Brimham Rock, Yorkshire

North Yorkshire's Brimham Rocks are formed from millstone grit and have eroded into curious shapes.

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 :-(

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...

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. :-)

Whitby Harbour Lighthouse

Whitby harbour is home to two lighthouses. The west lighthouse was built in 1835 and is the tallest at 25m. For a small fee it's possible to climb the 81 steps to admire the view :-)

Flamborough Old Lighthouse

Flamborough Old Lighthouse is a 24m high octagonal tower built in 1669 by Sir John Clayton. On a clear day the top of the lighthouse is visible in Bridlington.

Ghost Signs of Whitby

Ghost signs are old hand painted signs for businesses that are long gone. Arthur Sawdon was a seller of beds and carpets while Thomas Bryan was a wholesale jet merchant. Are there any ghost signs in your area?

Chalk Arch at Selwicks Bay

The chalk cliffs at Selwicks Bay, Flamborough Head contain several sea caves, rock arches and other formations. The rock arch formed when a sea cave collapsed. Eventually the top of the arch will fall away, leaving a chalk stack.

Scarborough Harbour

This morning we spent a couple of hours wandering around Scarborough harbour which looks beyond the lighthouse into South Bay.

Storr's Cave, Ingleton

Storr's Cave has two prominent entrances close to the road east of Ingleton. A large passage joins the two with smaller passages leading off. A low passage to the south descends to a dried up streamway. A narrow passage leads north, waiting to be explored another day ;-)

A hidden third entrance used to be an easy climb to a dry chamber full of small bones. However, the entrance has been enlarged and the chamber strewn with clay and debris from a new passage that's being excavated. I can't help wondering who's digging and what they've discovered :-)

Guy Fawkes

Hereabouts lived the parents of Guy Fawkes of Gunpowder Plot fame, who was baptised in St. Michael-le-Belfrey Church in 1570.

Fawkes was arrested in the early hours of 5^th November 1605 after being discovered keeping watch over 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars beneath the House of Lords.

Emperor Constantine

A statue of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great sit outside York Minster with a broken sword. The inscription reads Constantine by this sign conquer.

Bile Beans

Nightly Bile Beans keep you healthy, bright-eyed and slim.

A sign painted on a wall in York for a business that has long since disappeared, also known as a ghost sign!

Ripon Cathedral

The High Altar at Ripon Cathedral

We stopped at Ripon on the way home from camping at Bishop Monkton. The plan was to find a cafe for breakfast, but I couldn't resist spending a few minutes exploring the cathedral. :-)

The Library at Ripon Cathedral

Vertical Sundial

LUCEM DEMONSTRAT UMBRA - The shadow shows the light

I've been looking out for vertical sundials after noticing one on Saint Botolph's in Boston. This one was spotted above the entrance to York Minster. :-)

East Gill Force

East Gill Force is close to the Yorkshire village of Keld. The waterfall drops 4.5m shortly before East Gill meets the River Swale. We visited the falls yesterday after spotting them by chance on the map :-)

The Ruins of Whitby Abbey

Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes, and which is the scene of part of "Marmion," where the girl was built up in the wall. It is a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits. There is a legend that a white lady is seen in one of the windows.

Dracula - Bram Stoker

As the cloud passed I could see the ruins of the abbey coming into view, and as the edge of a narrow band of light as sharp as a sword-cut moved along, the church and churchyard became gradually visible. Whatever my expectation was, it was not disappointed, for there, on our favourite seat, the silver light of the moon struck a half-reclining figure, snowy white.

Dracula - Bram Stoker

Inspired by a visit to Whitby, I read Bram Stoker's Dracula closely followed by The Lair of the White Worm. It's easy to see how Stoker found inspiration in the crumbling ruins and the old town legends. :-)

Caving for the First Time

I still remember my first real adventure. It was October 1991. I'd found two caves on the Ordinance Survey map and decided to explore them, Victoria Cave and Jubilee Cave. Undeterred by the pouring rain I collected a box of candles from the hardware store. :-)

Heading up Constitution Hill and along a footpath I soon reached Clay Pits Plantation. A wild desolate landscape waited for me. Next along a track towards the caves. By the time I arrived darkness had fallen.

I explored the rightmost passage of Jubilee Cave. The candlelight didn't penetrate far, but I could see the cave was far from what I expected. Water trickled down the walls. It was muddy, wet and strewn with boulders. I'd been expecting somewhere warm and dry with a floor of fine sand!

Outside again I found my way through the darkness to Victoria Cave, a huge chasm in the face of the scar. I could only see one side of the cave and the roof was hidden in the shadows. I followed the wall. More water, more mud and two passages to explore - one very low, the other very narrow.

After leaving Victoria Cave I wandered completely lost in a marshy area before I stumbled upon some ruins where I decided to take shelter from the rain. :-)

Lost in the Mist...

I was hoping to explore the cliffs above Bivi Cave but a sudden change in the weather put a stop to my plans. :-( Luckily I always carry a map and compass otherwise I could have ended up anywhere!