Category Archives: Great North Road

Not Everything is Black and White on Barningham Moor

I DRIVE the rattly van to the top of Barningham Moor and it gets stuck in slithery grass while I???m trying to park. I stall the engine and can???t start it again because the starter motor jams. Mist rolls in … Continue reading

Posted in Allotments, Archaeology, Bronze Age, Camping, Cup and ring carvings, Environment, Footpaths, Geology, Great North Road, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Iron Age, Mountains, Shipping Forecast, Stone Circles, Teesdale, The Romans, Walking, Weather, York | Tagged , , , , | 47 Comments

In Between One England and Another

I’M in between mountains at the moment. And I’m in between jobs. I’m in between a lot of stuff. If I wrote a book I’d call it The Inbetweener but I’d probably get sued. Today I’m going for a walk … Continue reading

Posted in Cleveland Way, Climbing, Footpaths, Great North Road, Hiking, Jargon, Life, Mountains, Ranting, Redundancy, Ruins, Teesdale, Unemployment, Walking | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments

Stanwick Camp ??? A Thorn in the Foot

A walk to Stanwick Camp ??? the capital of Brigantia . . . Continue reading

Posted in Archaeology, Environment, Footpaths, Great North Road, Hiking, History, Iron Age, Life, Stone Circles, The Romans, Walking | Tagged , | 32 Comments

It???s Time to Migrate

I HEAR wild noises and glance into the sky as a skein of geese passes over the garden. So I light a fire in front of the shed and prepare to move my sheep to winter pastures . . .

Posted in Beetroot, Great North Road, History, Life, Mountains, Vikings | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Counting the Stones on the Brough-Bowes Turnpike

BELDOO Moss is not the most spectacular hill in the north Pennines. Few people have heard of it; even fewer have tramped across it. But it does harbour one or two surprising features that make it worth a visit. I???ve … Continue reading

Posted in Archaeology, Bronze Age, Cup and ring carvings, Great North Road, Hiking, History, Mountains, The Romans, Walking | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

London 1: Old Roads, Karl Marx, Two Dicks

The best thing to do on a visit to London is get the hiking boots out . . . Continue reading

Posted in Beer, Dick Turpin, Environment, Great North Road, Hiking, History, Karl Marx, Politics, The Spaniards Inn, Walking | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

The Great North Road ??? Carved by Feet and Hooves

I LIVE on an ancient highway. It???s called the Great North Road. For many hundreds of years it???s been the main arterial link between the capital cities of two countries ??? England and Scotland. It is woven into history, folklore … Continue reading

Posted in Archaeology, Environment, Great North Road, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Life, The Romans, Walking | Tagged , | 34 Comments