There and Back

Autumn is a beautiful time of year despite the imminent threat of Winter round the corner. Some years we have masses of colour, but in others, the leaves are off the trees before we can appreciate them.  Here are a few images taken in 2010, and mostly in close proximity to where we live, starting  with some leaves. Leaves still on the trees, and below are some that are on the ground. Steps This is the time of year that we see the most fungi, although they can be spotted at varying times in the year. The reasonably common  Fly Agaric (Aminita muscaria) Another common one, the Shaggy Parasol (Macrolepiota procera) Perhaps we don't see these quite as much, the Crested Coral (Clavulina coralloides) The Brett with reflections of the autumnal colours. Mist - beautiful, but a hazard if you are on the road! More reflections on the Brett Drips of moisture on the Rose hips The local ch...

The Cotswolds are certainly an area we must explore in the future. We stopped overnight, at the Snooty Fox, and then travelled on next day. Too short - must come again! Tetbury is an historic market town in the heart of the Cotswolds, featuring a 17th century market hall and some lovely Jacobean and Elizabethan buildings. The first written record of Tetbury occurs in 681 AD, when Ethelred of Mercia gave 15 acres of land near 'Tette's monastery' to the abbey of Malmesbury. Who Tette was, we do not know for certain, but we do know that a woman of that name was abbess of a monastic settlement at Wimborne around this time. It is possible that the current church of St Mary the Virgin was built on the site of an earlier Saxon monastic settlement.So, plenty of history for me to get my teeth into.. But for now just a few images. In much the same way that Big Ben is an icon of London, or Arlington Row is an icon of Bibury, the Market Hall is the icon of Tetbury. Locate...

Over a couple of days we explored a few places in the area, as we were new to North Yorkshire. What a fabulous county!. There is so much history and amazing and varied history up this part of England. I think we need longer than our week Anyway, off to Dalby Forest to explore, with one particular place in mind The Bridestones - a series of "outcrops of millstone grit rocks and boulders which are ½ a mile long. Amongst these rocky outcrops are a number of odd-shaped formations that have been caused by weather-related erosion over thousands, if not millions of years. One huge boulder in particular, known as ‘The Great Bridestone’ is fantastically shaped at its base, looking like an up-turned bottle, as if it might topple over at any moment. There are a number of myths and legends associated with The Bridestones, many of these going back to the mists of time. More recently, perhaps, there are a number of local traditions that have become connected to the place and its ...

With its higgledy-piggledy cottages and winding streets, Staithes has the air of a place lost in time. Once one of the largest fishing ports on the North East coast, this coastal hamlet is now a well-loved base for exploring Yorkshire's cliff top paths and discovering the delights of rock pooling and fossil hunting on the small sandy beach. Unfortunately, we arrived when the tide was out, which rendered the cliff top `picture postcard` view, a bit of a damp squid!! A couple of views from the beach showing the village, as well as some of the boats moored near the harbour. One of Staiths`s great sons was James Cook (1728-1779), born in the village of Marton near Middlesbrough and later apprenticed to a draper in the small fishing harbour of Staithes (11 miles north of Whitby). He fell in love with the sea and his time in Staithes is remembered in the Captain Cook and Staithes Heritage Centre. Later he moved to Whitby and became a trainee with a local shipping fi...

Today we planned a trip to Whitby - a place we have not previously visited. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Cliff is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey, where Cædmon, the earliest recognised English poet, lived. The fishing port emerged during the Middle Ages, supporting important herring and whaling fleets, and was where Captain Cook learned seamanship. Tourism started in Whitby during the Georgian period and developed with the arrival of the railway in 1839. Its attraction as a tourist destination is enhanced by the proximity of the high ground of the North York Moors national park and the heritage coastline and by association with the horror novel Dracula. The earliest record of a permanent settlement is in 656, when as Streanæshealh it was the place where Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria, founded the first abbey, under the abbess Hilda. The Synod of Whitby was held there ...