layers of Roman, Moorish and Spanish history, now a military museum (📷1); seen here from Mirador del Valle. Toledo’s listing in part reflects a long history of coexistence between Jewish, Muslim and Christian cultures—thus, references to the “city of three cultures”. In the Judería | Jewish Quarter we visited Sinagoga del Tránsito (1357–1391), converted to a church in 1492 and a museum of Jewish history since 1910 (📷2). There were queues to see the Moorish interior of Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca; also in the vicinity is the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes, known for its ornate cloisters (but we were feeling out-cloistered by now!). Instead we saw a Moorish exterior, at the former Mosque of Cristo de la Luz (999–1186), said to be one of the best-preserved Islamic structures in the city, despite conversion into a chapel (📷3). Catedral Primada Metropolitana de Santa María de la Asunción, the city’s 13th C. Gothic cathedral features an elaborate interior, including ornate carved “misericords” into which monks would lean backwards in order to remain technically standing during long services (📷4).
Toledo’s UNESCO listing also reflects its concentration of monuments from different periods (Roman, Visigothic, Islamic, Gothic and Renaissance), as well as its roles as a former capital of Spain and an intellectual centre in medieval Europe. Puente de Alcántara is a bridge across the Río Tajo of Roman origin, although the current structure is largely medieval (📷1). Puerta del Sol | the Sun Gate was built by the Knights Hospitaller, a Catholic military order, in the late 13th to early 14th C. and combines Romanesque with Islamic styles (📷2). Both landmarks—the bridge and the gate—seem to typify Toledo’s architectural layer cake, in which the constructs of different periods are superimposed to create something not fully one thing nor the other. As a whole, the intact old town serves as a poignant reminder of the heritage lost to “strategic” bombing during WWII elsewhere in Europe (there was some damage during the Spanish Civil War). While wandering the old town this street corner made us think of the approach to the Treasury in Petra (📷3); even the more modern buildings are commonly sympathetic in style (📷4).
Aranjuez (Madrid)
Palacio Real de Aranjuez | the Royal Palace of Aranjuez is a UNESCO-listed component of the broader Aranjuez Cultural Landscape; this former royal residence lies ~50km south of Madrid. The palace was begun in 1561 CE by Philip II as a seasonal hunting lodge, with two subsequent wings enclosing a parade ground. To our eye the façade looks as if it had been commissioned under a restricted budget (📷1). Entry to the palace gardens is free. As Jardín del Parterre | the Parterre Garden has been demolished pending restoration, that left Jardín de la Isla | the Island Garden, a neglected-looking park consisting almost entirely of trees and hedges; note its fountains are on a timetable (📷2). A ticket buys internal access for a self-guided tour through some of the key royal apartments, the decoration of which largely reflects a mid-19th C. refurbishment under Isabella II. The Arab Study was our favourite, reminiscent of the Alhambra—indeed, it was designed by the man who restored that palace (📷3). Many rooms contained dark paintings with impaling scenes or female wardrobe malfunctions, perhaps gifting the royals some curious dreams. A bright exception was the garish Porcelain Room, a Rococo-style addition in 1763–65 which must have induced many a migraine since (📷4).
Continuing or eastward journey, we exited Extremadura to enter another new-to-us region: Aragón.
#2026 #camperVan #castillaLaMancha #europe #extremadura #hiking #madrid #nationalPark #nature #nomad #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife
#vanlife #unesco #travel #spain #romans #roadtrip
Curiosity Drive @[email protected] · 2026-04-05 · 15:54 UTC
Northwestern Spain

Leaving the Basque Country we continued westward into the Spanish provinces of Cantabria looking for ancient art, Asturias hoping for mountain vistas and Galicia in search of scenic coastline.
Coordinates
Cantabria
Another day, another art gallery—although this one exhibits works tens of thousands of years older than Bilbao’s Guggenheim. The Museo de Altamira (near Santillana del Mar) houses faithful reproductions of some of the most famous prehistoric rock paintings known, inside a bespoke “Neocave”. Recognised for what they were in 1879, the original cave was inhabited by Paleolithic hunter-gatherers from 35,000 years ago until a rockfall 13,000 years ago sealed it, putting it out of use as a seasonal camp—but preserving the contained artefacts and artworks. Several naturalistic bison are depicted on the rock ceiling, formed from a drawing and engraved detailing coloured black with charcoal, then infilled with red ochre (📷1); this one was realised ~15,000 years ago. In some cases—as here—the designs utilise the ceiling’s natural contours to give the animals a sense of depth and movement, making it one of the earliest known examples of shading and volume in art. A number of handprints adorn the ceiling; the artist’s hand was coated in red ochre then pressed onto the rock, in this case 22,000 years ago (📷2). An alternative “airbrush” technique was also utilised to create an outline hand design. The oldest work comprises several parallel double-curved lines; this seemingly abstract “Sign” was painted 36,000 years ago (📷3). Whether the paintings had special meaning, or were simply “art for art’s sake”, is not known. An adjacent exhibition hall contains recovered artefacts and tells the story of human evolution. Among the artefacts found near the cave entrance were these pendants, carved from the hyoid bones of a horse 22,400 years ago (📷4). The entrance to the actual cave is only 300m from the museum, but you can’t approach it. With 17 other caves Altamira forms the “Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain” UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Asturias
Sunset on our mountain pitch
We found a pitch adjacent to Mirador “Pedro Udaondo” in Asiegu with a view of the mountains in Picos de Europa | Peaks of Europe (📷1); the tall and sheer block of rock on the horizon is Picu Urriellu (the local Asturian name) | Naranjo de Bulnes (the Castilian name) at 2,519m. The range extends for 20km, forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. In the vicinity we encountered Asturian sheep, an endangered Celtic breed with a long, coarse shaggy cream fleece and brown head/ legs that is indigenous to the area (📷2). Circling high overhead as we admired the landscapes were Neophron percopterus | Egyptian vultures, with their distinctive contrasting underwing pattern and wedge-shaped tails (📷3); they must have very recently flown in from Africa (and will return there around September time). In the evening we went down the hill into the mountain village of Asiegu (📷4) where we enjoyed an excellent dinner of local dishes at Sideria Casa Niembro (who had provided the gate code for the free pitch).
Touring isn’t only about the scenery: sampling traditional foods is an obligation. From Sare in the northern Basque Country we savoured Gâteau Basque | Pastel Vasco | Etxeko Biskotxa, a traditional pie-like cake made of a buttery, shortcrust pastry typically filled with cherry jam (📷1) or vanilla cream. In southern Basque Country we sampled Tarta de Queso | Gazta Tarta, the crustless, creamy and caramelized or “burnt” cheesecake originating from San Sebastian but now widely available (📷2); we acquired ours in Zumaia. In the Asturian mountain village of Asiegu we shared a meal of delicious chorizo sausages, corn fritters served with strong Cabrales blue cheese and apple jelly (📷3), and tender roast kid. Our host poured small amounts (a culín) of the almost flat local sidra | cider from a height over a special bucket (📷4); doing so releases tiny bubbles, the temporary fizz imparting texture and flavour that—for our part in the performance—should be consumed within seconds before it reverts!
With a fresh overnight dusting of snow on the peaks we set out to hike an out-and-back section of the 12km point-to-point Ruta del Cares (PR-PNPE 3) trail in Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa. This is the park’s most popular hike, linking Poncebos (Asturias) and Caín (León); it’s considered one of Spain’s most beautiful trails. We parked at Poncebos and initial views of the clear-flowing Río Cares from near the trailhead looked promising (📷1); a short stretch of road led to a well-formed path. The trail climbs through a deep limestone gorge with sheer cliffs that tower above the river; erosion has created rock pillars (📷2) and natural arches (📷3)—but human engineering in this landscape also must be admired. Between 1915 a the early 1920s, the company Electra de Viesgo built a canal to carry water from the Río Cares at Caín to a hydroelectric plant at Camarmeña–Poncebos. Up to 11 km long, it runs through ~70 tunnels excavated largely by hand with the aid of explosives; 11 workers were killed during construction. The maintenance path for this canal, widened between 1945–50, became today’s Ruta del Cares: the canal still carries water alongside, above and beneath the trail (📷4).
At one point on Ruta del Cares, looking down into the canyon, we observed what we think must be a resurgence, where water that has been flowing underground reappears at the surface; they’re common in karst landscapes (📷1). The trail, like the canal itself, passes through a number of tunnels when cutting into the sheer rock face isn’t enough (📷2); this bridged section includes a steel grate so you can see the drop beneath your feet (📷3). We turned around just beyond this window in the rock wall (📷4), at ~8.5km (about two thirds along the route), corresponding to the Riega las Párvulas waterfall, just beyond the border with the León region.
The trail was no less dramatic walking it in the opposite direction (📷1). On our outbound leg the mountain goats were generally high above us, sometimes heard but not seen. On our return leg a number had descended onto the trail (📷2). At one point we encountered a “toll goat”, hoping to extract a fair exchange for passage through one of the tunnels (we didn’t feed it). A view ahead to a stretch of “up” before the final descent to the trailhead (📷3). Did we mention we saw goats? This she-goat was actively licking at a very particular patch of rock, which we took to be a quest for salt (📷4); apparently sodium is scarce in their normal alpine plant-based diet. All told the hike was 17km/ 5h out-and-back. Note there’s a non-zero probability of rockfall, but this trail is up there with the best we’ve done.
Smalls from the Ruta del Cares were plentiful. Glandora prostrata | the creeping gromwell is native to Spain, Portugal and France (📷1); this was everywhere trail side, with a velvety sheen that seemed to confuse autofocus! Erodium cicutarium | the redstem stork’s bill is native to the Mediterranean Basin (📷2); after flowering it produces long, beak-shaped seed pods. Helleborus foetidus | the stinking hellebore is a mountain native belonging to the buttercup family (📷3); the species name is Latin for “foul-smelling”, the result of bruised/ crushed leaves. Globularia nudicaulis | the leafless-stemmed globularia (📷4); this native is so-named because the stem is naked, with leaves in a low rosette at ground level.
Helicella itala | the heath snail is a native land snail (📷1); during hot, dry periods it climbs up vegetation and seals itself inside its shell to avoid overheating and dehydration. Dianthus hyssopifolius | the fringed pink is native to Spain, Portugal and France (📷2); it’s well adapted to rocky alpine environments. Pinguicula grandiflora | the large-flowered butterwort is another native (📷3); the flower is atypically large for a butterwort. Not all the smalls we noticed were living: being limestone country, some of the rocks contained the bodies of marine animals fossilised millions of years ago (📷4). Tectonic uplift transformed an ancient shallow sea into mountains!
The next morning it was hard to beat sipping coffee with a view out the van sliding door from pitch in Asiegu, as the rising sun lit the snow-capped mountains of Picos de Europa:
Morning light on Picos de Europa
Ruta a los Lagos de Covadonga (PR.PNPE-2) was our second trail in Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa. The road from Covadonga to reach the trailhead is fairly long and winding; it closes to private cars at busy times (replaced by park and ride). En route we stopped at Mirador de la Reina for stunning views back over the still misty lowlands we’d driven through (📷1). There in the morning chill we were in turn observed by roosting Gyps fulvus | Eurasian griffon vultures, perhaps waiting for thermals to form (📷2). We drove on to Lago Enol, the first of a pair of glacial lakes (📷3), parking at Aparcamiento Buferrera. We noticed fire on an adjacent peak and later watched a helicopter drop a bucket of water on it. There’s a short detour to Minas de Buferrera, where manganese and iron were extracted intermittently between 1868 and 1979 (the road to the lakes is a legacy of mining activity). “Flower of the day” went to Narcissus bulbocodium | the hoop-petticoat daffodil, a native to Spain, Portugal and France (📷4).
Continuing on Ruta a los Lagos de Covadonga, Largo de la Ercina had the prettier backdrop (📷1). We noted more new-to-us flowers; this is Erythronium dens-canis | dogtooth violet, native to central and southern Europe (📷2). A large part of the trail led us over limestone areas (📷3). Ermita de El Buen Pastor is a small hermitage sitting in the Vega de Enol, a high mountain meadow adjacent to Lago Enol at ~1,070m altitude (📷4); the contrast of this small human-built structure set against a vast, dramatic alpine landscape gives you pause. This was a 6km/ 2h loop.
For our last night in Asturias we came to Salas (📷1); this historic village offers accommodation to pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago. What drew us here in a van, you might ask? Four reasons:
1. First, it has a highly-rated laundromat. After a little over a week on the road our attire was in need of refreshing.
2. Second, it was a comfortable distance between points-of-interest. Driving can be tiring, especially when narrow mountain roads are involved.
3. Third, it’s camper van/ motorhome friendly, providing free-to-use services: parking overnight legally in dedicated area; potable water; grey water disposal; and toilet cassette emptying.
4. Lastly, we also needed to buy groceries. In addition to usual supplies we acquired the local specialty biscuit, Carajitos (📷2). Available from La Casa del Profesor (est. 1918) on the main street, these soft and flavoursome hazelnut-based treats are apparently world famous in Asturias!
SalasCarajitos
Galicia
We continued west to Monumento Natural Praia das Catedrais (near Ribadeo), where a series of arches resemble the flying buttresses of Gothic cathedrals; at low tide sea conditions didn’t allow us safe access. Views from the cliff top platforms were underwhelming.
Disappointed, we drove on to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Muralla Romana de Lugo | the Roman walls of Lugo—once the Roman colonial town of Lucus Augusti in the province of Hispania Tarraconensis. The walls were built in the 3rd C. CE to defend against local tribesmen and Germanic invaders. About 2.1km long, 4.2m wide and 8–12m in height, internal and external stone facings were supported by a cemented rubble core (📷1); you can walk the full length of the parapet. Originally featuring an incredible count of 88 towers, these were mostly semicircular at intervals of 5.4–12.8m with bases of dressed granite topped with slate (📷2); 49 are still intact. Five of the current 10 gates are Roman in origin, including Porta de San Pedro (📷3); it was reconstructed in 1781. Many buildings within the walls are badly decayed; Lugo was nearly deserted during our visit. We looked through Sala Porta Miñá, a contemporary history museum, where they have an excavated stone-built Roman cloaca | sewer on display (📷4).
The 55m Torre de Hércules | Tower of Hercules (📷1&2) at A Coruña was built during the 1st C. CE, during the reign of Emperor Trajan, and is UNESCO-listed as the oldest surviving Roman lighthouse. It’s still in use today, making it the oldest functioning lighthouse in the world: that’s two thousand years of continuous maritime safety service! It underwent major restoration in the 18th C. (reflected in the current neoclassical shell) and until the 20th C. was known as Farum Brigantium. You can ordinarily climb the spiral staircase within the Roman core; it was closed for renovation during our visit. On the adjacent granite headland are even older relics: the Petroglifos de Punta Herminia are a group of prehistoric rock carvings dated to 2500–1800 BCE. They’re very weathered/ hard to make out, so not as photogenic as the Atlantic surf smashing onto the rocks below (📷3). Onwards to O Ézaro, where we admired the dramatic rocky landscape surrounding the Río Xallas (📷4). This reflects a very old granite core formed ~300 million years ago, and very lengthy erosion causing large fractures, rounded domes, sheer cliffs and boulder formations.
Fervenza do Ézaro is a waterfall on the Río Xallas | River Xallas at O Ézaro on the rugged Costa da Morte | Coast of Death (where Atlantic storms, hidden rocks and fog/ sea mist have led to many shipwrecks and drownings). Next to a hydroelectric power plant, the Ézaro waterfall is billed as “one of the only sites in Europe where a river cascades directly into the sea” (📷1). While this could be contested given they are ~1.4km upstream of the shoreline, the falls are nevertheless scenic (📷2). About 16km south of O Ézaro is the village of Carnota, site of the Hórreo de Carnota, built 1760–1783 (📷3). This hórreo | granary in the typical Fisterran style is the longest in Galicia at 34.76m. Once used to store, dry and conserve corn/ other crops, most hórreo (there are 884+ in this municipality alone) are now merely “decorative statements” given the decline of agricultural traditions. Carnota also boasts a long sandy beach, Praia de Carnota, backed by sand dunes and a salt marsh. From it you can see to Cape Finisterre (after the Latin “Finis Terrae” | “end of the earth”), which the Romans considered the edge of the known world (📷4).
Christian pilgrims flock to Santiago de Compostela’s cathedral (📷1), built 1075–1211 CE with later additions, to visit the tomb of the apostle Saint James the Great. Although said to have died in Jerusalem in 44 CE, medieval legend holds that his followers, guided by divine intervention, brought his body to Galicia. Pilgrims walk the Camino de Santiago, a network of interlinked routes converging here from across much of Europe—as symbolised by the scallop shell. A unique feature of the cathedral’s nave, the “Botafumeiro” is a large silver censer (incense burner) that is swung across the transept during special services (📷2). The cathedral fronts onto to Praza do Obradoiro, a grand square surrounded by other historic buildings including Pazo de Raxoi | the neoclassical town hall (📷3) and Hostal dos Reis Católicos, a luxury hotel that was once a 15th C. pilgrims hospital (📷4). The medieval historic center of town is a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site.
Mercado de Abastos is Santiago de Compostela’s main market, offering fresh seafood (📷1), produce, and tapas—if you’re not too early! The old town includes examples of a classic feature of northern Spanish architecture called a “galería” (📷2); these enclosed balconies are especially common in Galicia and provide a “glass skin” that shields the home from rain and wind while providing passive solar heating and extra usable space (plants, laundry drying, etc.). Parque da Alameda is a green space close to the old town and offers an elevated perspective of the cathedral skyline (📷3). We visited Museo do Pobo Galego, a former convent that exhibits artefacts from traditional Galician life; it features an unusual staircase with three intertwined spiralling paths that end abruptly at different doors (📷4). The baroque Monastery of San Martín Pinario near the cathedral is said to have ornate interiors; it was closed to visitors.
From Santiago de Compostela we drove south. Ría de Vigo is a drowned river valley near the city of Vigo; it’s known for providing a sheltered harbour (the Cíes Islands act as a barrier against the Atlantic), for mussel farming rafts called “bateas” and for white sand beaches. On the northern side Praia da Folla de Nerga a.k.a. Playa de Nerga is popular (📷1). On the southern side there’s a string of beaches on the outskirts of Vigo connected by a long promenade with views of the Cíes Islands (📷2). At the town of Baiona the large Fortaleza De Monterreal is surrounded by ~3km of walls, mostly built between the 11th to 17th centuries (📷3); the strategic hilltop has been fortified for 2,000 years and is now occupied by a hotel. We turned inland to Tui, wandering the medieval old town that features a fortress-like cathedral built during the 12th and 13th centuries (📷4).
Tui offers views across the Miño River into the Portuguese town of Valença—the next destination on our loop through the Iberian Peninsula.
#2026 #asturias #camperVan #cantabria #europe #galicia #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife
#asturias #campervan #cantabria #europe #galicia #hiking
Andy Arthur - Threadinburgh @[email protected] · 2022-11-29 · 14:33 UTC

Jewel Carriageway: the thread about a curious street that recalls a lost mining village

There’s an isolated section of suburban dual carriageway in eastern Edinburgh that runs through the middle of a 1980s housing estate. This 1983 road has the curious name of The Jewel and the streets off of it have equally odd sounding names; Corbieshot, North Greens, Parrotshot, Vexhim Park, Hosie Rigg… The road is closed at its eastern end by a bus gate, so serves mainly as access from the west to the housing estates clustered around it.
“The Jewel”
This formal name for this road when it was planned in the 1970s was the Niddrie-Bingham Relief Road (sometimes called the Niddrie Bypass), and it was to link up with the Eastern Approach Road – now known as the Harry Lauder Road at the large roundabour at Brunstane, connecting to the Musselburgh Bypass section of the the A1 road. This road, along with a branch or “Spur” to St Leonards on the old alignment of the Innocent Railway was intended to carry traffic from the city’s Southside to the east (and vice versa) without going through the residential estates of Niddrie, Craigmillar, Peffermill and Prestonfield.
1979 map in The Scotsman of Lothian Regional Council’s £70m road-building scheme for the early 1980s
But by the time the road was approved for construction in 1980, Edinburgh District Council granted planning permission only on the proviso that it would be closed at its eastern end once the Musselburgh Bypass and Harry Lauder Roads were completed. By this time the planned roads to its west from the Southside had been abandoned and therefore it would serve only as a temporary access to the new ASDA superstore at what was then optimistically termed Niddrie Glen before reverting to a residential access road.
The final name for the road – The Jewel – takes its name from a long gone village here of the same name. The Jewel Cottages were built in the period of 1880-1900 by the Niddrie and Benhard Coal Company as miners housing for the pits in this area of Edinburgh. They constituted a “company village”, known as the Jewel Village, totalling eventually 168 houses. There were two rows, one on either side of the Niddrie Road, each of two storeys; the ground floor houses being accessed from the front door and the upper flats by external staircases to the rear.
NowAndThen animation of a postcard of Jewel Cottages in the early 20th century, overlaid on the current Streetview looking down Niddrie Road from the roundabout junction with The Jewel
In addition to the pits at Niddrie and Edmonstone, new workings were sunk by the company in the district. Shafts nos. 11 – 13 were added at Niddrie; in 1897 a large new colliery commenced sinking nearby at Newcraighall, often called the Klondyke as it was being sunk during the gold rush of that name between 1896-99; and in 1898 another further south at Woolmet commenced production. The need for workers for these new pits were the reason for the building and expansion of the villages of both Jewel and Newcraighall.
Aerial photo of the Jewel area in 1947. The Jewel Cottages on Niddrie Road are highlighted in red, the Niddrie Fireclay Works in green, the Niddrie Brickworks in blue, Niddrie Cottages in yellow, Newcraighall Colliery in pink and Newcraighall village in orange. Note the extensive railway sidings on both sides of the line between the Jewel and the Fireclay Works. Traced on image from Britain From Above
Coal had been mined since antiquity in the Niddrie area, the landowning Wauchope family of Niddrie Marischal being the coalmasters in the 18th and in the earlier part of the 19th century. The Niddrie Coal Company Limited was formed in 1874 to acquire all the mineral rights in this area of Edinburgh, including Niddrie, Woolmet and Edmonstone and all the associated plant, from George Simpson Esq. of Benhar. It was a subsidiary of the Benhar Coal Company Limited; Simpson remained a director, the others being Henry Aitken Esq. of the Benhar Coal Co., Robert Orr a Glasgow coal merchant and Thomas Thornton Esq. a coalmaster from Fauldhouse in West Lothian. The relative importance of the Niddrie pits to this concern saw the company reconstituted in 1882 as the Niddrie and Benhar Coal Company Limited.
The working seams of this endeavour were the Great Seam, the South Parrot, the Stairhead and the North Greens – or Jewel – all of which produced household and cannel coals and the Stairhead also produced ironstone. Cannel coals are those verging on being oil shale, heavy in bituminous oils and hydrogen, meaning it was very useful for producing coal oil. They produced a clean, bright light when burned, hence the name; Cannel being an old word for candle in both Scotland and England. Although they were not particularly effective domestic fuels for heating and cooking, they were prized for this light until domestic gas became widely available. Its geological properties meant it could be carved, turned and polished to produce jewellery and ornaments, hence the local name of Jewel seam. It was this that gave the village (and the 1980s road) their name and I do wonder if the naming committee was having a bit of a private joke amongst itself naming a dual carriageway “jewel”.
A “lucky shoe” carved by a miner from a piece of cannel coal at the Black Country Living Museum. Cc-by-SA 4.0 Geni
At this time, the field was described as presenting “the advantages of superior cannel coals of exceptional thickness… The winning of these minerals in one working greatly diminishes the cost of production, enabling the cannel to be wrought almost as at the cost of common coal“. The pits here had the advantage of the North British Railway running through them and being the closest to the Edinburgh and Leith market. A further 20 seams, extending to 77 feet thickness were known to be workable – take a note of the seam names:
1874 listing of the Niddrie coal seams. Seam 24 is the Jewel seam.
The Jewel, along with the villages of Craigmillar, Niddrie and Newcraighall and the estate of Niddrie Marischal were annexed by Edinburgh in the same 1920 municipal expansion that claimed Leith’s independence, forming the Craigmillar Ward of the city.
Jewel Cottages and the Niddrie West sidings, Ordnance Survey 1892 1:25 inch map aligned with modern aerial photograph. OS Map reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland
The Jewel Miners Welfare Insitute was opened in 1931, replacing a smaller hall that had been provided by the Coal Company in 1903 (although the miners had their wages garnished to the sum of 3d per fortnight to contrbute). The new hall was financed by the Miners’ Welfare Fund, itself funded by a levy of 1d per ton of coal won in British mines. It was estimated at this time that the mines and miners of the Niddrie district had contributed £20,000 to the fund and had received £5,500 for the institute and £1,600 towards a bowling green and pavilion. An additional £8,432 had gone towards the Newcraighall Miners’ Welfare Institute. The fund also contributed to providing conveniences for the miners at collieries; e.g. £12,000 had been spent on pithead baths for Woolmet in 1930.
The institute is a handsome edifice and comprises a commodious hall, billiard room, reading room, games room, a library which will be stocked by Edinburgh Public Library, a cinema and re-winding room and the usual ante-rooms kitchen etc.
Description of the Jewel Miners’ Welfare Institute on its opening in May 1931
Jewel Miners’ Welfare in 2022
The Niddrie collieries were closed before nationalisation in 1947. Newcraighall Colliery closed in 1967, earlier than anticipated after work to modernise the production underground had failed. Woolmet had predeceased it in 1966, although it was retained as a training centre for a number of years. The workforce of both pits transferred to the new “Super Pit” at Monktonhall. Although there was still mining work in the area, the village fell into decline and by 1972 was largely abandoned and derelict. It was demolished, along with the original Newcraighall village and both would be replaced by modern housing schemes. At the Jewel, only the bowling club and the Miner’s Welfare Club survived the wrecker’s ball.
A woman and child at the Jewel Village in 1959. CC-by-NC-SA The Living Memory Association
Coming to the names of the modern streets, and reflecting back on the table of coal seams further up, those odd street names now begin to make a bit more sense;
StreetNamed forThe JewelThe Jewel coal seam, another name for the North Greens seamCorbyshotCorbie Craig and Real Corbie coal seams (Corbie is Scots for a crow)ParrotshotSouth Parrot coal seam, parrot coal was another name for cannel coalNorth GreensNorth Greens coal seam, another name for The Jewel seamVexhim ParkLower Vexhim limestone seamHosie RiggTop Hosie limestone seamStreet names of the Jewel and what they are named for
I think the names are nice touches, recalling a long mining history in the area which is no longer readily apparent, but the whole place is a bit of a case study in bad 1980s urban planning ideas, with a motorway through the middle and disconnected residential areas.
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#Lochend #Logan #Restalrig #StMargaret

#coal #coalmining #jewel #mining #newcraighall #niddrie
Awesome Algarve @[email protected] · 2024-02-10 · 08:23 UTC

Silver Coast…………..the New Algarve?
Tourist Information for Silver Coast and Central Portugal

Silver Coast
São Martinho do Porto
Is the nearest town at 4kms from Villa Vida Nova Villa Rental. It boasts a very safe sandy beach where the water is much warmer than the Atlantic ocean as the bay is shell shaped, almost enclosed. There are board walks along the beach and a quay with plenty of cafes and restaurants to enjoy. All manner of watercraft can be rented here during the summer months. It is a wonderful place to sit relax and people watch. A tourist information office is here.
Foz do Arelho
The beach at Foz do Arelho is a natural wonder. To one side of the large sandy strip is the Atlantic Ocean, to the other side are the tranquil waters of the Óbidos Lagoon. The warm salty waters of the lagoon are ideal for kids and a variety of water sports, they are even said to have therapeutic properties. Kite surfing video
This is a popular surf spot and the waves can get pretty good here, the flat calm waters of the lagoon are ideal for kite surfing, kayaks and bathing. There are many beach bars and restaurants to choose from.
Obidos
The delightful town of Óbidos, with white houses adorned with bougainvillea and honeysuckle was captured from the Moors by the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, in 1148 is one of the most perfect examples of Portugal’s medieval fortress. Inside the walls, which at sunset take on a golden colouring, one can sense a cheerful medieval ambience of winding streets, old whitewashed houses bordered with blue or yellow, Manueline embrasures and windows, reminding us that King D. Manuel I (sixteenth century) carried out major works here, and masses of colourful flowers and plants. Spend the day here, there is plenty to see and do, taste the local cuisine including the liquor Ginja fermented from locally grown cherries. 15 best things to do in Obidos
Caldas da Rainha
This famous spa town, a short 15 minute drive south of the villa, owes its name to the thermal spring that was much appreciated by Queen Dona Leonor. It has a daily food market and weekly Gypsy market, (Mondays). It has all the big box stores and several supermarkets. The town centre has a main street of shops with several sides streets to explore, plenty of pastry shops and cafe’s to tempt you. Several interesting museums and historic sites are well worth a visit. 15 best things to do in Caldas da Rainha Try your driving skills at the Indoor Karting, loads of fun!
Alcobaça
About a half hours drive from the villa you will find this delight historic town. Plenty of free parking with just a few minutes walk to the historic centre where you will find the spellbinding Monastery of Alcobaça. The monument is the final resting place for the 14th-century King Pedro I and his star-crossed lover, Inês de Castro, whose lives were haunted by tragedy. The town has plenty to see and some great eateries, a great place to spend a half day or longer. 15 best things to do in Alcobaca
Nazaré
Only 10 minutes drive North of the villa along a cliff top lane with stunning views of the coast and inland. A typical beach holiday destination with dozens of restaurants. Do take the funicular railway to Sitio on top of the cliffs for spectacular views and yes, more restaurants. Nazare is world famous for it’s enormous freak waves where surfers take up the challenge, this is not for the faint hearted, one can watch the spectacle from Sitio, winter is the best time as the waves are generated in mid Atlantic storms. Live web cam.
Tomar
The development of Tomar is closely linked to the Order of the Templars, which received these lands in 1159 as a reward for the assistance they gave Dom Afonso Henriques (the First King of Portugal) in the Christian reconquest of the territory. It was Dom Gualdim Pais, the first Grand Master of the Order in Portugal, who founded the castle and the remarkable Convent of Christ inside. Enlarged and altered over the centuries, this retains the influences of various architectural styles; it is the centrepiece of the city and classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The Convento do Cristo and Castelo Knights templar can be seen at the same time, (same entrance) and is must see. As always there so much more to see in Tomar, enough to spend a day or more. 15 best things to do in Tomar.
Peniche
Peniche the most western city of continental Europe and has been a port since the Early Modern Age, when a fort was constructed to defend it. This monument has an absorbing history, first as a maritime defence and then a prison during the Estado Novo regime in the 20th century. And since Peniche is still a fishing port, the fish and seafood could not be fresher. And on top of everything, you also have to make time for a boat trip to the Berlingas Islands, a natural reserve off the coast. 15 best things to do in Peniche.
Rio Maior
Rio Maior is a town known for a strange natural phenomenon, salt flats and much further from the ocean than you’d ever expect to find them, and exploited by locals since the 12th century. Don’t miss the salt pans!
The natural park should figure in your plans, whether you’re traversing its arid and vast valleys on foot, bike or horseback, or venturing below the surface into epic show-caves. There’s also a good helping of local sights to check out, from a prehistoric dolmen integrated into a church, to a Roman villa that has mosaics in almost pristine condition. 15 Best things to do in Rio Maior.
Bombarral Companhia Agrícola do Sanguinhal
Visit one of our local wine and brandy producers, Mon- Fri twice daily tours, learn, taste and shop. What an absolutely wonderful spot! 10/10 recommend. This is a family owned/operated business – wonderful people. We enjoyed our tasting and tour. Great value and delicious wine. Make the stop!
Grutas de Mira de Aire, Caves of Mira de Aire
The Portuguese Central region between Rio Maior, Alcobaça, Porto de Mós, Batalha, Leiria, Ourém, Torres Novas and Alcanena is occupied by Limestone Mountains, which form the Estremadura Limestone Massif. Of these the mains mountains are the Aire and Candeeiros. This area is littered with caves to explore, many can be accessed freely by experienced cavers but there are several open to the public with guided tours the best being Grutas de Mira de Aire. With parking, bar and restaurant and waterslide park it is an ideal day out for the family.
Silver Coast Walks
If you like walking or hiking then you have come to the right place. There are recognised walks that start right at the villa or you can take a short car journey to dozens of others. You can also join a group, they organise short and long walks weekly, a great opportunity to meet people also.
Aveiro
Know as the Venice of Portugal. Situated on a massive lagoon Aveiro is intersected by canals, genuine streets of water, along which can be seen gliding the brightly coloured boats known as barcos moliceiros. Originally founded in the time of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Aveiro is now one of the most interesting cities on the Portuguese coast. 15 best things to do in Aveiro.
Coimbra
On the high banks of the Mondego River, Coimbra is a city with the oldest university in the country. The prestige of this school will hit you when you step onto the Paço das Escolas courtyard. In this rich ensemble of buildings is one of the finest libraries you’ll ever set foot in. The university is found precisely where Portugal’s first kings had taken up residence centuries before, and the city’s monasteries have tombs for these rulers. For culture, you’ll learn about the tragic love affair between the medieval Prince Pedro I and the noblewoman Inês, while Coimbra has its own genre of fado music that also originated at the university. 15 best things to do in Coimbra.
Lisbon and nearby
An hours drive from the villa park up and use public transport from there, though traffic can be heavy and parking not cheap. Better still park you car in one of the free car parks in Caldas da Rainha and take a coach from the bus station to Lisbon, Rede Express, it takes and hour and ten minutes and there over 20 trips each way every day, tickets are very reasonable. The coach will drop you at one of two stations where you can embark on public transport and see the sights or a show. 25 best things to do in Lisbon.
Quake
Quake is home to the story of the most extraordinary event: on the morning of the 1st of November 1755, an extremely violent earthquake destroyed Lisbon, followed by a tsunami and ranging fires that lasted a week. By entering in this experience you will feel and see the impact the earthquake had on the city and its people. Quake – Lisbon Earthquake Centre is located near to Avenida da Índia, in the historic area of Belém. The best way to get to Quake is by public transport – bus, train or tram, which connect the area to many points in the city of Lisbon and the other side of the river.
Oceanário de Lisboa
A large main aquarium, holding 5 million litres of seawater.
Four marine habitats create the illusion of a single aquarium and a sole ocean.
This exhibition features terrestrial and marine ecosystems, as well as the temperate, tropical and cold waters of the Earth’s oceans.
Sintra
No vacation in Portugal would be complete without a day or more in Sintra. Just an hours drive from the villa. Sintra, the Moon Hill, is a place full of magic and mystery, where nature and man have combined in such a perfect symbiosis that UNESCO has granted it Word Heritage Site status. You can make your own way to visit as many palaces as you like or join a tour 15 best Sintra tours.
Time out Market Lisboa
Time Out Market Lisboa is a food hall located in the Mercado da Ribeira at Cais do Sodré in Lisbon, Portugal. With 26 restaurants, 8 bars, a dozen shops and a high-end music venue, all with the very best in Lisbon (the best steak, the best hamburger, the best sushi and the best live performances, amongst others); home to some of the city’s best known (and longest-running) market vendors of meat, fish, fruit and flowers.
Today, together, both sides are proud of having turned the building, its immediate surroundings and the whole Cais do Sodré neighbourhood into a huge attraction for visitors, day and night. Where: Av. 24 de Julho 49, 1200-479 Lisboa
Cascais
When well-heeled Lisboans need a change of airs in summer they go west to Cascais. At this beach getaway you can bathe in transparent waters at peaceful coves.
Portugal’s royal family holidayed at Cascais at the turn of the 20th century, and that glamour has never faded: The president spends his summer in a palace beside the marina, while neighbouring Estoril has an enormous casino once frequented by the jet set. There are elegant parks, noble mansions replete with precious furnishings and a superb art museum for Paula Rego. 15 best things to do in Cascais
More Day Trips
Porto
On the slopes above the Douro Estuary, Porto is a historic mercantile city with business and trade written into its very name. The centre is a World Heritage site, and you’ll be struck by how rich and varied this heritage can be: There are medieval walls, gleaming Baroque churches, the compact streets of the Ribeira district, the Romanesque Cathedral and that’s just the beginning. Fortified port wine is still stored in warehouses on the south bank of the Douro, and if you track the river to the ocean you arrive at the stylish Foz do Douro district for beaches and hip restaurants. 25 Best things to do in Porto
516 Arouca
The most exciting 516 meters of your life!
Come live the experience of crossing a pedestrian bridge suspension over one of the wildest rivers in Europe, Paiva River.
Witness a true engineering prodigy and be dazzled by a landscape inserted in a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Aldeia do Talasnal
Here nature reigns. Discovering this village means diving into the magical world of Serra da Lousã and immersing yourself in lush vegetation where deer, roe deer, wild boar and many other species lurk.
There are several ancient villages built entirely out of Xisto, Schist (a type of slate), Talasnal has been, for a long time, “the” Schist Village of Serra da Lousã it has given more visibility and charisma to the whole. For its size and layout, but also for the many details of the restoration of its houses and for the way the village seduces us through it’s gastronomy. Other Xisto villages within a short drive or hike from Lousa, Cerdeira, Candal, Catarredor, Casal Nova, Cadaval cimeiro, Pena, Aigra Velha. All these villages are connected by trails.
#CentralPortugal #NorthOfLisbon #SilverCoast #TouristInformation #TouristInformationPortugal

#centralportugal #northoflisbon #silvercoast #touristinformation #touristinformationportugal
Mick Garratt @[email protected] · 2025-11-10 · 20:01 UTC

The Northernmost Kilns: Commondale’s Forgotten Industry
A view up the narrow valley of Commondale, taken from the weathered lime kilns that still cling to the slopes above Coble Hall. Crumbling and defiant, I reckon they must be the most northerly kilns in the North York Moors, silent witnesses to a brief and curious chapter of i ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/11/10/the-northernmost-kilns-commondales-forgotten-industry/
#Commondale #NorthYorkMoors #history #IndustrialArchaeology

#commondale #northyorkmoors #history #industrialarchaeology
Mick Garratt @[email protected] · 2025-11-10 · 20:01 UTC

The Northernmost Kilns: Commondale’s Forgotten Industry
A view up the narrow valley of Commondale, taken from the weathered lime kilns that still cling to the slopes above Coble Hall. Crumbling and defiant, I reckon they must be the most northerly kilns in the North York Moors, silent witnesses to a brief and curious chapter of i ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/11/10/the-northernmost-kilns-commondales-forgotten-industry/
#Commondale #NorthYorkMoors #history #IndustrialArchaeology

#commondale #northyorkmoors #history #industrialarchaeology
Mick Garratt @[email protected] · 2025-11-10 · 20:01 UTC

The Northernmost Kilns: Commondale’s Forgotten Industry
A view up the narrow valley of Commondale, taken from the weathered lime kilns that still cling to the slopes above Coble Hall. Crumbling and defiant, I reckon they must be the most northerly kilns in the North York Moors, silent witnesses to a brief and curious chapter of i ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/11/10/the-northernmost-kilns-commondales-forgotten-industry/
#Commondale #NorthYorkMoors #history #IndustrialArchaeology

#commondale #northyorkmoors #history #industrialarchaeology
Mick Garratt @[email protected] · 2025-11-10 · 20:01 UTC

The Northernmost Kilns: Commondale’s Forgotten Industry
A view up the narrow valley of Commondale, taken from the weathered lime kilns that still cling to the slopes above Coble Hall. Crumbling and defiant, I reckon they must be the most northerly kilns in the North York Moors, silent witnesses to a brief and curious chapter of i ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/11/10/the-northernmost-kilns-commondales-forgotten-industry/
#Commondale #NorthYorkMoors #history #IndustrialArchaeology

#industrialarchaeology #history #northyorkmoors #commondale
Mick Garratt @[email protected] · 2025-11-10 · 20:01 UTC

The Northernmost Kilns: Commondale’s Forgotten Industry
A view up the narrow valley of Commondale, taken from the weathered lime kilns that still cling to the slopes above Coble Hall. Crumbling and defiant, I reckon they must be the most northerly kilns in the North York Moors, silent witnesses to a brief and curious chapter of i ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/11/10/the-northernmost-kilns-commondales-forgotten-industry/
#Commondale #NorthYorkMoors #history #IndustrialArchaeology

#commondale #northyorkmoors #history #industrialarchaeology
Editor @[email protected] · 2026-02-19 · 13:53 UTC

WIZARDS OF CLYDACH: Councillors step into limelight to save village panto after community council axe

Matthew Bailey, Gordon Walker, and Brigitte Rowlands, who all represent the Clydach ward as independent councillors, will revive the once-popular show this weekend. And two of them—Councillors Bailey and Walker—will go one step further and star in it!
Councillor Walker has taken the courageous step of agreeing to play the lion, while Councillor Bailey showed some brains by playing the scarecrow.
A Community Tradition Under Threat
Clydach, in the lower Swansea Valley, enjoyed a run of sold-out pantos between 2016 and 2024 before the community council, unfortunately, decided to bring the curtain down for good.
The amateur productions, staged in the village’s community hall and played out by people from the village, were always well attended, bringing the community together. They were quite the family affairs, with the scripts written by former journalist Geraint Thomas, his one-time West End actress sister Bethan Cunningham directing, and their mother Beryl Thomas making the costumes.
Now the show returns—thanks to the councillors’ support—with The Wizard of Oz!
‘We’re Not in Clydach Anymore’
Packed with local references, including “I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Clydach anymore” and the famous yellow brick road hit by potholes and a 20mph speed limit, it promises to be one of the best yet.
The show opens on Friday (February 20) evening, with two performances on Saturday, including a matinee, and an evening performance on Sunday. Tickets for the matinee and Sunday are being offered free for local community groups.
The rest of the cast is made up of Euan Renesto, Hayley Davies-Jones, Gemma Lawerence, Ian Whitehurst, Ellie McGuire, and Milly Cunningham—all with Clydach connections.
‘Hundreds Have Asked What’s Happening’
As a former chair of Clydach Community Council, Councillor Bailey has been involved from the start.
Councillor Matthew Bailey said:
“For over seven years, since 2016, we’ve been proud to bring a traditional community pantomime to Clydach. In a time when many families have to travel to large theatres and pay large prices for festive entertainment, we were incredibly lucky to have something special right here in our village. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the current community council decided that it wasn’t something they wanted to continue. So, we stepped in.”
He added:
“We have been approached by so many people, asking what’s happening to the pantomime, literally hundreds have asked. This year, me, Brigitte and Gordon got together and said, ‘Why don’t we use some of our community budget to help pay for it?’ The tickets sales don’t always cover the full cost, so we agreed to cover any shortfall.”
‘She Laughed from Start to Finish’
Councillor Bailey was keen to praise his fellow cast members and those behind the scenes, recalling a particularly poignant moment from a previous production.
Councillor Bailey said:
“We’ll never forget the three sisters who came along one year and sat together at the back. After the show, they told us one of them had terminal cancer—and she had laughed from start to finish. Moments like that remind us exactly why we do this.”
Councillor Gordon Walker said:
“The village has lost quite a lot over the past few years, due to one reason or another, and the panto has always been popular and brought the community together—even if they do laugh at me on stage making a fool of myself! I give the script writer, Geraint, nightmares forgetting his lines but that just adds to the fun—he even writes jokes in about me not being able to act or learn my lines!”
Councillor Brigitte Rowlands said:
“It’s of huge community benefit. It’s very good for people’s wellbeing and nice for people to get out, enjoy and have a bit of a laugh. It’s nice to see locals involved in it, someone local has written it—it’s just an all-round local event for the community.”
She is not tempted to tread the boards with her colleagues, however. “I think Broadway is waiting for them!” she joked.
How to Get Tickets
Tickets are still available from Clydach Pantomime – The Wizard Of Oz on Eventbrite. Tickets for the Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening performances are being offered to local clubs and groups for free—just get in touch with Matthew, Brigitte, or Gordon.
#CllrBrigitteRowlands #CllrGordonWalker #CllrMatthewBailey #Clydach #ClydachCommunityCouncil #GeraintThomas #panto #pantomime #WizzardOfOz

#cllrbrigitterowlands #cllrgordonwalker #cllrmatthewbailey #clydach #clydachcommunitycouncil #geraintthomas
Alexandra @[email protected] · 2025-01-16 · 22:58 UTC

#Ginoza Museum will be holding an exhibition "Limestone Caves in Ginoza Village" from January 21 to February 9. Entrance in free, come and see some science !
(the museum is closed on Mondays.and for lunch)
There will be a related conference on Febriary 1 at 2:00 pm in Garaman Hall, including "The characteristic of the limestone caves of Ginoza Village", "The animals of Matsuda Cave" and "History and Culture at Matsuda Cave". It's free as well. Come and hear some science.
#Okinawa #Geology

#ginoza #okinawa #geology
FLOX Advocate @[email protected] · 2020-08-29 · 22:01 UTC

The Power of Free from John Maddog Hall, last talk at #DebConf2020 now, now, now
https://debconf20.debconf.org/talks/38-the-power-of-free/
The world is being wracked by stresses we could not even imagine a year ago. Global pandemic, massive economic downturns, social unrest, political unrest, yet Debian goes on
This could be the time for Free Software and its communities to come into the limelight, with employee-owned, socially-conscious companies practicing sustainable business models
#FLOSSconf #FLOSSevent #FLOX #debian

#debian #flox #flossevent #flossconf #debconf2020
Sharon A. Hill @[email protected] · 2017-02-11 · 01:37 UTC

Amazing fossils: Death scenes – geologically preserved
For inducing fear and unease, dead things are big-time spooky. Geological factors can result in recording death in particularly captivating ways, freezing the animals’ death throes across enormous stretches of time. Preservation can mean bones replaced by mineralization to give us skeletal remains, impressions in fine sediment retaining incredible detail, or entire animals trapped in the resin of a tree, that later hardens into a transparent time capsule. Some amazing fossils and preserved carcasses tell us not only how these animals died, but also about how they lived.
Spider with its last meal, preserved in amber.
The earth doesn’t care about us or other life forms on it. Death is part of life and probably shouldn’t freak us out as much as it often seems to. (An example is the hubbub and outrage over the #bestcarcass tag on Twitter, it’s pretty educational. OK, not so “pretty” but still educational.) Remnants of death provide us with extremely valuable information about how an animal LIVED.
And there can be examples of exquisite beauty. This mouse died in a copper mine where the minerals chalcanthite (hydrated copper sulfate) and atacamite (copper chloride hydroxide) crystals have grown on the hair of the carcass like rock candy on string. This specimen belongs to the Fersman Mineralogical museum in Russia.
Mouse encrusted with copper mineral crystals. Ferman Mineralogical Museum, Russia.
This spectacular fossil (featured on #bestcarcass) shows a fatal encounter between a fish-eating pterosaur and a pterosaur-eating fish. [A small Rhamphorynchus was in the act of swallowing a small fish when it was attacked by a large gar-like fish called Aspidorhynchus. The fish could not swallow the winged reptile for reasons unknown and failed to free itself from the ill-chosen meal.
Rhamphorynchus pterosaur and Aspidorhynchus fish. Fish looks pissed off things turned out this way.
The violent death scene is described by authors Frey & Tischlinger (PLOS One, 2012):
That the fish, in fact, tried to get rid of the pterosaur by vigorous movements of its head is evidenced by the distortion of the left wing finger elements, while the remaining skeleton of the Rhamphorhynchus lies in natural articulation. Apparently, the flight membrane tissue remained jammed between the teeth, while the interphalangeal ligaments of the left wing finger ruptured under the power of the fish tearing at the flight membrane. Finally, the entire wing finger of the drowned pterosaur was pulled under the antebrachium. Such a distortion can only happen when the proximal part of the flight membrane, likely the thin and structurally weak tenopatagium, was dramatically overextended or even had ruptured. The most likely scenario is that the Aspidorhynchus fought its victim for a period of time, thereby rapidly sinking into the hostile anoxic water layer of the Late Jurassic Eichstätt basin, where it was instantly suffocated. Still linked together, both carcasses sank to the sea floor, whereby the pterosaur contacted the ground first, likely being pushed down by the massive head of the Aspidorhynchus.
The fine sediment in this area became the Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria that provided us with many other astounding fossils, including Archaeopteryx.
Another famous fossil that tells a harrowing story is that of Oviraptor (egg-stealer), so named because of this particular fossil that was found associated with a clutch of eggs. Scientists at the time interpreted the dinosaur to be stealing the eggs to eat when the thief and nest were buried and preserved. The more dramatic truth was revealed when it was later confirmed that the eggs belonged to the Oviraptor who was guarding them when death descended upon the brood.
An Oviraptor reconstructed as guarding a nest. By EvaK, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2686845
A maternal moment was paused at a critical time as a mother ichthyosaur is forever in labor as she died during birth of her offspring. There are at least two other babies associated with this fossil – one outside and another still unborn. The mother could also have died first and the young were spontaneously aborted. (There are no good pictures of the entire fossil but see another example below.)
Another example of an ichthyosaur that died with a neonate in the birth canal. http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/fossil-halls/hall-of-vertebrate-origins/stenopterygius-quadriscissus
Two other carcasses were preserved as evidence of mortal combat. A Velociraptor (predator) and Protoceratops (prey) preserved together show evidence of broken bones. It is unknown if one or both of the animals were alive at burial or recently deceased from their encounter. A similar scene depicts a Nanotyrannus and a Triceratops.
Just like two deer who die with their antlers entangled, a pair of mammoths collapsed head to head with their tusks lodged together. A wolf had been pinned underneath the carcasses.

Mass death
A particularly disturbing scene is that of a mass death. In some cases, the remains will be covered by sediment and preserved. From these incidents, we know that some dinosaurs traveled in herds, like wildebeest. Washed away by a swollen river, their bodies were buried and excavated millions of years later in a mass of bones.
The Hilda mega bone bed in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada is the location of where a great herd of Centrosaurs died en masse either by trying to cross a raging river, or drowning in a flood [artist’s depiction here]. The dense collection of bones is estimated to be those of 667 individuals killed at the same time. Creationists love this example of mass death attributed to a flood and use it to further their “great world flood” catastrophe. Instead of proof of a Biblical myth, this example shows us that these animals stayed together in these large herd sizes where ages and sizes varied. There are several examples of localized flooding, but in this case, the sediment buried the unfortunate victims of the raging storm.
Catastrophists like Velikovsky and Donnelly pointed out mass bone beds as further evidence of sudden earth events. Fish fossils are found in what appear to have been massive shoals. An Upper Miocene strata in Algeria consisting of deep and shallow water fish and diatoms was interpreted as being the result of a volcanic event (1933, Journal of Geology) An amphibian graveyard in New Mexico may represent the mass death of animals that congregated around the last remaining water in a time of drought (1939, Scientific Monthly and Science News Letter). [1]
Frogs frozen in ice.
Kirkland, et al. (2016) described a mass death assemblage of well-preserved Utahraptors fossils, found in a sandstone sill, that they interpreted as resulting from “quicksand”. The original ground was oversaturated sand possibly fed by artesian springs exerting upward pressure. Small animals could run across it. Large animals that stood on it would become trapped, sinking into the liquid sand burying them deeper and deeper.
A similar situation occurred in another geologically deadly place that gave scientists a comprehensive catalog of past life in an area now completely different – LaBrea Tar Pits in downtown Los Angeles. The pits were a death trap for animals during the Pleistocene who came to drink the water off the surface in the dry climate only to get stuck in the thick sticky ooze welling up from the oil deposits below. The prey animals would be slowed down or trapped by the few inches of natural asphalt springs. Predators would come along and feast. A huge diversity of animals and plants have been recovered from the LaBrea deposits. Animal collections contain thousands of fossils from the same species across all ages. Some have spectacular degrees of preservation such as bones that include fossilized blowfly larva, and plant fragments remaining between the teeth [2]. Smelling of hydrocarbons, with fresh black seeps marked by orange caution cones along the park path, and some of the millions of bones on display, the LaBrea pits remain a spooky place even under the gorgeous California sun.
LaBrea tar pits in downtown Los Angeles. Photo: S. Hill Sticky tar in shallow ponds can cause heavy animals to become mired. Photo: S. Hill
Twelve million years ago, in Nebraska, horses, camels, and rhinos, adults and babies, perished together in a water hole after volcanic ash billowed in suffocating them. Now designated Ashfall Fossil Beds park, a park official called it “a very graphic display” as some rhinos have unborn young inside.
Ashfall fossil beds preserved great beasts as they fell.
This scene of animal mass death is echoed in one of the most famously preserved human mass death locations – the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy when Mt. Vesuvius buried towns in ash 25 m thick. When the volcano erupted in 79 AD, most townspeople had left. The explosion caused utter darkness and sent searing hot gas, ash fragments, and pulverized rock dust rocketing over land enveloping the escaping residents including mothers, children, pets and livestock. The heat of the surge killed them instantly. The dense, moistureless burial conditions caused imprinting of fine details into the deposit and hid the streets, buildings, and art of the age until they were rediscovered in 1748. A technique called the Fiorelli process was used whereby plaster was poured into cavities in the ash where the bodies had once been before decaying away. The result were the incredibly spooky death poses of those who perished in the cataclysm.
The dog of Pompeii. Mother and child collapsed when they could not outrun the seething hot cloud from Vesuvius.
The Earth takes away, and sometimes, it gives.
——–
1. W.R. Corliss, Neglected Geological Anomalies, 1990, The Sourcebook Project. p. 86-87.
2. J.M. Harris (ed), Rancho La Brea: Death Trap and Treasure Trove, 2010, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation.
Putrid pit of dinosaur corpses
Stop eating before you read this part. It’s a bit stomach-turning. A recent find of a fossilized death assemblage tells a graphic story of mass death.
The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry is a dense deposit of Jurassic-age theropod dinosaurs, mostly Allosaurus fragilis. What caused this mass death of 46 allosaurs (and some 25 other dinosaurs)? Why were there so few other kinds of typical fossils like crocodilian teeth or turtle shells? The bones were not scavenged. What happened here?
Hypotheses included that the place was a death trap where animals became mired in mud. Or, that the animals were killed by some toxin in the environment. A recent study suggests that the location was an ephemeral water body that was the final resting place for animals that died nearby.
Periodic floods washed the corpses into this low area creating, as the author describe, “significant numbers of rotting dinosaurs in a body of standing water” creating “hypereutrophic” conditions. Yuck!
This hypothesis explains the accumulation and condition of the remains and why there are few other vertebrate remains present. Additional evidence to support this putrid pond idea are as follows:
Sediment geochemistry. The deposition area is enriched in heavy metals and sulfide minerals which are not present in the surrounding formation or in other fossil bone beds. The presence of sulfides and calcite/barite nodules suggest that hypereutrophic conditions were present resulting in a concentration of heavy metals as the animals decomposed.
High rates of organic matter decay would have led to hypoxia or anoxia and the subsequent formation of sulfide minerals and the calcareous soaps required to form the calcite nodules.
Bone fragment abrasion patterns. Characteristics of the bone fragments in the quarry deposit were compared to other bone assemblages. There was a wide range of degree of abrasion in this particular quarry. Some bones had been exposed to environmental weathering longer than others. This variation, along with an examination of the matrix within which the larger bones were fossilized, supports the idea that there were separate events that formed the deposit as periodic flooding and drying occurred, possibly over a range of 10-20 years.
The physical characteristics of the bone fragments of CLDQ suggest variable taphonomic histories among the fragments; angular fragments suggest weathering or pulverization followed immediately by burial while rounded fragments suggest prolonged exposure and re-working.
Finally, using the evidence about the climate conditions of the time, it appears that this area in Utah was subjected to periods of dryness interspersed with “weak monsoons and sub-humid conditions during stronger monsoons, similar to climates seen in modern savannahs”. This supports the idea that the carcasses accumulated during flood events and then periodically dried out, leaving a horrible pit of rotting flesh in a toxic pool.
Carcasses of wildebeests after mass drowning.
Read the entire study here:
New data towards the development of a comprehensive taphonomic framework for the Late Jurassic Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Central Utah by Joseph E. Peterson , Jonathan P. Warnock, Shawn L. Eberhart, Steven R. Clawson, and Christopher R. Noto
published June 6, 2017. PeerJ.
See also Scientists solve mystery of dinosaur mass grave | Cosmos
#bestcarcass #fossils #LaBreaTarPits #massDeathAssemblage
https://sharonahill.com/?p=353

#bestcarcass #fossils #labreatarpits #massdeathassemblage
Andy Arthur - Threadinburgh @[email protected] · 2022-08-29 · 22:27 UTC

Creamola Foam: the thread about a bubbly treat with an unpalatable skeleton in its family closet

There are few words that will get some Scottish folk as misty eyed, nostalgic and feeling wistful as “Creamola Foam“. But what is this apocryphal delicacy? How and where did it come to be? And just what is its dark secret? Add two teaspoons, stir, and let’s find out. The foam in question is a fairly simple – and entirely artificial – chemical concoction that was sold widely in Scotland but hasn’t been available since brand owners Nestle cancelled it in 1998. One just mixed two teaspoons of its crystals with water and you had yourself a satisfyingly synthetic, fizzy, foamy (and slightly grainy) drink.
Excerpt from a 1950s Creamola Foam advert.
Its composition is a blend of fruit acids with bicarbonate of soda, which react when dissolved in water to produce the fizz of carbon dioxide bubbles. The addition of a foaming agent – saponin – gives the drink a beery head and Acacia or Arabic Gum is included to thicken it. Sugar and saccharin sweeten it and chemical flavourings and colourings provide the suitably chemical taste and appearance.
Creamola Foam was unleashed upon the Scottish public in May 1932 at the Daily Mail’s Ideal Homes and Foods Exhibition in the Kittybrewster Olympia Hall in Aberdeen. “Those who try [it] will appreciate this delicious, wholesome refreshment” said the visiting reviewer from the Press & Journal. Initially available in two flavours- lemon and orange – lime and then ginger were soon added to the line up. The manufacturers – Creamola Food Products – were already a household name but went heavy on the advertising and soon had themselves a runaway success.
1932 Advert for Ginger Creamola Foam.
The Creamola company mascot – a kilted, rosy cheeked boy with an oversize bunnet and a neckerchief – was prominently featured in newspaper campaigns. The drink was compared to sparkling like “a vintage champagne“, with “glittering, cool white foam” and as providing “a long and satisfying drink“.
1930s Newspaper advert for Creamola Foam featuring the Creamola company mascot.
But don’t believe the advertiser’s schtick, this “glorious“, “real fruit” drink was nothing but high school chemistry in a glass.
As you drink you realize that you have found something that is utterly new and worth while. “Creamola Foam” is a fruit drink that sparkles like a vintage champagne! Above is glittering, cool white foam. Below is a long and satisfying drink with the flavour of fresh fruit alive and leaping in its heart, as if you stood beneath the tree squeezing the sweetened juice of ripe fruit into your mouth. A glorious drink. The sort of drink that makes you dig in the garden on purpose to produce a thirst worthy of a second foaming goblet. A spoonful of its crystals – fill the glass with water – stir – and enjoy your drink. Lemon and Orange flavours.
Creamola Foam advertising, 1930s
This wasn’t just a product for the masses though, advertising in the late 1930s has a real middle-class, aspirational vibe to it; the man of the house sits around in his 3 piece suit on his hire-purchase sofa, while his elegant, be-frocked wife serves him up refreshing glasses of Foam.
1930s newspaper advert for Creamola Foam.
Creamola Foam it was claimed was “refreshing as a sea breeze” (which, in this country usually means it is violent, intensely salty and will strip the paint off of a car).
1930s newspaper advert for Creamola Foam.
The product wasn’t rationed during WW2 but by and large wasn’t readily available as the country had better uses for its ingredients than novelty drinks. It was relaunched post-war with a change of flavours and a new formula that dialled-back the effervescence; “Foams Without Fizz“.
The Creamola company was bought by Rowntree in 1966. Attempts by its new owners to popularise the foam to a larger market in England were tried but ended up in failure. However it retained a soft spot amongst generations of Scottish hearts, minds and stomachs and so production of this industrial refreshment continued.
The formulation changed again in the 1980s to return it to being a much fizzier drink, truer to the original and it remained this way with more modern foaming and thickening agents up until what was a rather niche, provincial product was cancelled by the Swiss bean-counters at Nestlé 🇨🇭
Two generations of Creamola Foam packaging.
The Creamola Food Products Ltd. of Glasgow was a household name in Scotland – and beyond – in the first half of the 20th century. From the 1930s their factory was in the Plantation district (more on that appropriateness later).
The Creamola Custard Works in the Plantation Bakery, Nos 63-73 Durham Street, Glasgow
The company built up a huge range of popular, brand-name household products around the simple concept of packet of a starch-based thickener and/or setting agent to which sweetening, flavouring and colouring was added to turn it into a wide range of desserts and puddings.
The Creamola product lineup, from a 1935 recipe booklet issued by the company. Picture © Mike Ashworth and reproduced with permission.
Rice, wheat, cornflour, sago, tapioca, gelatine, arrowroot. You name it, if it would set or thicken, Creamola would packet it and sell it to you as a tasty treat. The company relied heavily on advertising to hawk their wares and claimed that they “tickle[d] the World’s Palate!”
Creamola 1947 Magazine (from University of Glasgow UGD 257: Records of Creamola Food Products Ltd, 1904-1991.)
Creamola kept their products constantly in the public eyes via newspaper adverts in the 1920s and 30s, pushing themselves relentlessly as “The Queen of Custards” and giving serving suggestions and recipes such as apple trifle and fruit pudding. But it wasn’t just newspaper advertising, their posters too were once commonplace. The (colourised) photograph below from 1929 shows a gable end at Arthur Street, in Edinburgh’s Dumbiedykes district, has a poster for their principal product – Creamola Custard – prominently in the centre. It is has a personal touch for me as some of my Mum’s family lived in the tenement to the left in the the preceding decade.
Creamola Food Products came into being on December 29th 1919 when the Glasgow company of D. K. Porter & Co. was incorporated as a limited company. They took the name of their principal product, itself borrowed off a defunct Victorian brand; “the cream of toilet soaps“. Porters were an established importer of arrowroot; a food thickener popular with the Victorian dietetic and invalid food movements. The switch to cheaper, cornstarch based-products was an obvious one, that product having been invented, patented and first manufactured on an industrial scale just down the road in Paisley by Brown & Polsons.
Porters first launched their Creamola Custard Pudding product in 1910 at the Ideal Home Exhibition, a “new preparation“; “a highly nourishing food, the nitrogenous or flesh forming material which it contains being enormously increased in comparison with is found in other farinaceous foods“. Yes I’ve no idea what they really meant either. Success came quickly and when war began a few years later in 1914, the company saw a commercial opportunity and made sure their new product was sent to our boys on the front by donating 70,000 tins of it to the Red Cross for their food parcels. The papers declared, “All parcels now going to France should contain at least one tin of Creamola“. On the home front, Porters were quick to remind housewives that their products didn’t require eggs so were “an incalculable advantage” to keeping children full of puddings during times of shortage. Note again that purposeful, middle class vibe to the advert below.
1916 Creamola newspaper advert.
By 1917, Porters were declaring in adverts “Youth *must* be served even in these days when food is scarce… and CREAMOLA is the ideal means of making up to the children with “growing” appetites for the meat shortage“. By the following year, the food situation was critical at home as the result of the German U-boat blockade of British trade, but Porters were there for the nation with their ersatz puddings to keep people full with thickeners. “Let rations be what they will. Creamola Custard Pudding will ever make up the shortage” they boldly stated. Wartime business boomed to the extend that Porters couldn’t keep up with demand and so moved to a new factory on Great Clyde Street, along the riverside.
D. K. Porter’s Great Clyde Street “Creamola Custard Works.” (Mitchell library)
To keep up with the insatiable demand for custard puddings, the machinery was run 24/7 and the company relentlessly strived to make the process more efficient by doing things like taking out air filters and not recovering and recycling spilled flours. And this caused a problem because right next door to the factory was the chapel house of St. Andrew’s R.C. Cathedral, which was greatly disturbed by the non-stop whirr and clatter of custard machinery, and the relentless film of fine white powders coating everything. Porters denied that they were causing a noise and dust nuisance and hoped that Archbishop Macguire would go away if they ignored him. But the Archbishop was not to be messed with and the company found themselves hauled infront of Lord Hunter at the Court of Session in a law suit.
An independent investigator found that the “clicking sound produced by the speed-reducing gears of the mixing machines and the tapping sound of the lever at the weighing machines” were indeed a nuisance to the Archbishop’s peace His Lordship concurred and Porters were ordered to stop their night shifts and to put the filters back on to keep the dust levels down. The company acquiesced and were then keen to advertise to let the hungry public know that they could keep up with demand by dayshift working alone.
D. K. Porters newspaper after published after losing the lawsuit.
By the end of that year, 1919, the Porter name was gone and it was Creamola Food Products above the door henceforth. And we all lived happily ever after and that’s the end of our story.
Or is it?
The key to really unravelling the D. K. Porter story, right to the back of the closet where one might find skeletons, is in arrowroot. This is a staple South American and Caribbean foodstuff from whose roots can be extracted a starchy thickening agent. Gluten free, it was popular with the Victorian dietetic and invalid diet movements.
Arrowroots. CC-by-SA 2.5 Noblevmy
As early as 1884, D. K. Porter were importing bulk arrowroot into the port of Ayr from St. Vincent in the Caribbean, for sale in the market at Kilmarnock. Over time the centre of economic gravity dragged their trade inevitably to Glasgow where we can follow a breadcrumb trail in newspapers adverts of of their “Three Rivers Brand“. Three Rivers it turns out was a plantation estate on the island of St. Vincent and who should own it but D. K. Porter & Co., St. Vincent.
D. K. Porter were a vertically integrated operation you see; they were not just the importer but also the producer, the exporter and the shipper too. The company was a partnership between David Kennedy Porter – born in Riccarton, Ayrshire in 1820 – and James Graham, a London-born Scot. Both emigrated to St. Vincent where they went into business, slowly building up a portfolio of sugar plantations. They exploited two circumstances on St. Vincent. Firstly, the emancipation of plantation slaves there in 1838 and secondly the Encumbered Estates Act of 1856 which saw the forced sale of bankrupt estates. As a result of this, Freed slaves found themselves pushed to marginal lands as men like Porter and Graham bought up the bankrupt estates on the cheap and consolidated them into a small number of large holdings. They brought in indentured labourers from India starting in the 1860s to work their fields. In 1829, St. Vincent had 98 separate sugar estates. By 1882 nearly all the cultivatable land was owned by just five landowners of which D. K. Porter were the largest, their 22 estates was nearly half of all plantations by number and fully two thirds by area of all productive land on the island.
The company had St. Vincent nicely stitched up. They controlled the local legislature. They were “vehemently opposed to the introduction of central mills” which might have helped small proprietors and sharecroppers, and indeed were generally opposed to any improvements on the island. “It was the labouring population that suffered most from this selfish and parsimonious attitude concerning the improvement of St. Vincent“. D. K. Porter would only do what was right for D. K. Porter and the company complained their labourers were lazy and reneged on wage payments. They strictly controlled the availability of work and resented improvements to working practices or attempts to improve labour conditions. The campaigned against taxes that would have funded health provision for workers or financed public works.
James Graham died in 1877 having amassed an immense fortune of £250,000, Thomas Rennie Nairn took his place. David Kennedy Porter died in 1891, leaving £105,849. His place is taken by his nephew, also of Riccarton back in Ayrshire, Alexander Porter. Despite having secured a stranglehold on St. Vincent and running a comfortable oligopoly on the back of the labour of others, the new partners found a business in trouble. The price of sugar has crashed following the introduction of sugar beet in industrial quantities to Europe. But instead of working to innovate and improve efficiency of sugar production (and the lot of their workers), they cast around instead for a new money-making scheme and hit upon arrowroot. And so in the 1880s they ripped up nearly all the sugar cane plantations on their estates and planted instead arrowroot.
Arrowroot saved Porters. As sugar exports collapsed, they flooded the markets instead with arrowroot, halving the price of it in Europe. Within 20 years St. Vincent would have an almost complete world monopoly on the stuff. At the helm of a once-again profitable company, Alexander Porter is described as being “unwilling to invest any of his profits in the improvement of either his estates or the island as a whole… an indication of his lack of commitment to the island’s prosperity.” D. K. Porter would probably have been content to sit back and grow rich(er) off of arrowroot, but nature intervened. The island was devastated by floods in 1896, a hurricane in 1898 and finally in 1902 the volcano La Soufrière erupted.
Aftermath of the eruption of La Soufrière in 1902, via Georgetown SVG Revisited
Mount Pelée on nearby Martinique had an even more devastating eruption only hours later, killing 29,000 people. On St. Vincent, 1,680 died, 600 were seriously injured and 4,000 were homeless. Of all the plantations “not a single estate works .. escaped injury“. Up to this point, Alexander Porter had largely resisted outside government intervention by way of financing estate reform, but he died the following year, leaving the business to his sons Donald Fraser and John Gemmel Porter. The sons for a while maintained the father’s position but soon decide to take the Government’s money and sell their estates, the last going in 1909. However the men were modernisers and quick to realise that the easier and more reliable money was not in the cultivation and sale of raw arrowroot to the market, but in the processing of it and sale of end-products direct to consumers. At the Barbados Agricultural Show in 1904 they unveiled their “Three Rivers Brand” of pure, processed, ready-to-use arrowroot. At the same time. the company made determined efforts to try and shift the image of arrowroot from being a food for invalids to one of making easy desserts. They began advertising it for sale in Glasgow, exported from St. Vincent, with a man by the name of William Galbraith Hetherington put in charge of operations in the old country.
William Galbraith Hetherington. (from University of Glasgow UGD 257: Records of Creamola Food Products Ltd, 1904-1991.)
Under Hetherington’s energetic, paternalistic leadership “Three Rivers Arrowroot” began to prosper in Glasgow, rapidly becoming a household brand and it was Hetherington who persuaded the Porter brothers to incorporate as Creamola Food Products. His attitude to workers was the opposite of the Porters and the company ran many social schemes. They donate generously to the Clydeside Air Raid Distress Fund following the Clydebank Blitz in 1941. Hetherington remained at the helm of the company until his death in 1948, leaving an estate if £250,221 and numerous bequests to good causes throughout Glasgow; churches, hospitals, the Salvation Army, schools and other public institutions.
For a company with troubling, colonialist beginnings, Galbraith’s 34 years at the helm reformed its reputation into a conscientious employer and beloved household brand. It may have first made its name in synthetic custard but seems instead to be remembered for its chemistry set soft drinks.

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Sharon A. Hill @[email protected] · 2020-05-17 · 16:14 UTC

Faces in Places: Mimetoliths
The word “rock face” is not usually to be taken literally. Yet, around the world, all cultures find familiar-looking forms that appear spontaneously in the mineral masses. Rock is supposed to be “stone dead” but legends recount handiwork of the gods and entombed spirits that live on in local geological features. As we see pictures in the sky as constellations, we see faces emerging from rock.
Stone Faces Everywhere
Apophenia is the human tendency to perceive a meaningful pattern in random things. Pareidolia is a form of apophenia where the viewer experiences an illusion of seeing (or hearing) something specific in a vague stimulus – like seeing the religious images in food products, or hearing words and phrases in noise. Seeing faces in things that do not actually have faces – clouds, rocks, trees, stains, textiles, etc. – is a common experience for most people. Our brains are wired to seek familiar patterns, especially faces. So it is unsurprising that natural objects will readily be perceived to form or contain faces.
Fortean Times magazine still retains a section called “Simulacra Corner” where readers send in pictures of natural objects that seemingly depict interesting faces and creatures. It’s always a fun feature. These natural simulacra can be strikingly obvious or entirely subjective. Perspective, shadows, and light often come into play. Some of them are eerie. Inanimate material taking a seemingly familiar but uncanny form can be spooky.
Ancient cultures may have believed the stone itself was alive. A formation with a meaningful shape might be considered sacred, perhaps containing or channeling the spirit of the god or entity it resembled. Some rock formations are associated with tales of individuals who have been turned to stone. People may accept their essence still resides within the rock. Local myths and various folklore accrete to prominent features.
The madman may be tormented by seeing faces in things. Richard Shaver, who believed evil beings lived inside our hollow earth, split open rocks and considered the figures he perceived inside to be messages left from a past civilization (“rock books”). Many people attempt to gain attention from publicizing their finds of chunks or concretions that resemble sensational forms. They contend they are fossils of mysterious things, evidence for their beliefs turned to stone.
Iron concretion “alien head”. Photo: Sharon A. HillBoulder said to be a “Bigfoot head” found by Todd May in Utah.Devils Head Rock, North Carolina
Natural Likeness
John Michell, an eclectic British author, assures readers in Natural Likeness: Faces and Figures in Nature (1979) that people have always seen faces and familiar figures in nature and we always will – it is a natural function of human consciousness. He relates the common theme of traditional creation myths where the local entity journeys through the land and influences the shape of the landscape features. Sleeping giants, reclining women, and devil’s marks are common interpretations.
Michell’s personal esoteric view was that there is a force in nature that is deliberately creating images that humans will recognize. Unfortunately, he promoted racist ideas that local rock faces resemble the characteristics of the local population. The “red Indian” example is particularly egregious. Michell interprets the characteristic features not in terms of population genetics, which he dismissed, but proposed the fantastic idea that the land itself had a unifying effect on the appearance of those who live there. As well as being illogical, it is easily falsified. For example, Michell shows the famous Sphinx Rock profile from the Lake District of England. Comparing this to a stereotypical Native American profile (that may or may not be a real person), it’s an impressive match. Yet, Michell fails to mention its resemblance to a man with feathered headwear who looks nothing like native Britons. Michell’s examples serve to illustrate how we project onto the stone what we find familiar or what we wish to see. We ignore out-of-place bumps and imperfections in these features, still clearly recognizing a face when the phenomenon is instead generated through our spontaneously imagined construct of a face.
Sphinx Rock compared to a stylized Native American portrait.Sphinx rock of Romania
The most common interpretation of stone faces around the world include witches, “Indian heads”, old men, and U.S. Presidents – notably Lincoln, Washington, Kennedy, and even Nixon.
Goosehead rock, Tuscon, AZ which some interpret to look like Richard NixonLincoln Rock, Orondo, WAThe Queen’s Rock, Taiwan.
Mimetoliths
Geology professor R.V. Dietrich saw the need to publish a name for the phenomena whereby a “natural topographic feature, rock outcrop, rock specimen, mineral specimen, or loose stone” resembles something else. He designates them mimetoliths after the Greek “mimetes” (imitator) and attributes the term to Thomas Orzo MacAdoo (1989). [Source]
The formation of such curiosities can be ancient, sudden, or just temporary. Many go undocumented and can appear at any time. Some are hidden in the forest, or become overgrown and “disappear”. Diverse mimetoliths have been formed as the result of solidification of magma, crystallization from solutions, chemical or physical weathering, abrasion either in place or during transport, as well as the result of several different combinations of such constructive and destructive geological processes.
Faces in rocks are ambiguous in that they require input and projection from the observer for them to designate the mimetolith. Some people spot the familiar pattern while others can’t see it at all.
“Skull rock” at Joshua Tree National Park, CaliforniaMonstrous face in Kents Cavern, Torquay, UK
Famous locations
Mimeotoliths attract viewers who strive to see the face for themselves and potentially imbue it with meaning. Such features were commonly used as landmarks and memorialized in postcards. Even today, mimetoliths are used to promote tourism. For example, in Malaysia, a study was conducted to document the geotourism possibilities of the local mimetoliths. Tourist caves almost always name and publicize speleothems based on their resemblance to recognizable things. Sadly, the notoriety of large mimetoliths, such as those on cliff faces, attract vandalism and graffiti.
Let’s look at some examples of famous mimetoliths, starting with the most famous U.S. location.
Old Man of the Mountain, New Hampshire
Also known as the Great Stone Face, this profile feature was first noticed by an 1805 survey crew at Cannon Mountain in the Franconia Notch. Formed in Jurassic Conway granite, the face feature was 13.7 m tall, 9.1 m wide, and was 370 m above the flat ground. In 1850, the short story, The Great Stone Face, by Nathaniel Hawthorn popularized the feature.
It seemed as if an enormous giant, or a Titan, had sculptured his own likeness on the precipice.
According to the belief of many people, the valley owed much of its fertility to this benign aspect that was continually beaming over it, illuminating the clouds, and infusing its tenderness into the sunshine.
N. Hawthorn. The Great Stone Face
The “face” was fortuitously carved via glacial erosion and weathering. With the common freeze/thaw erosion that happens in New Hampshire, there was always concern about its inevitable collapse and there were attempts to preserve it, notably rods emplaced in 1915, cracks sealed in 1937, and turnbuckles and strain gages installed at intervals. The face became the New Hampshire state emblem in 1945.
The inevitable collapse of the Old Man still came as an emotional shock to geologists on May 3, 2003. Campers in the state park had heard a loud noise during the wet and windy night and awoke to find the great stone face was no more. The forces that created it had also worked towards its demise. Nothing could have been done with the available technology.

A similar stone face, called Old Man of Joshua’s Mountain, was visible in Freetown, Massachusetts. It possibly was created via dynamiting of the rock in the mid-1800s. Local legend was that it represented the face of Wampanoag Chief, Massasoit. The owner sold the mountain to the State of Massachusetts decades ago to be used as a state park tourist attraction. But there was never a concerted effort to promote it as an official attraction. Profile rock, as it was also called, suffered from repeated vandalism and was associated with the myriad supernatural legends of Freetown state forest. It collapsed (or was deliberately destroyed) in June of 2019.

The Deer Cave system in Gunung Mulu National Park, east Malaysia, is among the largest in the world. One of its interesting features is a profile in the wall of southern entrance formed by slow erosion of limestone. Silhouetted against the sky is the face of Abraham Lincoln. A 2017 paper noted the high potential of this site for tourism based on geological features (geotourism). Such whimsical features provide a fun bonus while learning about natural processes and will draw in additional curious visitors.

In Japan, Chichibu Chinsekikan houses a huge collection of jinmenseki – rocks that appear as human faces. In this hall of curious stones, you can see more than a thousand mimetoliths of various kinds with many having an indistinct but identifiable two eyes-nose-mouth configuration. The most famous stone head is that of Elvis Presley.

Pedra da Gavea in Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has the appearance of a face with shallow eyes. Rock above the head appears like a crown and “inscriptions” were noted on the side of the feature. Some believe the engraving and carving of the rock were done by ancient Phoenicians while others believe it is the action of natural erosion.

While profiles are most popular, a few features emerge straight at you.
Smuggler’s Notch, VTAjdovska deklica, the Heathen Maiden of Mount Prisojnik, Slovenia.
Here is a gallery of more world-famous mimetoliths.
“The Great Stone Face,” or “Stoneface” is located in Pennington Gap, VirginiaProfile Rock, about 2/3 of the way up Poudre Canyon, north of Fort Collins, COIndian Head at Natural Bridge of AlabamaMan’s Face Rock near Green River, WYOld Man of the Park, Old Man of the Park, near Sundance, WYGrey Man of Merrick, ScotlandGiant’s Head, Portrush, N. Ireland
Visit the Stone Face site for more mimetoliths documented through postcards and old photos.
A list of locations is also on Wikipedia: Rock formations that resemble human beings

Additional References
Crowell. R. New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain falls (Benchmarks May 3, 2002). Earth. May/June 2018, 106-8.
Kowalick, C. Man claims to have found Bigfoot skull. Times Record News, June 2, 2016.
Nazaruddin, D. A., H.E. Mansor, M. M. Ali Khan. Some unique and imaginative geological features (mimetoliths) in selected limestone sites in Malaysia: Study on their formational processes and geotourism potentials. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia, 64, December 2017, 17 – 25.
Piepenbring, D. The Camera Wins by Being Honest. The Paris Review. October 8, 2014
#facesInRock #facesInStone #geologyAndFolklore #geotourism #hauntedRocks #IndianHead #mimetoliths #OldManOfTheMountain #rockFormations #rocksThatLookLikePeople #stoneFaces
https://sharonahill.com/?p=1329

#facesinrock #facesinstone #geologyandfolklore #geotourism #hauntedrocks #indianhead
Sharon A. Hill @[email protected] · 2020-05-17 · 16:14 UTC

Faces in Places: Mimetoliths
The word “rock face” is not usually to be taken literally. Yet, around the world, all cultures find familiar-looking forms that appear spontaneously in the mineral masses. Rock is supposed to be “stone dead” but legends recount handiwork of the gods and entombed spirits that live on in local geological features. As we see pictures in the sky as constellations, we see faces emerging from rock.
Stone Faces Everywhere
Apophenia is the human tendency to perceive a meaningful pattern in random things. Pareidolia is a form of apophenia where the viewer experiences an illusion of seeing (or hearing) something specific in a vague stimulus – like seeing the religious images in food products, or hearing words and phrases in noise. Seeing faces in things that do not actually have faces – clouds, rocks, trees, stains, textiles, etc. – is a common experience for most people. Our brains are wired to seek familiar patterns, especially faces. So it is unsurprising that natural objects will readily be perceived to form or contain faces.
Fortean Times magazine still retains a section called “Simulacra Corner” where readers send in pictures of natural objects that seemingly depict interesting faces and creatures. It’s always a fun feature. These natural simulacra can be strikingly obvious or entirely subjective. Perspective, shadows, and light often come into play. Some of them are eerie. Inanimate material taking a seemingly familiar but uncanny form can be spooky.
Ancient cultures may have believed the stone itself was alive. A formation with a meaningful shape might be considered sacred, perhaps containing or channeling the spirit of the god or entity it resembled. Some rock formations are associated with tales of individuals who have been turned to stone. People may accept their essence still resides within the rock. Local myths and various folklore accrete to prominent features.
The madman may be tormented by seeing faces in things. Richard Shaver, who believed evil beings lived inside our hollow earth, split open rocks and considered the figures he perceived inside to be messages left from a past civilization (“rock books”). Many people attempt to gain attention from publicizing their finds of chunks or concretions that resemble sensational forms. They contend they are fossils of mysterious things, evidence for their beliefs turned to stone.
Iron concretion “alien head”. Photo: Sharon A. HillBoulder said to be a “Bigfoot head” found by Todd May in Utah. Devils Head Rock, North Carolina
Natural Likeness
John Michell, an eclectic British author, assures readers in Natural Likeness: Faces and Figures in Nature (1979) that people have always seen faces and familiar figures in nature and we always will – it is a natural function of human consciousness. He relates the common theme of traditional creation myths where the local entity journeys through the land and influences the shape of the landscape features. Sleeping giants, reclining women, and devil’s marks are common interpretations.
Michell’s personal esoteric view was that there is a force in nature that is deliberately creating images that humans will recognize. Unfortunately, he promoted racist ideas that local rock faces resemble the characteristics of the local population. The “red Indian” example is particularly egregious. Michell interprets the characteristic features not in terms of population genetics, which he dismissed, but proposed the fantastic idea that the land itself had a unifying effect on the appearance of those who live there. As well as being illogical, it is easily falsified. For example, Michell shows the famous Sphinx Rock profile from the Lake District of England. Comparing this to a stereotypical Native American profile (that may or may not be a real person), it’s an impressive match. Yet, Michell fails to mention its resemblance to a man with feathered headwear who looks nothing like native Britons. Michell’s examples serve to illustrate how we project onto the stone what we find familiar or what we wish to see. We ignore out-of-place bumps and imperfections in these features, still clearly recognizing a face when the phenomenon is instead generated through our spontaneously imagined construct of a face.
Sphinx Rock compared to a stylized Native American portrait. Sphinx rock of Romania
The most common interpretation of stone faces around the world include witches, “Indian heads”, old men, and U.S. Presidents – notably Lincoln, Washington, Kennedy, and even Nixon.
Goosehead rock, Tuscon, AZ which some interpret to look like Richard NixonLincoln Rock, Orondo, WAThe Queen’s Rock, Taiwan.
Mimetoliths
Geology professor R.V. Dietrich saw the need to publish a name for the phenomena whereby a “natural topographic feature, rock outcrop, rock specimen, mineral specimen, or loose stone” resembles something else. He designates them mimetoliths after the Greek “mimetes” (imitator) and attributes the term to Thomas Orzo MacAdoo (1989). [Source]
The formation of such curiosities can be ancient, sudden, or just temporary. Many go undocumented and can appear at any time. Some are hidden in the forest, or become overgrown and “disappear”. Diverse mimetoliths have been formed as the result of solidification of magma, crystallization from solutions, chemical or physical weathering, abrasion either in place or during transport, as well as the result of several different combinations of such constructive and destructive geological processes.
Faces in rocks are ambiguous in that they require input and projection from the observer for them to designate the mimetolith. Some people spot the familiar pattern while others can’t see it at all.
“Skull rock” at Joshua Tree National Park, CaliforniaMonstrous face in Kents Cavern, Torquay, UK
Famous locations
Mimeotoliths attract viewers who strive to see the face for themselves and potentially imbue it with meaning. Such features were commonly used as landmarks and memorialized in postcards. Even today, mimetoliths are used to promote tourism. For example, in Malaysia, a study was conducted to document the geotourism possibilities of the local mimetoliths. Tourist caves almost always name and publicize speleothems based on their resemblance to recognizable things. Sadly, the notoriety of large mimetoliths, such as those on cliff faces, attract vandalism and graffiti.
Let’s look at some examples of famous mimetoliths, starting with the most famous U.S. location.
Old Man of the Mountain, New Hampshire
Also known as the Great Stone Face, this profile feature was first noticed by an 1805 survey crew at Cannon Mountain in the Franconia Notch. Formed in Jurassic Conway granite, the face feature was 13.7 m tall, 9.1 m wide, and was 370 m above the flat ground. In 1850, the short story, The Great Stone Face, by Nathaniel Hawthorn popularized the feature.
It seemed as if an enormous giant, or a Titan, had sculptured his own likeness on the precipice.
According to the belief of many people, the valley owed much of its fertility to this benign aspect that was continually beaming over it, illuminating the clouds, and infusing its tenderness into the sunshine.
N. Hawthorn. The Great Stone Face
The “face” was fortuitously carved via glacial erosion and weathering. With the common freeze/thaw erosion that happens in New Hampshire, there was always concern about its inevitable collapse and there were attempts to preserve it, notably rods emplaced in 1915, cracks sealed in 1937, and turnbuckles and strain gages installed at intervals. The face became the New Hampshire state emblem in 1945.
The inevitable collapse of the Old Man still came as an emotional shock to geologists on May 3, 2003. Campers in the state park had heard a loud noise during the wet and windy night and awoke to find the great stone face was no more. The forces that created it had also worked towards its demise. Nothing could have been done with the available technology.

A similar stone face, called Old Man of Joshua’s Mountain, was visible in Freetown, Massachusetts. It possibly was created via dynamiting of the rock in the mid-1800s. Local legend was that it represented the face of Wampanoag Chief, Massasoit. The owner sold the mountain to the State of Massachusetts decades ago to be used as a state park tourist attraction. But there was never a concerted effort to promote it as an official attraction. Profile rock, as it was also called, suffered from repeated vandalism and was associated with the myriad supernatural legends of Freetown state forest. It collapsed (or was deliberately destroyed) in June of 2019.

The Deer Cave system in Gunung Mulu National Park, east Malaysia, is among the largest in the world. One of its interesting features is a profile in the wall of southern entrance formed by slow erosion of limestone. Silhouetted against the sky is the face of Abraham Lincoln. A 2017 paper noted the high potential of this site for tourism based on geological features (geotourism). Such whimsical features provide a fun bonus while learning about natural processes and will draw in additional curious visitors.

In Japan, Chichibu Chinsekikan houses a huge collection of jinmenseki – rocks that appear as human faces. In this hall of curious stones, you can see more than a thousand mimetoliths of various kinds with many having an indistinct but identifiable two eyes-nose-mouth configuration. The most famous stone head is that of Elvis Presley.

Pedra da Gavea in Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has the appearance of a face with shallow eyes. Rock above the head appears like a crown and “inscriptions” were noted on the side of the feature. Some believe the engraving and carving of the rock were done by ancient Phoenicians while others believe it is the action of natural erosion.

While profiles are most popular, a few features emerge straight at you.
Smuggler’s Notch, VTAjdovska deklica, the Heathen Maiden of Mount Prisojnik, Slovenia.
Here is a gallery of more world-famous mimetoliths.
“The Great Stone Face,” or “Stoneface” is located in Pennington Gap, VirginiaProfile Rock, about 2/3 of the way up Poudre Canyon, north of Fort Collins, COIndian Head at Natural Bridge of AlabamaMan’s Face Rock near Green River, WYOld Man of the Park, Old Man of the Park, near Sundance, WYGrey Man of Merrick, ScotlandGiant’s Head, Portrush, N. Ireland
Visit the Stone Face site for more mimetoliths documented through postcards and old photos.
A list of locations is also on Wikipedia: Rock formations that resemble human beings
Here is the video version of this post:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvdJTVXbxkI
Additional References
Crowell. R. New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain falls (Benchmarks May 3, 2002). Earth. May/June 2018, 106-8.
Kowalick, C. Man claims to have found Bigfoot skull. Times Record News, June 2, 2016.
Nazaruddin, D. A., H.E. Mansor, M. M. Ali Khan. Some unique and imaginative geological features (mimetoliths) in selected limestone sites in Malaysia: Study on their formational processes and geotourism potentials. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia, 64, December 2017, 17 – 25.
Piepenbring, D. The Camera Wins by Being Honest. The Paris Review. October 8, 2014
#facesInRock #facesInStone #geologyAndFolklore #geotourism #hauntedRocks #IndianHead #mimetoliths #OldManOfTheMountain #rockFormations #rocksThatLookLikePeople #stoneFaces
https://sharonahill.com/?p=1329

#facesinrock #facesinstone #geologyandfolklore #geotourism #hauntedrocks #indianhead
Sharon A. Hill @[email protected] · 2018-07-31 · 00:31 UTC

Devil Places
There are countless places in the world named after the Devil (and variations of an evil one in other words and languages). If variations are added such as “Satan,” “Lucifer,” and “Diablo,” for example, the list is massive. Devil places sometimes owe their names to the geology. The features of these places may create a spooky and foreboding feeling that reinforces the local legends of the places being cursed, evil or enchanted.
These places have historically or very recently been associated with spirits, magic, strange phenomenon and/or death. In the U.S., many sacred places of indigenous peoples were renamed by the more puritanical sort as “devil” places in order to demonize the past (and previous spiritual beliefs). Devil places are particularly ubiquitous in New England, where the Puritans started their renaming. The rocky landscape gave them plenty of impetus. They truly believed Satan was about, ready to steal their souls. They considered Indian deities to be demons or devils. Spots where shamans would gather or practice might have been a place of geological uniqueness and were given a bad name by the newcomers.
Connecticut might be nicknamed the devil’s playground with some 34 place names including five Devil’s Dens, four Backbones, two Kitchens and a Dripping Pan, as well as a Hell Hole and two Satan’s Kingdoms. Massachusetts is the most devilish state, with 43 place names. Arizona is chock full of “devil” and “hell” names due to the hellishly hot weather suitable for demons.
Satan’s Kingdom
Legends say that Satan himself claimed the area now called Satan’s Kingdom in New Hartford, Connecticut as his own until the angel Gabriel decided the area was too idyllic and cleared out the dark lord and his band of demons. In Vermont, Satans Kingdom got its name supposedly because the settlers who expected fertile land got difficult rocks and hills instead. In Massachusetts, settlers came into the area in the 1670’s during King Philip’s War, where native villagers defended their land. The rough terrain and dangerous wildlife made it difficult for the settler-colonialists to conquer.
The Northern Cascades National park in Washington is very much a hellscape. The Backpacker.com site says of a hiking trail there: “The devil looms large on this rugged loop—you’ll pass Devils Creek, Pass, Park, Junction, and Dome—and you may curse like Satan during the initial 3,300-foot, 4-mile climb to McMillan Park”.
As you will see in this collection of Devilish places, they commonly are places of remarkable features, desolation, or treacherous traversing.
In 2013, Jonathan Hull did a map of US places with Devil-related names. Though many locations received their names from attributes other than geologically related ones, he noted that Devil-named areas often indicated a dangerous, extreme, or remote place. Sadly, I can’t find the full-scale map online anymore.
This is the best version I could find of Hull’s map.
While my collection is woefully incomplete, I did pick some notable Devil-named locations with geological connections. Several of these warrant their own pages on the site. Click on the titles to head to these pages:
Devil’s Tower
An iconic volcanic feature in the Black Hills of Wyoming was known as being the location in the culminating scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It has become a draw for not only sci-fi enthusiasts but also UFO chasers and New Age believers.
Devil’s Den
To gain this place name, the location usually has stark, huge rock boulders or outcrops, often with caves and crevasses. Several famous locations exist in the U.S. where not only supposedly spirits but also people used as hiding places.
Devil’s Hole
A depression or cave often containing water that has gained a reputation of being deadly, a path to the underworld, or bottomless. (Or all three together). The most famous being the Devil’s Hole of Death Valley, a bizarre oasis in the desert.
Devil’s Kitchen
Scenic locations characterized by their impressive geological features that suggest something evil is cooking.
Devil’s Gate
A cleft or gorge that is considered a dangerous area for natural or supernatural reasons.
Devil’s Punchbowl
Bowl-shaped depressions of various sizes that stand out from the landscape and may look as if they have been deliberately created for or from a nefarious action.
Some lesser known locations with ‘Devil’ names are just as curious. Their oddness prompted locals to bestow upon them an accursed name.
Devils Head Rock, North Carolina
Three locations in Pennsylvania have the name Devil’s Potato Patch to designate boulder fields. One is between Danielsville and Little Gap in Northampton County, just west of the Blue Mtn ski area off the Appalachian Trail. This is an otherwise featureless field of sandstone blocks resulting from frost action that broke up the ridge-forming rock. It is on State Game Lands and, like other boulder fields, is treacherous to traverse and home to sunning snakes. Another Patch is located on the border of Lebanon and Lancaster County near Brickerville. This “river” of diabase boulders is a wooded and graffiti-strewn, neglected and full of various hazards like trash, bottles, and poison ivy. The third is in Salford Township, Montgomery County, where the boulders of diabase will ring when hammered.

Another “Tater Patch” is a windy ridge with spooky twisted trees in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Tennessee/ N. Carolina.
Similar to these rocky landscapes is the Devil’s Marbleyard of the James River Face Wilderness, in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Natural Bridge Station, Virginia. The Virginia Trail Guide describes it thusly:
“…looks like an immense stone mountain exploded and collapsed into thousands of boulders of every shape and size.”
Australia also has the Devil’s Marbles, a scattered array of large granite boulders in a 4500-acre area of the Northern Territory which was the traditional land of the Warumungu, Kaytetye, Alyawarra and Warlpiri people. They call it “Karlu Karlu”. The rocks are set precariously and have been chemically and physically weathered into rounded shapes. One legend says the natives thought these were the eggs of the rainbow serpent. But the official management plan for the reserve explains the traditional origin:
The whole area of the reserve is known as Ayleparrarntenhe, which is also the name of the place of origin and final resting place of Arrange, the Devil Man—a twin-peaked hill to the east of the reserve. Traditional Owners tell the story of how the Marbles came into being:
Arrange, the Devil Man, came from Ayleparrarntenhe and travelled through the area. During his journey, he was making a hair belt (as worn by initiated men). Twirling the hair into strings, Arrange dropped clusters of hair on the ground. These turned into the Karlu Karlu boulders that can be seen today. On his way back, Arrange spat on the ground. His spit also turned into the granite boulders which dot the central part of the reserve. Arrange finally returned to his place of origin, Ayleparrarntenhe.
Removal or desecration (even climbing) of the rocks and smaller rocks of nearby Devil’s Pebbles (Kunjarra) is said to bring bad luck to the tribes.

Several rocky areas are also called Devil’s Garden with unique vegetation or none at all. The Devil’s Garden portion of Arches National Park in Moab, Utah features “arches, spires, and a large concentration of narrow rock walls called “fins”. The fins are the result of erosion along parallel fractures.
Devil’s Garden, Utah
A section of the High Lava Plains of central Oregon is a kipuka (an area isolated by surrounding lava flows) also known by this name. It was formed from fissure eruptions of basalt.
The Devil’s Playground is not your typical place of joy and laughter, but a grouping of granitic rock features weathered into fantastic forms and eerie shapes. A Tertiary-age (approximately 38 million years old) granitic intrusion overlying Paleozoic (400 to 300 million years old) sedimentary rocks is known as the Emigrant Pass pluton.
Devils Playground, Utah
The deadly Devil’s Playground in the Mohave Desert of California was the nickname pinned on a 17-mile stretch of drifting sand that had neither a track to follow nor water to drink.
In Tennessee, near vertical bedding produces huge rock formations that look like fins (or teeth) protrude from the Southwest flank of Cumberland Mountain known as the Devil’s Racetrack. Hikers and climbers must watch for falls from these rocks.
The Devil’s Race Course is a boulder field in Dauphin County, PA. Rock outcrops along the ridges provided the now rounded boulders. Stream flow from Rattling Run has washed away all the finer sediment. Sometimes the stream can be heard under river of rock. Legend has it that the area’s early settlers believed the sound of the water was the devil running through the depths of hell.
Devil’s Racecourse, PA
The term Devil’s Elbow often refers to an obvious and problematic bend in a river or a road. Most notably, in Pulaski County, Missouri, a sharp turn in the river has this unlucky name. Switchback bends along a hillside are constructed to navigate a steep slope. One such tight curve along a road bordering a rock cliff in New York has an associated legend of the vanishing hitchhiker. The road was eventually straightened to avoid mishaps.
The Devil’s Windpipe is a natural chute in the rocks in Arizona. When the wind blows across the hot landscape, it’s said it feels like the breathing of the devil himself. The Devil’s Throat is a remarkable cave in Bulgaria that swallows the Trigrad River where it funnels through the Hall of Thunder. This cave in the Rhodope Mountains is associated with the legend of Orpheus descending into the underworld to look for Eurydice. There is also a large sinkhole called the Devil’s Throat near Lake Mead in Nevada.
Multiple features exist with the name Devil’s Backbone which typically indicates a prominent ridge of rock that looks like a spine or teeth. Iowa has a state park characterized by a narrow and steep ridge of bedrock carved by a loop of the Maquoketa River. The towers, columns and rocky cliffs make for precipitous climbing. Maryland also has a park where a rock ridge 512 feet above sea level was formed by erosion at the confluence of the Antietam and Beaver Creek and is a noted scenic area. A narrow jutting of rock from a ridge forms a distinct “backbone” across the landscape west of Loveland, Colorado. A particularly striking vertical wall of dark andesite about 1,000 feet long exists within the volcanic crater of Crater Lake, Oregon. The dike was formed when molten lava filled cracks as it forced its way upwards and then solidified. Erosion of the surrounding material has left the resistant material standing. The Illinois “Backbone” is a rocky landmark on a ridge in the Grand Tower area. The rapids near here were supposedly very dangerous and native legends evil spirits were responsible. Nearby is the Devil’s Bake Oven – a nearly 100’ rock on the edge of the river where folklorists have documented ghostly visions and sounds.
Devil’s Backbone, Loveland CO.
About 80,000 to 100,000 years ago in eastern California, basaltic lava gushed from fissures and formed a lake within a glacial-formed valley some 400 feet deep. The lava cooled slowly, forming the hexagonal columnar structure that is so striking (also present in Devil’s Tower and Giant’s Causeway), resembling a pile of posts. Thus, it’s called the Devils Postpile. Glaciers smoothed and scarred the top of the formation. Devils Postpile (no apostrophe – which is the case with most official U.S. “devil” monuments) is now a national monument. A Little Devils Postpile exists in Yosemite.
Devils Postpile National Monument
Devils Lake in Wisconsin, part of a state park, is situated in a deep chasm formed by glacial action. It has no visible inlet or outlet. The lake was originally called “Sacred Lake” or “Spirit Lake” by the natives who considered it sacred where voices of the spirits could be heard. Glacial striations mark the rock surfaces around the lake and there are Native effigy mounds nearby. The lake has spooky legends of a phantom canoer, and lake monster, and some stories say the natives considered it a “place of many dead”.
A similar lake exists in North Dakota, also in a closed basin and also renamed from the Natives’ interpretation of “Spirit Lake”. This lake has been plagued with flooding problems.
Seven Devils Lake is a small reservoir in South Arkansas, located about 14 miles (23 km) out of Monticello. The Lake is formed by Seven Devils Dam. The area got its name from a man who was trapped in the area for days and finally made it out. A reporter asked if he found the rumored seven lakes of the area, but the man stated that there were not seven lakes, but seven devils. This area is the most northern point west of the Mississippi River where American alligators can be found.
Many bare mountain summits are named for their stark barrenness. Several rocky scenic outlooks called Devil’s Knobs are recognized around the world. There are many places called Devil’s Peak often referring to an imposing, rocky mount. Such peaks are in Cape Town in South Africa, Hong Kong, Flanders Range in Australia, Soda Springs, California, Santa Barbara, California, and in Nevada. A location in Baja, California has the Spanish name Picacho del Diablo and is also known as the Cerro de la Encantada or “Hill of the Enchanted”. It is a ragged granite summit that makes for a popular but challenging climb.
Mount Diablo in Contra Costa, California is awash with legends and has a reputation as a strange place. Now a state park, it was historically an important landmark for mapping and navigation because of its visibility and location. It is a geological anomaly, part of a thrust fault complex, growing higher every year due to compression of tectonic plates. Native tribes have various legends about it included the mountain as a point of creation. A notable legend of how the mountain got its name was from a misinterpretation of “Monte del Diablo” meaning “thicket of the devil” after several Natives escaped from the Spanish in 1805 into a nearby thicket. Not long after, the name was interpreted to mean a place of evil spirits. It’s not clear if this name was derived from a genuine tradition of spooky happenings in the area and there have been several attempts to rename the mountain to shake off the diabolical reputation. Author Loren Coleman writes that many unusual incidents have occurred in the Mount Diablo area, appropriate for its reputation, including sightings of black panthers (a difficult-to-explain animal that is reported all too regularly), mysterious lights, apparitions and even a claim of a live frog found in a stony concretion.
West Face of Mount Diablo and Highway 24. By Trurl66 – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5526277
So-called Devil’s bathtubs are deep spots in a creek popular with visitors looking to cool off. In Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio, water falls from rock ledges into the stream where the water swirls into a bowl-shaped gorge. People told stories of this being as deep as hell. The pockets and tunnels were formed from scouring glacial meltwaters thousands of years ago.
In Scott County, Virginia, the Bathtub is a scour pool in the Devil’s Fork of Stony Creek. It’s not the easiest spot to get to and the water is far from hot. Many photos of the location have circulated on social media but these seem to be from the Ohio location, or from some other feature entirely, leading many to be disappointed when they reach this particular tub. The overabundance of visitors prompted by social media has caused local problems and threaten the natural area. The South Dakota version of the devil’s tub is much more secluded. With high rocky cliffs nearby, the water cascades in a chute called “the slide” and swirls into the tub.
According to Wikipedia, there are no less than 105 different locations of the Devil’s Canyon in the United States alone including Utah, Oklahoma, and California. Areas with this designation are typically steep, remote, and have plentiful snakes as residents. In Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, Devil’s Canyon, so far as anyone knows, is so named because of the pinnacles – needles and balanced rocks that form the canyon walls and resemble distorted human forms. A 2017 TV show called “Devil’s Canyon” is based in British Columbia. It is the story of three gold prospectors seeking treasure in the canyon where they believe large deposits have escaped exploitation by big mining companies. But the rough, isolated terrain, bad weather, and wild animals make it an unforgiving location to explore.
A rock formation where the lower strata is more eroded and weathered leaving a larger slab perched precipitously on top are called “tea tables”. Such formations are a variety of hoodoo. Notable examples of Devil’s Tea Tables exist in Athens County, Ohio and in Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest. These features appear to lean in every direction, so whatever side you view it from, it looks like it will fall on you. A tea table feature in McConnelsville, Ohio collapsed in 1906. Explorers who came across the gravity-defying features often attributed their origin to supernatural forces.
Devils Tea Table, McConnelsville
Not necessarily natural are the standing stones in North Yorkshire, England, called Devils Arrows. Legend has it that the Devil himself threw the stones into the ground as arrows to attack Christians in Aldborough but they fell short. The prehistoric monuments likely were constructed as part of a ritual landscape. Similarly, the Devil’s Quoits in Stanton Harcourt are also part of a Neolithic-age stone circle. The legend here is “the Devil once played quoits (a game) with a beggar for his soul or, alternatively, that it was a Sunday and God rebuked him whereby he flung the stones in anger. Many stone circles and henges in the UK remain imbued with New Age and mystical significance.
The most famous Devil’s Gulch, in Garretson, South Dakota, is rife with legends. This 18-20 foot chasm across blocks of quartzite is said to have obtained its name from strange noises made by the winds as they blow through. Split Rock Creek below is associated with a “bottomless pit” in the stream bed. (If it’s bottomless, how does the stream flow over it?) A Native tale tells a different origin story. They called it “Spirit Canyon” and that it was formed when two warriors fought. When the spirit warrior’s tomahawk hit the ground, it split the land forming the gulch. But the most famous legend, now marked on the spot, is that outlaw Jesse James made a getaway by leaping the gap on his horse. The location is now a park and also has Devil’s Falls and the Devil’s Stairway nearby.

When Satan needs a rest, he chooses Devils Throne, a summit in Idaho County, Idaho. It forms part of the Seven Devils Mountains. Or the Devil’s Chair in San Gabriel Mountains is part of the Devil’s Punchbowl.
What is really haunting the Devil’s Swamp in Scotlandville, Louisiana are nasty chemicals that have been poured into it, destroying the ecosystem over the years leaving ghosts of those animals (and people) dead from pollution. Beware when visiting this toxic stew. The Seven Devils Swamp natural area in Arkansas, however, is a healthy and diverse ecosystem.
Part of the Craters of the Moon National monument, Idaho, Devil’s Orchard has trees and vegetation growing from the flood basalt lava flows of the Snake River Plain volcanic province. The Orchard is a group of lava-transported cinder cone fragments that were once part of the North Crater cinder cone but broke off and were carried away by a new lava flow. The place is described as “otherworldly” with the black rocks providing no shade. Shoshone legend speaks of a serpent on a mountain who, angered by lightning, coiled around and squeezed the mountain until liquid rock flowed, fire shot from cracks, and the mountain exploded. Craters of the Moon National Monument was proclaimed on May 2, 1924 by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge to “preserve the unusual and weird volcanic formations”
Devil’s Orchard, Idaho
In the Big South Fork National River and Recreation area in Kentucky/Tennessee, legend has it that a band of brothers looking for salt drilled a well so deep that it hit oil. They became concerned that the well was so deep, it might reach Hell. Finally, they did strike something, but instead of salt brine coming out of the ground a black, smelly, sticky liquid came oozing out of the pipe. These explorers did not know what oil was, and since they were of a religious nature, they were disturbed about the new-found product. When they saw how this black substance burned, they called it Devil’s Tar. One of the crew was sent downstream with a sample but his raft overturned at the rapids. Later, he told the story that the devil himself, angry at the invasion of his domain, leaped from one of the rocks onto the raft sinking it. The rapids were named the Devils Jump.
Two other Devil’s Jumps occur in England. Three little hills near Frensham are said to have been thrown up by the Devil taking three enormous leaps. The Devil’s Jumps in Churt, county of Surrey, (also known as Devil’s Three Jumps) are a series of three small hills made of “ironstone” making them resistant to erosion. The devil made his mark all around this area, according to legend, as several local landmarks play into the story of his visit. For example, the tale goes that Devil made off with the cauldron of the witch, Mother Ludlam. As she chased him, the Devil’s leaps kicked up hills now known as the Devil’s Jumps. He left the cauldron on Kettlebury Hill and also left a valley known as the Devil’s Punch Bowl.
Another tale tells that the Devil amused himself by leaping from the top of each hill to the next. This annoyed the god Thor who picked up a boulder and threw it at the Devil, causing him to flee. The boulder remains at Devil’s Jumps. The same story is told of the Devil’s Jumps near Treyford on the South Downs in West Sussex though these are barrows upon which the Devil jumped. Other round barrows in Stoughton are also called the Devil’s humps.
Similar to the Jumps are the Devils Footprints – grassy meadows that top some peaks in the Appalachian mountains, particularly in the Great Smoky Mountains. These peaks, also called “balds” are where trees won’t grow, legendarily because the devil himself stepped there. More realistic theories are that the treeless patches are the result of past clearing, animal grazing or burning. Or that the soil, climate, or biota prevents trees from growing. It’s not clear why some summits are bald where others are not.
Apparent “footprints” in rock appear at Devils Foot Rock. Many colorful tales are told of the Devil himself leaving the prints as he pursued maidens or stomped in frustration.
Devil’s Promenade in extreme southwestern Missouri is the site of a regionally noted “spook light”. The locals named the four-mile-long gravel road on the border between southwestern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma west of the small town of Hornet, Missouri. Hornet is famous for the Hornet Spooklight (also called the Joplin spooklight) – a seemingly unexplained light that appears in the distance. Some have explained it as normal lights from cars or trains and others insist it is paranormal in nature. The bridge along the Devil’s Promenade was originally a rickety wooden bridge. Legend had it that “anyone who walked back and forth across the bridge five times (or seven or three depending on who you ask) very slowly and asking for the Devil to appear, he would either answer three questions, grant three wishes or of course, kill you. Again this depends on the version you hear.” A concrete bridge was constructed and the story seems to have diminished. One story of the light’s origin was that it is the Devil swinging his Jack-o-lantern. Other stories, according to the Prarie Ghosts website, says the light represents the spirit of two young Quapaw Indians who died in the area. Another claimed the light was the spirit of an Osage Indian chief who had been beheaded on the Devil’s Promenade. As with many spook light stories, the light represents a torch carried by the ghost as he searches for his missing head. The torch motif also shows up in the version of the legend that a miner is searching in vain for his missing children by lantern light. Tellers of these tales claim that the lights and legends existed in Native lore prior to the construction of this road.
Many impressive masonry structures are named the Devil’s Bridge and have associated lore to go with them. The bridge in Sedona, Arizona, in the Coconino National Forest, is a large natural sandstone arch. In Massachusetts, the Devil’s Bridge is a shallow reef running northwest off the northwest corner of Martha’s Vineyard. This hazard to ships was supposedly created by the mighty giant Moshup. The local Wampanoag tribal history tells the tale:
Moshup was building a bridge to Cuttyhunk with heavy boulders when a giant crab latched onto his foot. In his pain and anger, he gave up leaving a treacherous shoal instead. The area has been the site of several shipwrecks.
In North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest is the Devil’s Courthouse. According to Andrea Lankford:
“Cherokees believed an evil spirit [or giant} named Judaculla held court on top of this bare rock summit with a 360 degree view of three states”.
By bradploeger – originally posted to Flickr as Devil’s Courthouse, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4237496
Whiteside Mountain in Jackson County, North Carolina also has a feature of this name. The bare overhanging rock is windy and dangerous.
The Devil’s Apronful cairn consists of a heap of rocks and boulders near Pendle Hill in Lancashire, England. Several natural boulders were used to construct the mound which provides an impressive view both now and back in Bronze Age times. The thousands of rocks of gritstone and sandstone are scattered in a roughly circular area. The area however is mostly limestone. It’s been suggested that the stones were glacial erratics and the stones were gathered by farmers to get them out of the fields. But there are more fantastic origin stories. The Devil was annoyed with people at Clitheroe Castle in the west. To do away with it, he filled an “apron” (quite the visual) with rocks to pitch at them. Most missed and in his rage he dropped the rest on this south side of Pendle Hill, creating Apronful Hill. For the similar Apronful in Yorkshire, the tale is that the Devil was collecting stones in his apron in order to build a bridge or fill in the ravine when his apron string broke (or he tripped) and the stones fell out. The Devil’s Apronful sites were disturbed by curious visitors and looters but are now protected.
The Devil has two “Hopyards”. One is a State Park and public recreation area in East Haddam, Connecticut. There are several ideas about how the place got its curious name. One is that it refers to supernatural origins for the naturally occurring potholes in the area. These potholes were formed by the grinding actions of stones moved downstream by the current when trapped in an eddy, wearing a depression in the rock. To the early settlers the potholes were a great mystery, and as with many “devilish” features, they explained them with references to the supernatural. They thought that the Devil has passed by the falls, accidentally getting his tail wet. This made him so mad he burned holes in the stones with his hooves as he bounded away. A sign in the park tells of the legends regarding the name. Another site with this name is in New Hampshire. This is a boulder-filled ravine where you can sometimes hear water running.
Devil’s Dyke (or ditch) near Bleaklow, in Sussex, England is a deep gully supposedly cut by Satan’s claws when he became enraged at the loss of a prospective soul. Other tales say it is his unfinished ditch as he bet St. Cuthberth he could dig it in one night and flood the town. The tourist-attracting feature is really the result of mass wasting and river erosion into a dip-slope valley. The V-shaped dry valley, the deepest in England, was born from the cold climate of 14,000 years ago when this area of chalk bedrock was covered in snow. During warm seasons, the upper layers of soil and weathered rock slid away with the thaw. Finally, an ancient river carried the material away at the end of the Ice Age. That river is now gone but its valley remains. The high hill showed the surrounding terrain and was used as a defensive position as well as being an impressive location to hold special events. Remains of an Iron Age fort have been found here. The location is managed by the National Trust and is a recreational area. A trail supposedly leads to the alleged burial site of the Devil and his wife. In 1900, a sound called The Howling Terror was heard echoing in the valley. It wasn’t demons but the testing of a new invention called the megaphone being used at the amusement park on the top of the Dyke.
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The information provided here is based on a cursory search of these sites and the entries will be expanded as I discover new source material (or visit them!). Please contact me with your corrections, information (preferably with solid references), and photographs and I will gladly add them to the page. Or, leave your contribution in the comments. Thanks!
Book References
Coleman, L. (2001). Mysterious America (Revised edition). Paraview Press.
Lankford, A. (2006). Haunted Hikes. Santa Monica Press.
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https://sharonahill.com/?p=738

#devil #devilplaces #devilsbackbone #devilselbow #devilsgarden #devilsplayground
Sharon A. Hill @[email protected] · 2018-07-31 · 00:31 UTC

Devil Places
There are countless places in the world named after the Devil (and variations of an evil one in other words and languages). If variations are added such as “Satan,” “Lucifer,” and “Diablo,” for example, the list is massive. Devil places sometimes owe their names to the geology. The features of these places may create a spooky and foreboding feeling that reinforces the local legends of the places being cursed, evil or enchanted.
These places have historically or very recently been associated with spirits, magic, strange phenomenon and/or death. In the U.S., many sacred places of indigenous peoples were renamed by the more puritanical sort as “devil” places in order to demonize the past (and previous spiritual beliefs). Devil places are particularly ubiquitous in New England, where the Puritans started their renaming. The rocky landscape gave them plenty of impetus. They truly believed Satan was about, ready to steal their souls. They considered Indian deities to be demons or devils. Spots where shamans would gather or practice might have been a place of geological uniqueness and were given a bad name by the newcomers.
Connecticut might be nicknamed the devil’s playground with some 34 place names including five Devil’s Dens, four Backbones, two Kitchens and a Dripping Pan, as well as a Hell Hole and two Satan’s Kingdoms. Massachusetts is the most devilish state, with 43 place names. Arizona is chock full of “devil” and “hell” names due to the hellishly hot weather suitable for demons.
Satan’s Kingdom
Legends say that Satan himself claimed the area now called Satan’s Kingdom in New Hartford, Connecticut as his own until the angel Gabriel decided the area was too idyllic and cleared out the dark lord and his band of demons. In Vermont, Satans Kingdom got its name supposedly because the settlers who expected fertile land got difficult rocks and hills instead. In Massachusetts, settlers came into the area in the 1670’s during King Philip’s War, where native villagers defended their land. The rough terrain and dangerous wildlife made it difficult for the settler-colonialists to conquer.
The Northern Cascades National park in Washington is very much a hellscape. The Backpacker.com site says of a hiking trail there: “The devil looms large on this rugged loop—you’ll pass Devils Creek, Pass, Park, Junction, and Dome—and you may curse like Satan during the initial 3,300-foot, 4-mile climb to McMillan Park”.
As you will see in this collection of Devilish places, they commonly are places of remarkable features, desolation, or treacherous traversing.
In 2013, Jonathan Hull did a map of US places with Devil-related names. Though many locations received their names from attributes other than geologically related ones, he noted that Devil-named areas often indicated a dangerous, extreme, or remote place. Sadly, I can’t find the full-scale map online anymore.
This is the best version I could find of Hull’s map.
While my collection is woefully incomplete, I did pick some notable Devil-named locations with geological connections. Several of these warrant their own pages on the site. Click on the titles to head to these pages:
Devil’s Tower
An iconic volcanic feature in the Black Hills of Wyoming was known as being the location in the culminating scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It has become a draw for not only sci-fi enthusiasts but also UFO chasers and New Age believers.
Devil’s Den
To gain this place name, the location usually has stark, huge rock boulders or outcrops, often with caves and crevasses. Several famous locations exist in the U.S. where not only supposedly spirits but also people used as hiding places.
Devil’s Hole
A depression or cave often containing water that has gained a reputation of being deadly, a path to the underworld, or bottomless. (Or all three together). The most famous being the Devil’s Hole of Death Valley, a bizarre oasis in the desert.
Devil’s Kitchen
Scenic locations characterized by their impressive geological features that suggest something evil is cooking.
Devil’s Gate
A cleft or gorge that is considered a dangerous area for natural or supernatural reasons.
Devil’s Punchbowl
Bowl-shaped depressions of various sizes that stand out from the landscape and may look as if they have been deliberately created for or from a nefarious action.
Some lesser known locations with ‘Devil’ names are just as curious. Their oddness prompted locals to bestow upon them an accursed name.
Devils Head Rock, North Carolina
Three locations in Pennsylvania have the name Devil’s Potato Patch to designate boulder fields. One is between Danielsville and Little Gap in Northampton County, just west of the Blue Mtn ski area off the Appalachian Trail. This is an otherwise featureless field of sandstone blocks resulting from frost action that broke up the ridge-forming rock. It is on State Game Lands and, like other boulder fields, is treacherous to traverse and home to sunning snakes. Another Patch is located on the border of Lebanon and Lancaster County near Brickerville. This “river” of diabase boulders is a wooded and graffiti-strewn, neglected and full of various hazards like trash, bottles, and poison ivy. The third is in Salford Township, Montgomery County, where the boulders of diabase will ring when hammered.

Another “Tater Patch” is a windy ridge with spooky twisted trees in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Tennessee/ N. Carolina.
Similar to these rocky landscapes is the Devil’s Marbleyard of the James River Face Wilderness, in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Natural Bridge Station, Virginia. The Virginia Trail Guide describes it thusly:
“…looks like an immense stone mountain exploded and collapsed into thousands of boulders of every shape and size.”
Australia also has the Devil’s Marbles, a scattered array of large granite boulders in a 4500-acre area of the Northern Territory which was the traditional land of the Warumungu, Kaytetye, Alyawarra and Warlpiri people. They call it “Karlu Karlu”. The rocks are set precariously and have been chemically and physically weathered into rounded shapes. One legend says the natives thought these were the eggs of the rainbow serpent. But the official management plan for the reserve explains the traditional origin:
The whole area of the reserve is known as Ayleparrarntenhe, which is also the name of the place of origin and final resting place of Arrange, the Devil Man—a twin-peaked hill to the east of the reserve. Traditional Owners tell the story of how the Marbles came into being:
Arrange, the Devil Man, came from Ayleparrarntenhe and travelled through the area. During his journey, he was making a hair belt (as worn by initiated men). Twirling the hair into strings, Arrange dropped clusters of hair on the ground. These turned into the Karlu Karlu boulders that can be seen today. On his way back, Arrange spat on the ground. His spit also turned into the granite boulders which dot the central part of the reserve. Arrange finally returned to his place of origin, Ayleparrarntenhe.
Removal or desecration (even climbing) of the rocks and smaller rocks of nearby Devil’s Pebbles (Kunjarra) is said to bring bad luck to the tribes.

Several rocky areas are also called Devil’s Garden with unique vegetation or none at all. The Devil’s Garden portion of Arches National Park in Moab, Utah features “arches, spires, and a large concentration of narrow rock walls called “fins”. The fins are the result of erosion along parallel fractures.
Devil’s Garden, Utah
A section of the High Lava Plains of central Oregon is a kipuka (an area isolated by surrounding lava flows) also known by this name. It was formed from fissure eruptions of basalt.
The Devil’s Playground is not your typical place of joy and laughter, but a grouping of granitic rock features weathered into fantastic forms and eerie shapes. A Tertiary-age (approximately 38 million years old) granitic intrusion overlying Paleozoic (400 to 300 million years old) sedimentary rocks is known as the Emigrant Pass pluton.
Devils Playground, Utah
The deadly Devil’s Playground in the Mohave Desert of California was the nickname pinned on a 17-mile stretch of drifting sand that had neither a track to follow nor water to drink.
In Tennessee, near vertical bedding produces huge rock formations that look like fins (or teeth) protrude from the Southwest flank of Cumberland Mountain known as the Devil’s Racetrack. Hikers and climbers must watch for falls from these rocks.
The Devil’s Race Course is a boulder field in Dauphin County, PA. Rock outcrops along the ridges provided the now rounded boulders. Stream flow from Rattling Run has washed away all the finer sediment. Sometimes the stream can be heard under river of rock. Legend has it that the area’s early settlers believed the sound of the water was the devil running through the depths of hell.
Devil’s Racecourse, PA
The term Devil’s Elbow often refers to an obvious and problematic bend in a river or a road. Most notably, in Pulaski County, Missouri, a sharp turn in the river has this unlucky name. Switchback bends along a hillside are constructed to navigate a steep slope. One such tight curve along a road bordering a rock cliff in New York has an associated legend of the vanishing hitchhiker. The road was eventually straightened to avoid mishaps.
The Devil’s Windpipe is a natural chute in the rocks in Arizona. When the wind blows across the hot landscape, it’s said it feels like the breathing of the devil himself. The Devil’s Throat is a remarkable cave in Bulgaria that swallows the Trigrad River where it funnels through the Hall of Thunder. This cave in the Rhodope Mountains is associated with the legend of Orpheus descending into the underworld to look for Eurydice. There is also a large sinkhole called the Devil’s Throat near Lake Mead in Nevada.
Multiple features exist with the name Devil’s Backbone which typically indicates a prominent ridge of rock that looks like a spine or teeth. Iowa has a state park characterized by a narrow and steep ridge of bedrock carved by a loop of the Maquoketa River. The towers, columns and rocky cliffs make for precipitous climbing. Maryland also has a park where a rock ridge 512 feet above sea level was formed by erosion at the confluence of the Antietam and Beaver Creek and is a noted scenic area. A narrow jutting of rock from a ridge forms a distinct “backbone” across the landscape west of Loveland, Colorado. A particularly striking vertical wall of dark andesite about 1,000 feet long exists within the volcanic crater of Crater Lake, Oregon. The dike was formed when molten lava filled cracks as it forced its way upwards and then solidified. Erosion of the surrounding material has left the resistant material standing. The Illinois “Backbone” is a rocky landmark on a ridge in the Grand Tower area. The rapids near here were supposedly very dangerous and native legends evil spirits were responsible. Nearby is the Devil’s Bake Oven – a nearly 100’ rock on the edge of the river where folklorists have documented ghostly visions and sounds.
Devil’s Backbone, Loveland CO.
About 80,000 to 100,000 years ago in eastern California, basaltic lava gushed from fissures and formed a lake within a glacial-formed valley some 400 feet deep. The lava cooled slowly, forming the hexagonal columnar structure that is so striking (also present in Devil’s Tower and Giant’s Causeway), resembling a pile of posts. Thus, it’s called the Devils Postpile. Glaciers smoothed and scarred the top of the formation. Devils Postpile (no apostrophe – which is the case with most official U.S. “devil” monuments) is now a national monument. A Little Devils Postpile exists in Yosemite.
Devils Postpile National Monument
Devils Lake in Wisconsin, part of a state park, is situated in a deep chasm formed by glacial action. It has no visible inlet or outlet. The lake was originally called “Sacred Lake” or “Spirit Lake” by the natives who considered it sacred where voices of the spirits could be heard. Glacial striations mark the rock surfaces around the lake and there are Native effigy mounds nearby. The lake has spooky legends of a phantom canoer, and lake monster, and some stories say the natives considered it a “place of many dead”.
A similar lake exists in North Dakota, also in a closed basin and also renamed from the Natives’ interpretation of “Spirit Lake”. This lake has been plagued with flooding problems.
Seven Devils Lake is a small reservoir in South Arkansas, located about 14 miles (23 km) out of Monticello. The Lake is formed by Seven Devils Dam. The area got its name from a man who was trapped in the area for days and finally made it out. A reporter asked if he found the rumored seven lakes of the area, but the man stated that there were not seven lakes, but seven devils. This area is the most northern point west of the Mississippi River where American alligators can be found.
Many bare mountain summits are named for their stark barrenness. Several rocky scenic outlooks called Devil’s Knobs are recognized around the world. There are many places called Devil’s Peak often referring to an imposing, rocky mount. Such peaks are in Cape Town in South Africa, Hong Kong, Flanders Range in Australia, Soda Springs, California, Santa Barbara, California, and in Nevada. A location in Baja, California has the Spanish name Picacho del Diablo and is also known as the Cerro de la Encantada or “Hill of the Enchanted”. It is a ragged granite summit that makes for a popular but challenging climb.
Mount Diablo in Contra Costa, California is awash with legends and has a reputation as a strange place. Now a state park, it was historically an important landmark for mapping and navigation because of its visibility and location. It is a geological anomaly, part of a thrust fault complex, growing higher every year due to compression of tectonic plates. Native tribes have various legends about it included the mountain as a point of creation. A notable legend of how the mountain got its name was from a misinterpretation of “Monte del Diablo” meaning “thicket of the devil” after several Natives escaped from the Spanish in 1805 into a nearby thicket. Not long after, the name was interpreted to mean a place of evil spirits. It’s not clear if this name was derived from a genuine tradition of spooky happenings in the area and there have been several attempts to rename the mountain to shake off the diabolical reputation. Author Loren Coleman writes that many unusual incidents have occurred in the Mount Diablo area, appropriate for its reputation, including sightings of black panthers (a difficult-to-explain animal that is reported all too regularly), mysterious lights, apparitions and even a claim of a live frog found in a stony concretion.
West Face of Mount Diablo and Highway 24. By Trurl66 – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5526277
So-called Devil’s bathtubs are deep spots in a creek popular with visitors looking to cool off. In Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio, water falls from rock ledges into the stream where the water swirls into a bowl-shaped gorge. People told stories of this being as deep as hell. The pockets and tunnels were formed from scouring glacial meltwaters thousands of years ago.
In Scott County, Virginia, the Bathtub is a scour pool in the Devil’s Fork of Stony Creek. It’s not the easiest spot to get to and the water is far from hot. Many photos of the location have circulated on social media but these seem to be from the Ohio location, or from some other feature entirely, leading many to be disappointed when they reach this particular tub. The overabundance of visitors prompted by social media has caused local problems and threaten the natural area. The South Dakota version of the devil’s tub is much more secluded. With high rocky cliffs nearby, the water cascades in a chute called “the slide” and swirls into the tub.
According to Wikipedia, there are no less than 105 different locations of the Devil’s Canyon in the United States alone including Utah, Oklahoma, and California. Areas with this designation are typically steep, remote, and have plentiful snakes as residents. In Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, Devil’s Canyon, so far as anyone knows, is so named because of the pinnacles – needles and balanced rocks that form the canyon walls and resemble distorted human forms. A 2017 TV show called “Devil’s Canyon” is based in British Columbia. It is the story of three gold prospectors seeking treasure in the canyon where they believe large deposits have escaped exploitation by big mining companies. But the rough, isolated terrain, bad weather, and wild animals make it an unforgiving location to explore.
A rock formation where the lower strata is more eroded and weathered leaving a larger slab perched precipitously on top are called “tea tables”. Such formations are a variety of hoodoo. Notable examples of Devil’s Tea Tables exist in Athens County, Ohio and in Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest. These features appear to lean in every direction, so whatever side you view it from, it looks like it will fall on you. A tea table feature in McConnelsville, Ohio collapsed in 1906. Explorers who came across the gravity-defying features often attributed their origin to supernatural forces.
Devils Tea Table, McConnelsville
Not necessarily natural are the standing stones in North Yorkshire, England, called Devils Arrows. Legend has it that the Devil himself threw the stones into the ground as arrows to attack Christians in Aldborough but they fell short. The prehistoric monuments likely were constructed as part of a ritual landscape. Similarly, the Devil’s Quoits in Stanton Harcourt are also part of a Neolithic-age stone circle. The legend here is “the Devil once played quoits (a game) with a beggar for his soul or, alternatively, that it was a Sunday and God rebuked him whereby he flung the stones in anger. Many stone circles and henges in the UK remain imbued with New Age and mystical significance.
The most famous Devil’s Gulch, in Garretson, South Dakota, is rife with legends. This 18-20 foot chasm across blocks of quartzite is said to have obtained its name from strange noises made by the winds as they blow through. Split Rock Creek below is associated with a “bottomless pit” in the stream bed. (If it’s bottomless, how does the stream flow over it?) A Native tale tells a different origin story. They called it “Spirit Canyon” and that it was formed when two warriors fought. When the spirit warrior’s tomahawk hit the ground, it split the land forming the gulch. But the most famous legend, now marked on the spot, is that outlaw Jesse James made a getaway by leaping the gap on his horse. The location is now a park and also has Devil’s Falls and the Devil’s Stairway nearby.

When Satan needs a rest, he chooses Devils Throne, a summit in Idaho County, Idaho. It forms part of the Seven Devils Mountains. Or the Devil’s Chair in San Gabriel Mountains is part of the Devil’s Punchbowl.
What is really haunting the Devil’s Swamp in Scotlandville, Louisiana are nasty chemicals that have been poured into it, destroying the ecosystem over the years leaving ghosts of those animals (and people) dead from pollution. Beware when visiting this toxic stew. The Seven Devils Swamp natural area in Arkansas, however, is a healthy and diverse ecosystem.
Part of the Craters of the Moon National monument, Idaho, Devil’s Orchard has trees and vegetation growing from the flood basalt lava flows of the Snake River Plain volcanic province. The Orchard is a group of lava-transported cinder cone fragments that were once part of the North Crater cinder cone but broke off and were carried away by a new lava flow. The place is described as “otherworldly” with the black rocks providing no shade. Shoshone legend speaks of a serpent on a mountain who, angered by lightning, coiled around and squeezed the mountain until liquid rock flowed, fire shot from cracks, and the mountain exploded. Craters of the Moon National Monument was proclaimed on May 2, 1924 by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge to “preserve the unusual and weird volcanic formations”
Devil’s Orchard, Idaho
In the Big South Fork National River and Recreation area in Kentucky/Tennessee, legend has it that a band of brothers looking for salt drilled a well so deep that it hit oil. They became concerned that the well was so deep, it might reach Hell. Finally, they did strike something, but instead of salt brine coming out of the ground a black, smelly, sticky liquid came oozing out of the pipe. These explorers did not know what oil was, and since they were of a religious nature, they were disturbed about the new-found product. When they saw how this black substance burned, they called it Devil’s Tar. One of the crew was sent downstream with a sample but his raft overturned at the rapids. Later, he told the story that the devil himself, angry at the invasion of his domain, leaped from one of the rocks onto the raft sinking it. The rapids were named the Devils Jump.
Two other Devil’s Jumps occur in England. Three little hills near Frensham are said to have been thrown up by the Devil taking three enormous leaps. The Devil’s Jumps in Churt, county of Surrey, (also known as Devil’s Three Jumps) are a series of three small hills made of “ironstone” making them resistant to erosion. The devil made his mark all around this area, according to legend, as several local landmarks play into the story of his visit. For example, the tale goes that Devil made off with the cauldron of the witch, Mother Ludlam. As she chased him, the Devil’s leaps kicked up hills now known as the Devil’s Jumps. He left the cauldron on Kettlebury Hill and also left a valley known as the Devil’s Punch Bowl.
Another tale tells that the Devil amused himself by leaping from the top of each hill to the next. This annoyed the god Thor who picked up a boulder and threw it at the Devil, causing him to flee. The boulder remains at Devil’s Jumps. The same story is told of the Devil’s Jumps near Treyford on the South Downs in West Sussex though these are barrows upon which the Devil jumped. Other round barrows in Stoughton are also called the Devil’s humps.
Similar to the Jumps are the Devils Footprints – grassy meadows that top some peaks in the Appalachian mountains, particularly in the Great Smoky Mountains. These peaks, also called “balds” are where trees won’t grow, legendarily because the devil himself stepped there. More realistic theories are that the treeless patches are the result of past clearing, animal grazing or burning. Or that the soil, climate, or biota prevents trees from growing. It’s not clear why some summits are bald where others are not.
Apparent “footprints” in rock appear at Devils Foot Rock. Many colorful tales are told of the Devil himself leaving the prints as he pursued maidens or stomped in frustration.
Devil’s Promenade in extreme southwestern Missouri is the site of a regionally noted “spook light”. The locals named the four-mile-long gravel road on the border between southwestern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma west of the small town of Hornet, Missouri. Hornet is famous for the Hornet Spooklight (also called the Joplin spooklight) – a seemingly unexplained light that appears in the distance. Some have explained it as normal lights from cars or trains and others insist it is paranormal in nature. The bridge along the Devil’s Promenade was originally a rickety wooden bridge. Legend had it that “anyone who walked back and forth across the bridge five times (or seven or three depending on who you ask) very slowly and asking for the Devil to appear, he would either answer three questions, grant three wishes or of course, kill you. Again this depends on the version you hear.” A concrete bridge was constructed and the story seems to have diminished. One story of the light’s origin was that it is the Devil swinging his Jack-o-lantern. Other stories, according to the Prarie Ghosts website, says the light represents the spirit of two young Quapaw Indians who died in the area. Another claimed the light was the spirit of an Osage Indian chief who had been beheaded on the Devil’s Promenade. As with many spook light stories, the light represents a torch carried by the ghost as he searches for his missing head. The torch motif also shows up in the version of the legend that a miner is searching in vain for his missing children by lantern light. Tellers of these tales claim that the lights and legends existed in Native lore prior to the construction of this road.
Many impressive masonry structures are named the Devil’s Bridge and have associated lore to go with them. The bridge in Sedona, Arizona, in the Coconino National Forest, is a large natural sandstone arch. In Massachusetts, the Devil’s Bridge is a shallow reef running northwest off the northwest corner of Martha’s Vineyard. This hazard to ships was supposedly created by the mighty giant Moshup. The local Wampanoag tribal history tells the tale:
Moshup was building a bridge to Cuttyhunk with heavy boulders when a giant crab latched onto his foot. In his pain and anger, he gave up leaving a treacherous shoal instead. The area has been the site of several shipwrecks.
In North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest is the Devil’s Courthouse. According to Andrea Lankford:
“Cherokees believed an evil spirit [or giant} named Judaculla held court on top of this bare rock summit with a 360 degree view of three states”.
By bradploeger – originally posted to Flickr as Devil’s Courthouse, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4237496
Whiteside Mountain in Jackson County, North Carolina also has a feature of this name. The bare overhanging rock is windy and dangerous.
The Devil’s Apronful cairn consists of a heap of rocks and boulders near Pendle Hill in Lancashire, England. Several natural boulders were used to construct the mound which provides an impressive view both now and back in Bronze Age times. The thousands of rocks of gritstone and sandstone are scattered in a roughly circular area. The area however is mostly limestone. It’s been suggested that the stones were glacial erratics and the stones were gathered by farmers to get them out of the fields. But there are more fantastic origin stories. The Devil was annoyed with people at Clitheroe Castle in the west. To do away with it, he filled an “apron” (quite the visual) with rocks to pitch at them. Most missed and in his rage he dropped the rest on this south side of Pendle Hill, creating Apronful Hill. For the similar Apronful in Yorkshire, the tale is that the Devil was collecting stones in his apron in order to build a bridge or fill in the ravine when his apron string broke (or he tripped) and the stones fell out. The Devil’s Apronful sites were disturbed by curious visitors and looters but are now protected.
The Devil has two “Hopyards”. One is a State Park and public recreation area in East Haddam, Connecticut. There are several ideas about how the place got its curious name. One is that it refers to supernatural origins for the naturally occurring potholes in the area. These potholes were formed by the grinding actions of stones moved downstream by the current when trapped in an eddy, wearing a depression in the rock. To the early settlers the potholes were a great mystery, and as with many “devilish” features, they explained them with references to the supernatural. They thought that the Devil has passed by the falls, accidentally getting his tail wet. This made him so mad he burned holes in the stones with his hooves as he bounded away. A sign in the park tells of the legends regarding the name. Another site with this name is in New Hampshire. This is a boulder-filled ravine where you can sometimes hear water running.
Devil’s Dyke (or ditch) near Bleaklow, in Sussex, England is a deep gully supposedly cut by Satan’s claws when he became enraged at the loss of a prospective soul. Other tales say it is his unfinished ditch as he bet St. Cuthberth he could dig it in one night and flood the town. The tourist-attracting feature is really the result of mass wasting and river erosion into a dip-slope valley. The V-shaped dry valley, the deepest in England, was born from the cold climate of 14,000 years ago when this area of chalk bedrock was covered in snow. During warm seasons, the upper layers of soil and weathered rock slid away with the thaw. Finally, an ancient river carried the material away at the end of the Ice Age. That river is now gone but its valley remains. The high hill showed the surrounding terrain and was used as a defensive position as well as being an impressive location to hold special events. Remains of an Iron Age fort have been found here. The location is managed by the National Trust and is a recreational area. A trail supposedly leads to the alleged burial site of the Devil and his wife. In 1900, a sound called The Howling Terror was heard echoing in the valley. It wasn’t demons but the testing of a new invention called the megaphone being used at the amusement park on the top of the Dyke.
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The information provided here is based on a cursory search of these sites and the entries will be expanded as I discover new source material (or visit them!). Please contact me with your corrections, information (preferably with solid references), and photographs and I will gladly add them to the page. Or, leave your contribution in the comments. Thanks!
Book References
Coleman, L. (2001). Mysterious America (Revised edition). Paraview Press.
Lankford, A. (2006). Haunted Hikes. Santa Monica Press.
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https://sharonahill.com/?p=738

#devil #devilplaces #devilsbackbone #devilselbow #devilsgarden #devilsplayground