Catrigg Force

Catrigg Force is an impressive waterfall as Stainforth Beck flows into a haunted dell. No-one seems to know who or what haunts the dell. I certainly didn't spot anything unusual when I visited after dark :-)

Chasing Shadows

In the garden a couple of days ago I discovered a cat trying to catch his own shadow. He has an unusual feature, one eye green, the other blue.

London by Night

The London Eye offers an amazing view of London by night. We visited London a few days ago and the ride on the Eye was the highlight of the trip :-)

There's a spectacular view looking down to the Houses of Parliament in one direction and along the river to Saint Paul's in the other.

London Eye by Night

The London Eye is a giant ferris wheel on the bank of the River Thames and looks quite spectacular by night :-)

Autumn Maple

At the weekend we visited Chatsworth House in Derbyshire and walked the gardens and woodland trail. The autumn leaves looked quite spectacular, particularly the red maple. :-)

The berries of the yew tree look unusual. The seed is formed first then the red flesh grows around the seed, leaving an opening at one end. The seeds are poisonous, as are most parts of the yew tree...

Mystery Macro 4 (Artichoke)

Last week I asked if anyone can identify a macro picture taken recently. :-) Correct guesses were kept in the moderation queue to allow everyone chance to guess.

Congratulations to Sandee and Retrophile who guessed the stamen of a flower. The flower is on an artichoke in the gardens of Chatsworth House :-)

Warrendale Knotts Cave

Warrendale Dale Knotts Cave is hidden on Warrendale Knotts 60m above the Settle to Attermire footpath. The cave isn't the easiest to find, located behind a limestone block and a patch of nettles. There are approx 20m of passage, all crawling :-(

Spider Cave

Spider Cave is a high opening in Beacon Scar. The debris strewn passage quickly lowers to a crawl which enters a small chamber. A squeeze through to the left enters a passage which is too narrow to follow :-(

Brent Scar Cave

Brent Scar Cave is a high fissure to the south of Victoria Cave. The passage closes in after about 5 metres :-(

Notice

“Notice: By vic.cap.20.s.75. any person not fastening this gate after having passed through is liable to a penalty of forty shillings.”

I spotted this old sign in Buckinghamshire. The shilling was a unit of pre-decimal currency discontinued in 1971.

Hardwick Hall

Hardwick Hall is an Elizabethan Derbyshire house built for Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury. Bess's initials “ES” are displayed prominently on the rooftop pavilions.

It's easy to see the inspiration for the rhyme “Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall”. The huge windows were intended as a statement of wealth at a time when glass was a luxury.

Spider

I spotted this monster spider earlier today. There seems to everywhere this autumn, lurking just out of sight :-)

Mystery Macro 3 (EPROM)

A while ago I asked if you could identify the macro shots I'd just taken. I kept the guesses in the moderation queue to give everyone a fair chance.

It's a 27C4001 EPROM. Congratulations to Dave, Funky Town and RyHeAnNe who all mentioned computer chips. However Mike went one better by suggesting it might be an EPROM :-)

Mystery Macro 2 (Glitter)

Last week I asked if you can you figure out what I've taken a picture of. To give everyone a fair chance I kept the guesses in the moderation queue. Congratulations to Gale, Dave and Mike who all correctly identified the glitter :-)

Mystery Macro 1 (Salt Crystals)

A few days ago I asked you to identify the photo above. I kept the guesses in the moderation queue to give everyone a fair chance. Congratulations to Sheila who recognised the salt crystals :-)

Please Do Not Throw Stones...

“Please do not throw stones at the hens!”

I'm not sure why someone felt the need to create this sign. There are plenty of stones nearby, but no sign of the hens :-(

Sawfly Larvae

Our rose bush is covered with sawfly larvae at the moment. This strange looking bug is approx 14mm long :-)

The Old East Passage, Gaping Gill

A few days ago we paid another visit to Gaping Gill, a pothole in Yorkshire with a 110m drop from the surface. Once inside we went off to explore the Old East Passage.

After climbing the east slope and scaling a small ladder we entered a wide low passage. Progress along the passage varied between stooping and a crawl.

The passage is well decorated with an abundance of stalactites :-)

Gaping Gill

This weekend we visited the Gaping Gill winch meet organised by the Craven Pothole Club. Gaping Gill is a pothole descending 104m from the slopes of Ingleborough and entering Britain's largest underground chamber, 140m long and 27m wide.

The first descent was made by Édouard Martel in 1895 by knotted rope and rope ladder. Édouard spent over an hour exploring the Main Chamber before finally returning to the surface. Our descent was made by bosun's chair winched down on a steel cable.

Although a few temporary floodlights are placed in the main chamber it's only just possible to see from the eastern slope to the far west side. After informing the organisers of our whereabouts we went off to climb the east slope and explore the Old East Passage...

Dragonfly

I suspect this dragonfly I spotted a few minutes ago is a blue hawker, another insect that isn't mentioned in Complete British Wildlife :-)

Whitton's Wrapped Bread

“We Sell Whitton's Wrapped Bread”

A ghost sign on Lincoln High Street is a reminder of a shop long since gone...

The View from Victoria Cave

Victoria Cave is in King's Scar high above the village of Langcliffe and offers a fantastic view to the distant hills. :-)

The River Ribble

I spent last weekend camping near Settle where the River Ribble flows on it's way to meet the Irish Sea at Lytham. :-)

Spider

I visited a few caves over the weekend. Now I know how Spider Cave earned it's name - it's full of spiders :-(

Roman Vindolanda

The extensive ruins of Vindolanda Roman Fort stand close to the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, just south of Hadrian's Wall. The fort is the site of a number of important finds, including the Vindolanda tablets dating from the 1st century. The tablets are the earliest handwritten documents discovered in Britain.

Coquet Island

Coquet Island is located off the Northumberland coast, but landing is strictly forbidden to protect the seabird colonies. The island is home to the medieval ruins of Saint Henry the Dane's hermitage which have been incorporated into the Victorian lighthouse.

The View From Lindisfarne Castle

The roof of Lindisfarne Castle offers a fantastic view across the harbour to the ruins of the priory :-)

Hobthrush: Saint Cuthbert's Isle

The small island of Hobthrush or Saint Cuthbert's Isle lies just off the coast of Lindisfarne. Saint Cuthbert lived here as a hermit before seeking solitude on Inner Farne.

Warkworth Castle

Warkworth Castle is a 12th century Northumberland ruin situated on a mound in the small village of Warkworth. The castle walls enclose an area roughly 60m × 80m with the 14th century keep standing to the north.

Looking towards the keep from the gatehouse. Lion Tower stands to the left. Grey Mare's Tail Tower is to the right.

Looking south from the keep. The remain of a church stand in the foreground. The dark holes lead to the church vaults. The Little Stair Tower is to the right.

Lindisfarne Priory

The priory on Lindisfarne was founded in the 11th century by the monks of Durham on the site of an earlier 7th century monastery. The rainbow arch is all that remains of the crossing tower while the maze is a much later addition :-)