#greataytonmoor — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #greataytonmoor, aggregated by home.social.
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A Holloway to Gribdale Gate
I have long been fascinated by this track and steep-sided gorge that leads to Gribdale Gate on the Lonsdale side. Its form suggests deliberate shaping, as though carved by generations travelling to and from Great Ayton Moor. The talus slope is composed of shaley mudstone, which weathers into a slick, unstable mass, more mud than stone whe ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2026/02/23/a-holloway-to-gribdale-gate/
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Is “Managing” Nature the Right Thing to Do, or Just an Excuse?
It never fails to weary me how interest groups reach for academic work as a drunk reaches for a lamppost, more for support than illumination. A paper appears, and before the ink is dry it is trimmed, polished, and made to serve a house creed. We have seen the trick befor ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2026/02/15/is-managing-nature-the-right-thing-to-do-or-just-an-excuse/
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The Belt of Venus
I came across an article the other day about the Belt of Venus. It is one of those quiet marvels the sky puts on without fuss, turning up often enough, yet missed by most people because they are too busy staring straight at the sunset or sunrise like moths at a bulb. The trick is that it appears on the opposite side of the sky.
So, wit ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2026/01/05/the-belt-of-venus/
#CliffRigg #GreatAytonMoor #NewtonMoor #NorthYorkMoors #Astronomy #sky
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Snow on Great Ayton Moor
Despite the cold and the driving snow, the figures about to pass on this path on Great Ayton Moor carry a quiet determination. The dog walker pushing into the headwind shows a calm determination, choosing fresh air and motion over comfort. His dog, meanwhile, remains happily unaware of the brief, restless drama of the falling snow.
The wide, open moor and the ...
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Paths on the Map but not on the Ground
This boundary stone on Great Ayton Moor stands on its highest point as though it has nothing better to do than provide a focus to anyone passing by. A glance at the O.S. map shows this top lies on a junction of a Public Bridleway between Gribdale and Hutton, plus two Public Footpaths approaching from the west, one ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/11/29/paths-on-the-map-but-not-on-the-ground/
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Toad in the Hole
How thoughtful the keepers appear to be, fashioning what looks like a charming wildlife pond in the middle of the grouse moor. A touching gesture, if one overlooks the small detail that this idyllic pool is also a shooting butt where folk crouch, lie in wait, and unleash a storm of shot at birds driven overhead. Should the heavens open, the “sportsmen” will ...
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The Yow and Two Boundary Stones
The yow was waiting for me. At least, that is how it felt. She stood beside two boundary stones as if on sentry duty, a glint of mischief in her eye and a smile that gave nothing away. Mona Lisa would have approved.
One stone is plain but upright, the other broken and almost recumbent, resting against its base. Its surviving inscripti ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/08/15/the-yow-and-two-boundary-stones/
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Reflections at Lonsdale Quarry
Lonsdale Quarry was fully operational during in 1874, run by a Mr Grievson. It was likely the source of stone for Christ Church in Great Ayton, opened in 1877. The quarry is now quiet, a place for solitude and reflection. But it also holds a bleak memory.
One Monday in May 1874, quarryman James Smith arrived for work with his dog ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/07/21/reflections-at-lonsdale-quarry/
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A Costly Collop — The Ubiquitous Smoke of Burning Heather
A view south-east, straight into a hazy sun, down Lonsdale and across to Kildale Moor. The scene is, of course, marred by a hibernal plume of smoke from the burning of the heather, because no landscape is complete without an artificial smog. But enough about that.
Today is the ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/2025/03/03/a-costly-collop-the-ubiquitous-smoke-of-burning-heather/
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Four Years On: From Relief to Dread
A dreary morning on Great Ayton Moor, perfectly suited to my mood.
Four years ago, I posted about watching Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th President of the United States. It was the first time I had ever bothered with such a ceremony, accompanied by an immense sense of relief. Today, there is no such relief—only unease and dread. What delightful surprises will the next f ...
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William Mudd: Lichens, Legacy, and a Whiff of Whisky
There I was, trudging along the escarpment of Great Ayton Moor this morning, mulling over what I might post about today, when a patched-up bit of dry-stone wall caught my eye. Naturally, my thoughts turned to how many times one can repair a wall before it ceases to be the original. Yes, I am aware this is not precisely “The Ship of Theseus”— ...
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‘Twas frost and thro leet wid a o’ greymin snaw“
Oh, it was but the gentlest sprinkle, a mere whisper of winter—a “greymin,” they used to call it—scarcely enough to cover the tops of these two boundary stones on Newton Moor.
The snow flurry arrived just as I was striding along the edge of the moor. There is nothing quite so invigorating as being caught in a swirl of snow.
These stones, age- ...
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Paradise Lost? The Noble Art of Swidden Burning
Ah, the noble swiddens! That iconic mosaic left by the beneficent, precise art of setting fire to the countryside, all for the good of its charming inhabitants: grouse—who, one imagines, must dance a jolly jig calling 'hahahahahaha' when those nutritious shoots emerge. How delightful to know that we can rely on a “low-temperature” burn, bare ...
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Cumulus, Cirrus, and The Cleveland Hills
As I trudged along the escarpment of Great Ayton Moor, my eyes were drawn southwestward, where a rather theatrical display of clouds was being jostled along by an brisk southwesterly wind. My morning walk had started with a few ominous spots of rain, but which was grudgingly giving way to clear skies.
One cannot help but marvel at how often ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=36115
#ClevelandHills #GreatAytonMoor #NorthYorkMoors #meteorological
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Purple Haze: Ling’s Role in Yorkshire’s Past
For a brief spell each year, the North York Moors are transformed into a sea of iconic purple. The ling, or heather, is not quite at its peak yet; it remains patchy, especially here on Great Ayton Moor.
Some may argue that these vast stretches of purple moorland lack diversity and serve only the grouse shooting industry. Yet, it is worth not ...
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Ragwort: Friend to Insects, Foe to Livestock
Another dreich day forces me to turn to *Flora Britannica* for today’s photo.
Ragworts, a group of daisy-like flowers, include several species, with the Common Ragwort being particularly notorious. This native, biennial plant, sometimes perennial, disperses its seeds by the wind. One plant can produce thousands, making it a potential nuisance on waste ...
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Beyond the Mist — The Battle of Stokesley
This morning, the air on Great Ayton Moor was crystal clear, but away in the south-west, a low mist crept up the Vale of Cleveland, making the wind turbines at Seamer look like they're levitating.
That white house yonder caught my eye. Turns out, it's Howe Hill. Now, I can therefore take a brief detour into a tale about the Saxon Battle of Stokesl ...
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When Satnavs Lead Astray: A Tale from a Trail Race
Great Ayton Moor, a dull overcast day but dry. That's Capt. Cook's Monument is the distance. I found myself thinking about an observation I made over the weekend.
I found myself manning a checkpoint on a trail race that traversed my local moors. This particular checkpoint was strategically positioned at the intersection of public bridleways, and it should have ...
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On this day in 1804: Jane Ewbank’s Journey to Whitby
Hardly a week goes by without news of some historical document being digitised. Recently, a diary of a lady named Jane Ewbank who lived in York during the time of the Napoleonic Wars has been published.
Jane was born in 1778, and her father, George Ewbank, was a well-known druggist and banker in York. He had his shop on Castlegate in the ci ...
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And so the Ling season begins
It's that Ling season. Suddenly, in spite of the damp weather over the last week, the heather blooms have emerged, although they haven't reached their fullest splendour just yet. Expect more photos of the purple haze to come in the month ahead.
Heather, in a wholly natural habitat, gives off a modest display compared to the flamboy ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=32783
#GreatAytonMoor #NorthYorkMoors #RoseberryTopping #CallunaVulgaris #Fraoch #heather
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Cercy Pross Rigg and its chet warm
On this day in 1844, a man named William Archibald Spooner was born. He later became an Anglican clergyman and warden of New College, Oxford. What made him famous were his 'Spoonerisms,' where he accidentally switched letters in phrases, resulting in amusing expressions like 'It is kisstomary to cuss the bride,' and 'a well-boiled icicle.'
So on the anniversary of S ...
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Ayton Bank — and a delve into the world of ‘Tumblers’
This morning, I was lucky enough to get dropped off in Guisborough, and decided to walk back home, a one-way trip; avoiding, of course, the more popular paths since it's a Sunday.
Ayton Bank is off the beaten track that offers a quiet location. In the distance is Easby Moor, topped with Capt. Cook's Monument. The broken ground in the for ...
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Everytime I go up to Capt. Cook’s Monument I find another area of clear felling
This is on Little Ayton Moor, above Hunter's Scar — note to self: have a look at this feature — revealing a view of the whole of the short valley between Roseberry Topping, Black Bank and Great Ayton Moor. A view that has not been seen for perhaps half a century.
To me, a view such as this, even on a wet and w ...
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Clear felling on Little Ayton Moor has opened up super views across Great Ayton Moor all the way to Highcliff Nab
A light overnight snowfall hides the debris from the forestry work.
I guess the remainder of the forestry will go in due course.
Great Ayton Moor has a wealth of archaeological features which I've posted about many ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=30919
#AytonBank #ClevelandWay #GreatAytonMoor #Gribdale #LittleAytonMoor #Lonsdale #NorthYorkMoors #archaeological #snow
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An early start
It was dry when I left home but by Gribdale Gate, the wind had picked up and it was beginning to spit, and any thoughts of photography had been forgotten.
Still, it was pleasant to see Gribdale empty of cars; apart from two early dog walkers.
It's has always been a popular car park as the easiest ascent up to Capt. Cook's Monument, ...
http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=30716
#Capt.Cook'sMonument #GreatAyton #GreatAytonMoor #Gribdale #NorthYorkMoors #BeatingoftheBounds