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A Suffolk Lane

~ A diary of my life in rural north Suffolk.

A Suffolk Lane

Tag Archives: heather

Ramshaw Rocks

07 Mon Nov 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, holidays, plants, Rural Diary, walking

≈ 48 Comments

Tags

heather, hills, Peak District, Ramshaw Rocks, Rosebay Willowherb, walking

The day following our climb up Hen Cloud was very wet and chilly.  We did a little shopping and visited the Book Barn at Brierlow Bar where we both found some interesting books to buy.  We spent the rest of the day resting and reading.  Richard was feeling unwell as he often does on a Saturday which is when he takes a once-weekly tablet for his osteo-porosis.

The next day was our last full day in the Peak District.  It began with rain but by lunchtime the weather was beginning to brighten up.  We went into Leek and indulged in some more oatcakes and on our return to the caravan we were pleased to see that the awning was dry and so we emptied it and took it down while we could.   We drove to Ramshaw Rocks and took our last walk in the Peaks this year.

p1010215ramshaw-rocks

I had to take a photo of the colourful plants we saw at the beginning of our walk

The Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) had started to change colour because of the cooler temperatures.  The bright green grass, the cooler green of the fir tree, the purple heather and the bright pink of the willowherb looked so good together.

p1010216rosebay-willowherb

There was still some Rosebay Willowherb in flower

p1010217ramshaw-rocks

Ramshaw Rocks

p1010218ramshaw-rocks

The purple hill in the centre of this photo is Hen Cloud where we had climbed a couple of days before

p1010219ramshaw-rocks

I love the way these limestone rocks have been eroded by wind and rain

p1010220ramshaw-rocks

The path was a little wet after all the rain we had had.

p1010221ramshaw-rocks

Ramshaw Rocks

p1010222ramshaw-rocks

Very strange!

p1010223ramshaw-rocks

The path

p1010224ramshaw-rocks

I always think this looks like a pointing finger

p1010225ramshaw-rocks

Ramshaw Rocks

There was very low light and the rain was never far away during the whole of our walk.

p1010226ramshaw-rocks

Looking towards Hen Cloud again

p1010228ramshaw-rocks

Another view from the rocks

p1010230ramshaw-rocks

Richard found a pleasant place to sit. Underneath him was a shelter from wind and rain. I can imagine that sheep would like it here in the winter.

p1010232ramshaw-rocks

Looking down to the road beneath.

p1010233ramshaw-rocks

Ramshaw Rocks

p1010234ramshaw-rocks

I call this rock the Top Hat. Those of you who know the 1995 TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth may recognise this rock.  

We returned to the car and went back to out caravan to spend our last night away from home.  The next morning we set off at 6.00 am to travel to Sheffield to collect Elinor before Alice set off for work at 8.00 am.  We took her back to Blackshaw Moor, collected the caravan and went home.

Thanks for visiting!

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The Cat and Fiddle

25 Tue Oct 2016

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, holidays, plants, Rural Diary, walking, wild flowers

≈ 70 Comments

Tags

Bird's-foot Trefoil, Cat and Fiddle pass, Cat and Fiddle pub, Cladonia pleurota, Common Cottongrass, Common Hawker dragonfly, common knapweed, common ragwort, conifer plantation, Crosswort, Derbyshire Bridge car park, driven grouse shooting, eyebright, Goyt Valley, harebell, Harlequin ladybird, heath bedstraw, heather, Kestrel, Knotted Pearlwort, Lesser Stitchwort, Lousewort, Meadow Crane's-bill, milestone, Mountain Pansy, old coach road, Peak District, River Goyt, Shining Tor, Sneezewort, tormentil, Upright Hedge Parsley, walking, yarrow

On the third day of our stay in the Peak District we decided on a slightly longer walk than usual and took a picnic with us.  We drove towards Buxton but just before entering the town we took the A54 road off to the right and then a minor road off that road and parked the car in the Derbyshire Bridge car park.  This is a pleasant spot and is used as a picnic area.

p1010128ladybird

A ladybird on our rather dusty windscreen

p1010129ladybird-larva

A Ladybird larva on the car.

Unfortunately, both ladybird and larva are Harlequin Ladybirds which have now outstayed their welcome in this country.  I wish that those in authority were more wary about using introduced insects to control other insects.

We were delayed at the beginning of our walk by the car beeping an alarm whenever we tried locking the doors.  After disturbing a couple who were having a picnic with their little grandson we decided that we ought to look at the car’s manual.  We found that the car was telling us that we were locking the spare key inside the car and that it would rather we didn’t.  I took the key out of my handbag which I had left in the boot and we were then able to start our walk.

p1010132infant-r-goyt

The first part of the walk was along a path beside the infant River Goyt.

p1010133dragonfly

I saw this Common Hawker dragonfly (Aeshna juncea). It was typically wary and didn’t settle where I could get a good photo of it.  Only its head and wings and a little part of its thorax/abdomen can be seen here.

p1010134flower

Upright Hedge Parsley (Torilis japonica)

p1010137river

The Goyt was running along merrily

p1010138flowers

Lesser Stitchwort (Stellaria graminea)

p1010135flowers

Bird’s-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) and Upright Hedge Parsley

p1010140river

A bridge across the water

p1010142view

A view of the surrounding moorland

This is a typical sight in moorland where driven grouse shooting takes place.  The patches on the hillside show where the heather has been burned to promote new growth shoots for the grouse to feed on.   I have recently signed a petition to have this sport banned as I think that instead of conserving wildlife these estates try to eradicate any creatures that may be a threat to their grouse.  All raptors, including the scarce Hen Harrier and Golden Eagles are considered a threat and are regularly shot or poisoned illegally by some, not all, gamekeepers employed on some of these estates.  In Scotland hundreds of thousands of Mountain Hare are culled every year.  I’ve signed another petition about this too!  I feel very strongly about this as you no doubt have realised.

p1010143heather

The Heather (Calluna vulgaris) was in full bloom

p1010145path

The path across the moor

At this point we turned onto another path which rose up towards a plantation.  We entered the forest through a gate.

p1010146path

The forest path

p1010147wall

Inside the forest were walls and the remains of buildings

This reminded me of the stone walls that Allen from New Hampshire Garden Solutions  finds in his local forest.  In this case the land that was originally farmed for sheep was subsequently acquired by a company or organisation that planted conifers but didn’t bother dismantling the walls.

p1010150weir

A weir we found halfway through the plantation

p1010151bridge

Richard on the bridge over the river

p1010152bridge

The simple bridge

p1010153river

The barrier just up-stream from the bridge and weir

p1010155flower

Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica)

This was a flower I had never seen before.  It is very small and the leaves are tiny!  It is semi-parasitic on other plants’ roots.

p1010156view

We could see one of the local reservoirs from the path that went up by the side of the plantation.

p1010157path

Our path….

p1010158path

…. got rougher and steeper

p1010161lichen

I think this lichen may be Cladonia pleurota

p1010163plant

Heath Bedstraw (Galium saxatile)

p1010164insect

I cannot identify this tiny bug. It marched purposefully across this rather bleak landscape.

The three photos above were taken while we rested and ate our lunch.  This last part of the walk I found exhausting as it was a continuous uphill climb and on very uneven and rough paths with large, loose rocks to walk over.

p1010166view

This is the view I saw when I looked up from my seat on a rock

The weather was cloudier and cooler than earlier in the week.  We were glad of this!

p1010167cotton-grass

There was still plenty of late Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium) in amongst the Heather

p1010168lichen/slime mould

This might be a slime mould but I am not sure!

View from the path
View from the path
View from the path
View from the path
p1010171kestrel

A Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) hovering high up in the sky

p1010172lichen

A veritable garden of lichen and moss on top of a stone wall.  It’s a pity the photo isn’t any clearer.

Shining Tor from a distance
Shining Tor from a distance
Shining Tor close up
Shining Tor close up

We had thought we might go up Shining Tor but we changed our minds when we had got to the top of the stony path.  We were too tired.  Why is it called ‘Shining Tor’?  I don’t know.

p1010176view

This is another view from where we were standing.

The visibility wasn’t great and the distant hills were lost in haze but the sky above us was clear and blue now.  We began to descend towards the Cat and Fiddle pass (I expect you were wondering why this post was called Cat and Fiddle) and the Cat and Fiddle pub.

p1010177pansy

An out of focus photo of a wild pansy growing next to the path. I think it may be a Mountain Pansy (Viola lutea)

p1010178pansy

More pansies

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and even more pansies!

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Just one more!

p1010181view

I eventually looked up and noticed the view. The road you see in the middle distance is the Cat and Fiddle Pass.

Harebells ( Campanula rotundifolia)
Harebells ( Campanula rotundifolia)
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta)
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta)
p1010184cat-and-fiddle

The Cat and Fiddle pub (on the right of the photo)

p1010185cotton-grass

I saw more Cottongrass next to the path but this was definitely past its best!

p1010187mile-stone

I then saw an interesting-looking stone just to the left of the path

p1010186mile-stone

On closer examination I found it was an old mile-stone and realised that the path we had been walking on since Shining Tor was part of the old coach road.

p1010188old-road

I looked at the path and saw that it looked very much like an old road. Richard is ahead of me here as usual and is near where the path joins the new busy road.

p1010189orchid

I found a very late orchid in the grass. It was faded and I couldn’t identify it.

p1010190cat-and-fiddle

We were disappointed to discover that the pub was shut and we weren’t to get a drink after all.

It does seem sad that the place that the pass was named after should be shut and empty.  We walked past the pub.  Through the windows we could see everything had been left as it was on the day it had shut months before.  There was even a menu board extolling the virtues of a meat pie!

We soon turned off the main road onto a narrow road that would eventually bring us back to the carpark.  I saw many different plants on the way.

p1010191flowers

Meadow Crane’s-bill (Geranium pratense)

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Lots more Common Cotton Grass

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Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

p1010195flowers

Yet another poor photo I’m afraid! This is another flower I had never seen before – Knotted Pearlwort (Sagina nodosa)

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A very pink Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

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Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)

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Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis agg.)

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Crosswort (Cruciata laevipes)

We found the car, drove back to our caravan and made ourselves a nice cup of tea.  We were quite tired after our long walk and found it difficult to stay awake.  We had arranged to have lunch with my brother-in-law the next day so Richard booked a table at a local restaurant and phoned his brother to let him know when and where we were to meet each other.

To be continued….

Thanks for visiting!

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Another Walk up Hen Cloud

15 Sun Nov 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in plants, Rural Diary, walking, wild birds

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

butterfly, caterpillar, eyebright, harebells, heather, Hen Cloud, painted lady, Peak District, Staffordshire Moorland, walking, wild flowers, yarrow

We didn’t have much time for walking on our last full day in the Peak District as we had packing, tidying and cleaning to do as well as taking our awning down.  The ideal walk had to be a short walk and one that was near at hand so we returned to Hen Cloud.  It is just a few minutes drive from where we stay and once there, within quarter of an hour we can be away from the road and up high, looking down.  We try to do this walk every time we visit the Peaks and when we stay there at the end of May/beginning of June we use it as an evening walk.  It is great to be at the top of the hill at 9.00 pm with the sun still shining and the swallows and martins flying round us.  Peregrines nest in the rock crevices of the hill and their calls mingling with the sound of the wind blowing across the tops fills me with such joy.

This time the walk was done during the afternoon in the second half of August so no nesting peregrines and not too many swallows and martins either.

IMG_5557View from road at foot of Hen Cloud

This is the view from the place where we parked our car.

This last day of our holiday was warm at last and quite bright too.  Before setting off on our walk I noticed these flowers by the side of the road.

IMG_5559Pink Yarrow

Some very pink Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

IMG_5560Eyebright (2)

Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis agg.)

IMG_5562Hen Cloud

Hen Cloud

The path we choose to walk up isn’t the steepest of the paths to the top, in fact it is a nice steady ascent – just right for two middle-aged, not very fit people.

IMG_5563

The Roaches seen from the path up Hen Cloud

IMG_5564Ramshaw Rocks

Ramshaw Rocks seen from the path up Hen Cloud

We had never been to the Peaks when the Heather (Calluna vulgaris) was in bloom before.  The pink-purple flowers with the bright green grass was very beautiful.

IMG_5565Climbing Hen Cloud

This is the path we usually take to the top. You can see Richard is quite a way ahead of me.

IMG_5566Ramshaw Rocks

Ramshaw Rocks seen from the top of Hen Cloud.

IMG_5567Tittesworth Reservoir

Tittesworth Reservoir

IMG_5569View from Hen Cloud

View from Hen Cloud.

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Heather
Heather
Heather
Heather
IMG_5578Painted Lady

We saw this rather battered and faded Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui)

IMG_5580Caterpillar

I saw this caterpillar making its way across a rock. I can’t identify it.

All too soon, it was time for us to return to the car.

IMG_5582Harebells

We saw these Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) on the way.

IMG_5584Hen Cloud

Our last view of Hen Cloud from the road.

The following day we got up very early and drove to Sheffield to collect Elinor from Alice’s house.  We only stayed for a couple of minutes and were then on the road back to our camp-site to hitch-up the caravan and then set out for home.

Thanks for visiting!

 

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A Walk on Ramshaw Rocks – Peak District Holiday

26 Mon Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, plants, Rural Diary, walking

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

bilberry, church of St Edward the Confessor, cotton grass, heather, Leek, Peak District, Pride and Prejudice, Ramshaw Rocks, rocks, Staffordshire Moorland, walking

Sunday 16th August was Richard’s birthday and we marked it quietly by attending one of the churches in Leek and then having an early lunch at one of our favourite cafés.  My own father died shortly before my birthday five years ago and so I knew a little how Richard was feeling.

The church we attended was St Edward the Confessor and we were comforted by the familiar words of the service and afterwards were made very welcome by members of the congregation.  I mentioned this church in a post I wrote about the visit we made last year to the Peak District.  In that same post is a mention of the favourite café.   We were concerned to see that the café was up for sale.  Would it still be there next time we visited Leek and if it was, would it still provide us with tasty oatcakes?

I didn’t take any photographs of the interior of the church but Richard did with his phone.  The church contains some beautiful embroidery and stained glass.

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Stained glass in the church of St Edward the Confessor, Leek

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Stained glass window – St Edward the Confessor

I know that one window in the north transept was designed by Edward Burne Jones and made by Morris and Co.  Not having any means of finding out for certain which of these two windows is the window I cannot tag the photo.  (I think it might be the round window).

IMG_5449Hen Cloud

Hen Cloud from Ramshaw Rocks

The following day, we drove the short distance to Ramshaw Rocks as we wanted to walk on them again.  We parked the car by the side of the narrow road and walked up to the first of the rocks – the one we call the ‘Top Hat’ rock.

IMG_5450Top hat rock

‘Top Hat’ rock. I expect you can’t understand why we call it that!

I can see another photo-bombing bee!

IMG_5451Heather and bilberries

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) and Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus)

IMG_5456Bilberry

A sweet and juicy bilberry!

IMG_5452Grass

Beautiful grasses – possibly Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)

IMG_5454R at top hat rock

Perhaps you see now why we call it the ‘Top Hat’!

This rock may look familiar to some of you.  Perhaps I should give you a clue.  Stick with the link – you will see the rock eventually.  If you haven’t the patience, the rock appears at 4.38 minutes into the clip.

IMG_5495Top hat

This rock can be seen very clearly from the road on your left as you go north along the A53 from Leek to Buxton.

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The photos in the slideshow are all of the rocks we saw on our walk.

IMG_5459View from RamshawRocks

A view of the surrounding countryside from Ramshaw Rocks

IMG_5461Common Cotton-grass still in flower

I was surprised to see this Common Cotton-grass (Eriophorum angustifolium) still in flower in August

IMG_5462Lichen and moss on rock

Lichen and moss on a rock

IMG_5467Common Cotton-grass

More Common Cotton-grass

IMG_5468Cocoon on heather

A cocoon on Heather. I don’t know what made the cocoon.

IMG_5471Tormentil

Tormentil (Potentilla erecta)

IMG_5475R climbing

Richard climbing up the hill

IMG_5476View from R Rocks

A view

IMG_5477View of hills

and another!

IMG_5479R and carved rock

Richard and the carved boulder

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IMG_5463Alpacas

Alpacas

IMG_5488Unknown flower

This is some type of Bedstraw plant. Note the pink spots on the flower buds.

IMG_5493Tiny fir tree

I found this tiny fir tree next to the path.

IMG_5494Rosebay-willowherb

This colourful Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) caught my eye.

We had by this time walked back to near where we had begun our walk.  We returned to our caravan for our evening meal and a hot drink.

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

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A Walk in Whinlatter Forest

05 Mon Oct 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in Days out, Insects, plants, Rural Diary, walking

≈ 40 Comments

Tags

bolete, butterfly, cat's-ear, Climbing Corydalis, common ragwort, Forestry Commission, Fox-and-cubs, fungus, heather, lady's-mantle, lichen, moss, pixie-cup lichen, ringlet, walking, Whinlatter Forest, wild flowers

Alice came to visit us on the last day of our holiday in the Lake District.  We met her off the train in Penrith at about 10.00 am and took her back to our rented cottage for a cup of tea.  After catching up with all her news we took her to Whinlatter Forest which we had visited briefly earlier in the week, as Elinor wanted to show it to her sister.

IMG_5237Whinlatter Forest

This is another Forestry Commission forest and is mainly planted with non-native trees.

Not only are there a number of tracks through the woods for walking and mountain biking but they also have segways for hire too.  There are trails designed to appeal to small children and zip wires and swinging on ropes for very active people.

We walked.

IMG_5238Whinlatter Forest

Whinlatter Forest

Alice is a fast walker so she and Richard went ahead.  I am forever on the lookout for interesting plants and insects and take lots of photos and Elinor can’t walk fast or far so we both kept together.

IMG_5239Alice and Richard in the forest

Alice and Richard waiting for Elinor and me.

IMG_5240Forest glade

Elinor liked this forest glade.

IMG_5243Bolete fungus perhaps

A Bolete fungus.  I cannot identify this one.

IMG_5244Underside of the Bolete

Looking at the underside of the toadstool.   The photo shows that Boletes do not have gills but spongy tissue with pores in. This fungus has been eaten by something.

IMG_5245Climbing Corydalis

Climbing Corydalis (Ceratocapnos claviculata)  Not a very good picture.

IMG_5247Heather

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) in bud with a faded Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris radicata)

IMG_5249Lichen

Lichen

IMG_5254Fox and cubs

Fox-and-cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca) with yellow Cat’s-ear

IMG_5250Lichen perhaps Cladonia pyxidata

I believe this lichen is Cladonia pyxidata – Pixie-cup Lichen

You can see how small these little cups are by comparing them with the pine needles next to them.

IMG_5251Ringlet perhaps

This butterfly flew next to us for some way along a sunny track. I tried to photograph it countless times and this time thought I had managed it….

The reason I really wanted to get a photograph of it was that I thought it looked like a Ringlet butterfly but they usually have eye-spots on their wings.   I have since done some research and I believe it is likely to be a Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus) as sometimes they are seen without eye-spots.  What is confusing is that all references to Ringlets state that they aren’t found in the north-west of England!  I am sending my inadequate photo to ukbutterflies.co.uk to see what they make of it.

IMG_5252Moss

Yet more moss!

IMG_5256Lady's-mantle

Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris agg) behind more Fox-and-cubs

IMG_5258Common Ragwort

Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)

IMG_5255Fell view

View of the surrounding fells (hills)

IMG_5253Skiddaw

This fell is Skiddaw

We returned to the carpark and went into the café and had a drink and a sandwich.  We took Alice back to our cottage for a while until it was time for her to catch her train to Sheffield.  We spent the rest of the day cleaning the cottage and packing for our journey  home the following day.

Thanks for visiting!

 

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Dunwich Heath – August 31st 2014

07 Thu May 2015

Posted by Clare Pooley in plants, Rural Diary, Uncategorized, walking

≈ 47 Comments

Tags

bell-heather, coastguard cottages, coastline, Dunwich Heath, dwarf gorse, erosion, gorse, heather, heathland, ling, marram, National Trust, sandlings, Sea Kale, shingle beach, Suffolk

057Dunwich Heath sign (640x427)

Richard, Elinor and I took a trip to Dunwich Heath at the end of August last year.  We wanted to go somewhere different to our usual places but didn’t want to make a long journey.

040Coastguards cottages (640x480)

The old coastguard cottages. The National Trust tearoom is situated in the end cottage.  The other cottages are rented out as holiday homes.

The County of Suffolk has six topographical regions each with its own distinct landscape features.  I live in High Suffolk with its boulder-clay soil but just a couple of miles to the East of us the soil changes and becomes sand and gravel.  This gravelly area is called The Sandlings and Dunwich Heath (part of the Sandlings) is right on the coast.  To quote the National Trust description of the area –

‘Dunwich Heath is where the Sandlings meets the sea.  It is 87 hectares (215 acres) of heather, gorse, grassland, woodland and crumbling sandy cliffs, as well as a mile of shifting sand and shingle beach.  The Sandlings landscape was created by early farmers thousands of years ago.  The sandy, free-draining soils became dominated by heather as farmers cleared the trees and introduced sheep to graze the land.

Within the Sandlings, only at Dunwich does the heathland extend to the cliff top – a rare example of coastal lowland heath.’

060Beach (640x384)

The shingle beach and cliffs

Late summer and early autumn is the best time to visit heathland as that is the time the heather is in flower.

005Path at Dunwich Heath (640x480)

We parked the car and walked to the beach first, as the seaside is Elinor’s favourite place to be.

007Heather, gorse and bracken (640x480)

Heather, gorse and bracken by the side of the path.  This heather is going to seed; I love the orange colour of the seed capsules.

009Sea Kale (640x480)

We found Sea Kale (Crambe maritima) as usual, with Marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) and Gorse behind it

012Heather on the shoreline (640x480)

Heather on the shoreline

010Dunwich cliffs (480x640)

You can see here what the cliffs are made of – sand and gravel in layers. It is no wonder they are crumbling away.

The sands are known as ‘crags’.  The southern sandling crags are the oldest – a shelly ‘Coralline Crag’ which was deposited in warm tropical conditions about 3.5 million years ago forms an island and is surrounded by a sea of ‘Red Crag’ which is also full of fossilised shells.  The northern crag known as ‘Norwich Crag’ is younger and is less than 2 million years old.  Dunwich Heath is part of the ‘Norwich Crag’.

I have found three Belemnite fossils in my garden.  Perhaps some gravel containing these fossils was brought to the area when the house was built or perhaps the land where we live is the border between the clay soil and the sandy soil.

011Dunwich cliffs (640x480)

The little holes are probably Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) nestholes. The pipe sticking out at the top left of the picture is probably a land drain.

014Dunwich cliffs (640x480)

Dunwich has disappeared into the sea at a rate of about 400 metres in 400 years. Houses and other buildings are still lost regularly. I don’t know what the structure at the top left of the picture is, or was!

020Southwold (640x480)

We could see the town of Southwold to the north.

024Dunwich Heath (640x480)

There is a large expanse of grassland here.

Richard and I left Elinor on the beach and went for a walk.

029Dunwich Heath (640x480)

There were plenty of flowers and grasses to see. Further away across the water meadows and marshes are the two nuclear energy plants at Sizewell.

Parasol fungus (Macrolepiota procera) about 2' tall!
Parasol fungus (Macrolepiota procera) about 2′ tall!
Honeysuckle - not native
Honeysuckle – not native
Common Ragwort - Senecio jacobaea
Common Ragwort – Senecio jacobaea
White Campion - Silene latifolia
White Campion – Silene latifolia
033Dunwich Heath - heather (640x480)

This is the sight we had come to see. The beautiful heath in flower.

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035Heather (640x480)

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) also known as Ling.

036Bell heather (640x480)

Bell Heather(Erica cinerea) – (the larger flowers)

037Dwarf Gorse (640x480)

Dwarf Gorse (Ulex minor)  There are plenty of Gorse (Ulex europaeus) bushes on the heath as well.

I heard and then saw a Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata) on the top of a Gorse bush, but he was too far away to photograph.

043Plaque on cliff top (640x480)

A plaque on the cliff-top

044Plaque (480x640)

The plaque

050Clouds (640x441)

Clouds

053Beach (640x425)

The beach

This next photograph really makes me laugh!

055Me and Elinor (640x427)

Look at Elinor’s expression! Goodness knows what I must have been wittering on about.

‘Oh wad some power the giftie gie us / To see oursel’s as others see us! / It wad frae monie a blunder free us, / And foolish notion.’  Robert Burns

059Border Force ship at sea (640x422)

A Border Force ship patrolling the coast. The modern coastguards.

072Sea watch shelter (640x427)

A sea-watch shelter. Looking at the water can be interesting and calming in itself but often ships, boats and other craft can be seen as well as sea-birds and mammals such as dolphins and seals.

We ended our visit with a cake each and a drink of choice at the tea-room.

081Sunset (640x480)

A dramatic sunset when we got home.

 

Thank-you for visiting!

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Peak District Holiday 1st to 9th July. Day 3

28 Thu Aug 2014

Posted by Clare Pooley in plants, Rural Diary, trees, Uncategorized, walking

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Back Forest, bilberries, Cedar, Danebridge, drystone walls, enchanter's nightshade, eyebright, ferns, fir cones, foxglove, Gradbach, grasses, Hanging Stone, hart's-tongue fern, heath bedstraw, heather, JW Lees beer, landslip, Lud's Church, marsh thistle, moss, mouse-ear hawkweed, pink purslane, River Dane, sheep, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, spear thistle, stiles, The Roaches, The Ship Inn, tormentil, walking, Welsh poppy, Wincle, Wincle Brewery, wood sorrel

After a gentle day in Buxton (see Days 1 and 2) and another good night’s sleep we felt ready for a little exercise.  We decided to go on a circular walk in Back Forest alongside the River Dane to Danebridge and then back.  We had done this walk before, a few years ago, and had gone in a clockwise direction.  This time we went anti-clockwise and it is amazing how different everything looks coming at it from the opposite direction.

We drove a few miles from where we were staying to the Peak National Park car park in Gradbach.  The day was bright and breezy with not too much strong sunshine – ideal walking weather.  The car park was full – about ten cars – which disappointed us, but once we had got past Gradbach Mill and into the forest we hardly saw a soul.  There is a short walk down the hill to the mill from the car park.  Last year the Mill had still been in use as a Youth Hostel but this year it had been taken over by Newcastle under Lyme University and a lot of renovation work was being carried out.  It is in the process of being made into a Field Study Centre and there were groups of students setting off on walks and school children on field trips having noisy picnics all over the place.  We followed a path away from the mill and down to the river going over and through a couple of stiles on the way.  One of the stiles was a squeeze stile and from a distance this looks an easier option than having to clamber over a wall or gate using wooden or stone cross bars.  Up close one can see that the gap is very narrow, in fact no more than 25cm/9.8″ wide to stop livestock escaping from fields either side of the wall.  There are stone pillars on each side of the gap to protect the structure of the wall.  The dry-stone walls are at least 4.5′ tall and as I am 5’4″ tall and not exactly skinny they are very difficult for me to manage.  I have to put my arms in the air, breathe in and force myself through inch by inch with R standing watching and smirking.  Anyone larger than me would not be able to get through at all.  R is nearly a foot taller than me at 6’3″ and takes longer strides so, though we walk the same distance, I do about two paces to his one.  I also wander about taking photos and lag behind and have to trot to catch up with him.

We crossed the river by a narrow bridge and started to climb up into the forest leaving the river some way below.

011Back Forest (640x480)

Back Forest Wood looking down from the path towards the River Dane.

012Back Forest (480x640)

Back Forest Wood

014Ferns and wood sorrel leaves (640x480)

Ferns and Wood Sorrel leaves

We walked through the woods for about three-quarters of a mile eventually descending back down towards the river again.

015River Dane (640x480)

River Dane

Dane is a Celtic river-name meaning ‘trickling stream’.

016Bilberries (640x480)

Bilberries

018Mosses (480x640)

Mosses

020River Dane (640x480)

River Dane

Walking further on we saw that there had been a landslip which may have been caused by all the rain last winter.

022Landslip into river (480x640)

023Pool caused by landslip (640x480)

A new pool caused by the landslip

024Tree roots on path (640x480)

Tree roots on the path

We then left the wood and started walking along a grassy path through a valley.

028Tormentil (640x480)

Tormentil – potentilla erecta

In wet weather or at night, when the petals close up, the tormentil flower has the ability to pollinate itself.

030Eyebright (640x480)

Eyebright – euphrasia nemorosa

This bright little flower was thought to be good for poor eyesight and an extract from eyebright and the herb golden seal is still used as an eye lotion.  The 17th century botanist William Cole recorded in his book ‘Adam in Eden’ that eyebright was the herb used by the linnet (a little finch) to clear its eyesight.  My source book for this information says ‘Since short-sighted linnets are not easy to identify, few could argue with Cole’s reasoning’.  It is a semi-parasitic plant, only growing where its roots can attach themselves to other plants like clover and plantain.

032Thistle and buttercups (480x640)

Marsh Thistle with Buttercups

We then followed the path alongside a drystone wall.

033Foxgloves and dry-stone wall (480x640)

Lots of Foxgloves were growing by the wall

034Bedstraw (640x480)

Heath Bedstraw was growing in the grass

035Mouse-ear Hawkweed (480x640)

and so was Mouse-ear Hawkweed

036Mouse-ear Hawkweed with flies (640x480)

which was popular with the flies

We passed by a farmhouse with some sheep.

040Sheep (640x480)

Just a little further on over the fields the views were very good.

043View (640x480)

Rolling countryside

We then re-entered woodland.

045Tree trunks (out of focus) (640x480)

I loved these tree trunks so had to include this photo though it is terribly out of focus

By this time we were approaching Danebridge and it was lunchtime.  We climbed over a stile and joined the lane that led to the village.

046Carved stone at stile (640x480)

This was the slab of stone we stepped onto when we got down from the stile. I wonder where it came from and what it had been in a former life.

I immediately noticed a little pink flower at the side of the road.  The photo doesn’t show how pink it was.

047Pink purslane

Pink Purslane – Claytonia sibirica

This is a plant introduced from North America and is widely naturalised.

We walked down to the river thinking we would eat our sandwiches next to it but we couldn’t see anywhere suitable to sit.

049Rock strata River Dane (640x480)

Strange rock strata at the edge of the river

050Rock strata River Dane (640x480)

This shows it a little more clearly

053Enchanter's Nightshade (480x640)

Enchanter’s Nightshade

053Enchanter's Nightshade

I like this plant’s name. It belongs to the same family as the Willowherbs.

Mathias De l’Obel, a 16th century Flemish botanist, in trying to identify a magical plant that Discorides (an early Greek physician) had named after the mythical sorceress Circe, eventually chose this plant.  Enchanter’s Nightshade’s botanical name is Circaea lutetiana – lutetia is the Roman name for Paris, which is where De l’Obel and other botanists worked.The Anglo-Saxons had used this plant as a protection against spells cast by elves.  Their name for it was aelfthone.  This is the only Willowherb that doesn’t disperse its fruit with the help of the wind.  Instead, it has hooks on its fruit that catch onto fur or feathers like burs.  It is pollinated mainly by small flies.  I find it fascinating that plants can adapt to their surroundings like this.

054Hart's-tongue fern (480x640)

Hart’s-tongue fern

055Yellow poppy, hart's tongue etc (480x640)

A yellow Welsh poppy has joined other plants growing out of this drystone wall

We stood on the bridge at Danebridge.

056River Dane (640x480)

River Dane

From the bridge we could see the buildings of a local micro-brewery.

057Wincle Brewery (640x480)

Wincle brewery

Wincle is a village just up the hill from Danebridge and a woman walking her dog informed us that there was a pub up the hill just beyond the brewery.  The word ‘pub’ worked as a clarion call to arms and R was up that hill before I or anyone else could say Jack Robinson.  As we powered up the hill I just had time to admire this door set into a wall.

058Door in dry-stone retaining wall (640x480)

I love doors like this. I imagine such a lovely garden beyond this one with stone steps on a winding path up to the house.

We found the pub as we neared the top of the hill.

062The Ship Inn (640x480)

The Ship Inn

064Ship Inn sign (640x480)

The Ship Inn sign

It seemed so strange for a pub, many miles from the sea or even a navigable river, to be called ‘The Ship’.  There was a little information displayed in the pub and I have also looked on-line to find out more about this.  There is a ‘History of Wincle’ site which has been very helpful.  Sir Philip Brocklehurst of Swythamley Hall (a couple of miles away) sailed with the explorer Shackleton on one of his expeditions to the Antarctic from 1907-9.  The pub sign depicts the Nimrod in Antarctic ice ( not the more famous Endeavour of the 1914 expedition).  Shackleton was also Sir Philip’s best man when he married Gwladys Murray in 1913.

Some say The Ship is named after another vessel, ‘The Swythamley’, which was owned by a friend of the squire and sank off the Cape of Good Hope in 1862.  As the pub is also said to date back to the 17th century it is possible that the name is linked with ‘shippen’, a local word for a sheep shelter.  Or the name could be linked with a much earlier boat.  In fact, so far no-one seems to know for sure why it has this name!

059Flintlock on wall of pub (640x480)

A flintlock displayed on the wall of the pub.

There are stories about royalist rebels visiting the pub in the 17th century and the gun belonging to one of them was displayed on the wall until fairly recently as well as a framed article from a Manchester newspaper of the day.  Both these items went missing at some point.  The flintlock now on display was acquired fairly recently and, if I remember correctly, it was discovered that it was made at the same time and by the same gunsmith as the original gun.

We sat outside the pub and sampled their beer.  We asked if they sold the locally brewed beer but was told they didn’t so we had some JW Lees beer instead, which was very good.

060J W Lees beer (640x480)

I only had a few sips of my beer and had to give the rest, reluctantly, to R.  I am not supposed to drink alcohol as it reacts badly with the medication I am on and anyway, I try not to drink much of anything on walks because of the lack of convenient ‘conveniences’.  I have a horror of being ‘caught short’ as the saying goes, and being discovered by walkers, with a dog…

After a pleasant rest we continued on our way.  We went back down the hill to the bridge and found the path we needed which climbed up through more woodland very steeply at times.  I remember that for most of the walk we were listening to wonderful birdsong.  At the top of the path we came out of the wood onto fields again.  Here we rested again and ate our sandwiches.

065Fir cones (640x480)

Fir cones on a tree at the edge of the wood

066View over stile (640x480)

View over a stile

This is one of the many stiles we climbed over that day.  We followed a track by a wall belonging to Hangingstone Farm and then saw the Hanging Stone itself.

067Hanging rock (640x480)

The Hanging Rock

We didn’t have the energy to climb up to the rock to read the inscriptions there.  One plaque is dedicated to Courtney Brocklehurst, the brother of the aforementioned Philip, who was killed in the 2nd World War, and the other is to a pet hunting dog of an earlier Brocklehurst.  This dog was very well loved and when he died was buried under the Hanging Stone.  The dog’s name was Burke, because he was such a good hunting dog.  In 1828, Burke and Hare were accused of killing sixteen people and then selling the corpses to Dr Robert Knox who dissected them during his popular anatomy lectures.

068Thistle (640x480)

A rather lovely Spear Thistle

069Thistle (640x480)

070Tormentil (640x480)

A carpet of Tormentil

072Bedstraw (640x480)

A carpet of Heath Bedstraw

075Grass (640x480)

I liked the delicate grass heads with the heavy blocks of the drystone wall behind

We were now walking over more open moorland.

079Heather (640x480)

The Heather, or Ling as some call it, was beginning to flower

081Heather (480x640)

Little pink-purple bells

082Cedar (640x480)

A good-sized Cedar tree

The more open terrain here meant we could now see the edge of the Roaches, a gritstone escarpment which has spectacular rock formations.  The name comes from the French ‘les Roches’.

085The Roaches (640x480)

The Roaches

087View (640x480)

A gentler view.

089View (640x480)

The fields are all separated by stone walls

We then started descending slowly towards Back Forest again.

090Wall, grass, bilberries (640x480)

The walls are wonderfully constructed. Bilberry bushes are growing against this one.

092Back Forest (640x480)

In the woods again.

We diverted a little way off the path back to Gradbach to see Lud’s Church again.  This is a natural rift which is about 200 yards in length and varies in width from 12 feet to 50 feet wide and is about 59 feet deep.  We didn’t go far along it as we were both getting very tired.  We will go again some time,  walk its length and photograph it.

094Lud's Church (480x640)

It is a very atmospheric place; mossy,cool and quiet.

095Lud's Church (480x640)

The sides of the ravine are covered in ferns and other damp-loving plants.

During the 15th century, according to local legend, Lollards (followers of John Wycliffe, an early church reformer) used to worship here in secret during the time of their persecution.

Many researchers have identified this place as the Green Chapel in the 14th Century alliterative poem ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’.  The author describes this district well.  Gawain rides off searching for the Green Chapel ….

‘Then he gave the spur to Gringolet and galloped down the path,

Thrust through a thicket there by a bank,

And rode down the rough slope right into the ravine.

Then he searched about, but it seemed savage and wild,

And no sign did he see of any sort of building;

But on both sides banks, beetling and steep,

And great crooked crags, cruelly jagged;

The bristling barbs of rock seemed to brush the sky.’

Translation by Brian Stone.

Another legend is that a hunter was killed here and that he still roams about the cleft covered from head to toe in moss and leaves.  He is known locally as the Green Man one of many ‘green men’ to be found in Britain.

We joined our path again and soon reached the bridge over the River Dane and then Gradbach mill.

 

 

 

 

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I talk about what it's like living in a quiet part of Suffolk. I am a wife, mother and daughter, a practising Christian and love the natural world that surrounds me. I enjoy my life - most of the time!

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