Forest Fire…the Symbolism of Trees
It’s getting dark quickly. I’m leaning on a viewing platform on the edge of a forest, looking down a valley, then up again at Bilsdale, about the same height as … Continue reading
Closer to home…acid rain, missing graveyards and wishful memories of a long lost Daddy
Closer to home now; not the home I made for myself, or the home I grew up in, but the home of my grandparents, where my Mam grew up as … Continue reading
Settling down…
The sound of nature settling down, having its last swansong before the dark comes, safe in the knowledge it will be at least another hour or so before it starts … Continue reading
Mutilated Effigies, a Deserted Medieval Village and a Sub-Sea Engineer in Cuthbert’s Town
The church at South Cowton is fortress-like, its solid no-nonsense walls and thin windows built to withstand the tumultuous times it was built in – the 15th Century; when life … Continue reading
Human Jawbones and Captured Crows…
We drive back and forth through Overton a few times, can’t spot a church anywhere, wonder if we really do have the right Overton this time; there are eight in … Continue reading
Quarries, Coalyards and Viking York
Another cold night to come, heightened by the fact we’ve realised why the second gas bottle wasn’t working properly: it’s empty! A cold meal of bread, oil, tomatoes, cheese and … Continue reading
Perfidious and Perverse, and Overripe for Rebellion – that’s us Northerners
British history, I think it’s fair to say, is mainly English history, but we can break it down further than that: most of it is Southern English history told by … Continue reading
Saddleworth Moor
At four hundred metres above sea level, Saddleworth Moor is situated within the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park. There’s little green here, unlike the previous night; … Continue reading
Stone Circles, Shrunken Heads and Wind Turbines…
We find it eventually, after driving to Great Salkeld instead of Little Salkeld and finding out you haven’t been able to go directly from one to the other for hundreds … Continue reading
St Ninian’s Cave and Whithorn
“Galloway is known for its Christian church, more ancient than the churches of Iona or Canterbury…the countryside was rich. It is tempting to speak of milk and honey. Medieval food … Continue reading
St Cuthbert's Final Journey 