Tag Archives: transportation

Gibbet Hill and Carlin Gill ??? That???s Entertainment

Posted on April 14, 2015 by

GIBBET Hill has history. Little more than a slope in the Tebay Gorge ??? which separates the Howgill Fells from the Lake District ??? it was the site where, in 1684, local villain William Smurthwaite???s body was left to rot … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Climbing, Death, Environment, Footpaths, Hiking, History, Legends, Mountains, Rivers, Running, The Romans, Walking | Tagged , , , , , | 29 Comments

Washed up at Gibraltar

Posted on March 17, 2015 by

DRIVING down the Lincolnshire coast I spot a promontory called Gibraltar Point. It has a national nature reserve with marshlands stretching out into the Wash. I reckon it will be a perfect place to stretch the legs for a couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Footpaths, Hiking, Life, Rivers, Second World War, Shipping Forecast, Walking, Weather, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Sweet Tees Flow Softly (Black Friday Aftermath)

Posted on December 1, 2014 by

IN this land of eternal gloom, where fog hangs in grey air and moisture drips from autumn berries and bedraggled sheep, Romans once marched to distant outposts on a cold northern frontier. They crossed many rivers on their journey from … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Belfast sinks, Black Friday, English language, Environment, Ewan MacColl, Footpaths, Hiking, History, Iron Age, Jargon, Railway goods wagons, Ranting, Rivers, Ruins, Teesdale, Teesside, The Romans, Walking, Weather, York | Tagged , , , | 51 Comments

Not Everything is Black and White on Barningham Moor

Posted on November 27, 2014 by

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

Faggergill: Out of the Fryingpan into the Mire

Posted on November 7, 2014 by

BETWEEN Reeth and Tan Hill lies a land of strange names. It???s a country where wild open moors and grassy dales are neatly partitioned by walls built seemingly randomly, and generations of people have drifted through in search of shelter … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Belfast sinks, Bronze Age, Climbing, Cup and ring carvings, Environment, Explosives, Footpaths, Geology, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Railway goods wagons, Stone Circles, Tan Hill Inn, The Romans, Unemployment, Vikings, Walking | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments

Restless at North Gare

Posted on October 28, 2014 by

I???VE been drawn to the sea because it???s the time of year when things migrate. The seasons change and life adapts. Birds fly south and animals hoard food for winter. People tune into their primeval instincts and gather stuff for … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, History, Industrial archaeology, Life, Rivers, South Gare, Teesside | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

A Cook’s Tour of the Cleveland Hills

Posted on October 22, 2014 by

CAPTAIN James Cook is one of Britain’s most celebrated maritime heroes. Born to lowly farming folk in the Teesside village of Marton, his destiny lay not in farming ??? or shopkeeping, to which he was briefly apprenticed ??? but as … Continue reading →

Posted in Camping, Captain James Cook, Cleveland Way, Climbing, Death, Footpaths, Hiking, History, Mountains, Railway goods wagons, Railways, Teesside, Vikings, Walking, Weather | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments