The Donkey Sanctuary

We had another interesting camera club outing, this time to The Donkey Sanctuary, one of a network of sanctuaries across the UK and abroad dedicated to rescuing donkeys who are unwanted, have been abused or are at risk. Once nurtured back to health, some of them are used in 'donkey-assisted activities', where these gentle, patient and sociable animals help vulnerable children and adults to connect and develop the social and emotional skills they need for life. It is a much bigger, more organised and more far-reaching charity than I realised. 

They are surprisingly beautiful animals, each with its own personality and charm. They were mainly interested in eating - both grass and our cameras seemed tempting to them! When not chomping away, they were very curious about us and seemed to love being stroked and chatted to. 

This one (below) had an interesting hair-do! 

This one is called Theo, a laid-back character, skewbald with interesting markings:

Sometimes you've just got to scratch that itch! 

Donkeys almost always have a cross on their backs, though it's much easier to see on the paler coloured animals. Scientists believe it is a primitive marking, like camouflage, that enabled the animals to stay hidden in the wilderness. Some Christians believe that the donkey is marked with a cross because it carried Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and /or that it stood, in sympathy, near Jesus at the crucifixion and the shadow of the cross fell on its back, a sign of the love of God for all to see. 

Love is evident and abundant at The Donkey Sanctuary, which has many staff and volunteers who are clearly devoted to the animals. One lady we spoke to had worked there for 22 years. They showed us round and watched over both us and the donkeys as we photographed them, making sure no harm came to any of us. When I asked where the donkeys liked to be stroked or scratched, I was told they love having their ears gently massaged inside, so I tried that and the donkey clearly adored it! Who knew?

Roseberry Topping

One rainy lunchtime when I was at primary school, aged about eight or nine, I was idly leafing through an atlas of the British Isles. I came across a place named 'Roseberry Topping', which in my child's mind immediately conjured up some kind of fluffy, pink, creamy dessert. I was quite taken with this and vowed to visit this seemingly mythical site sometime in my life. I later discovered it was a distinctively shaped hill in North Yorkshire... but it has taken me sixty odd years to actually go and see it. (I think I both did and did not want to explore it: my wish to see it being equal and opposite to my reluctance to tarnish my childhood fantasy.)  

Anyway, my trip to the North York Moors gave me chance for some good views of the hill, albeit fairly hazy with the drizzle and low cloud. As I scouted around for the best viewpoint for photos, the mist started to evaporate, causing some interesting effects that looked like plumes of smoke coming from the forest. 

The shape of the hill is caused both by its geology (hard sandstone overlying clay and shale) and by a landslip in 1912. 

It's good to have ticked off that particular 'bucket list' item, though perhaps one day I should actually try climbing to its summit. I think there's a path and at 320m it's considered to be a hill in UK terms, rather than a mountain. Manageable, I guess. 

Kildale church

I enjoy exploring our many parish churches, and so it was interesting to spend a little time in St Cuthbert's Church in Kildale, which lies south east of Easby Moor and Captain Cook's Monument. It is hidden away down a lane and to access it you have to cross a footbridge over the Esk Valley railway line, which runs from Middlesbrough to Whitby. The footbridge leads into the churchyard through a row of yew trees. The current church is Victorian, built in 1878, but there were earlier churches on the same site. 

There didn't seem to be anything particularly remarkable about it - some stained glass windows, which I always like to study:  

and a memorial statue depicting Mary with Jesus. Statues like this are not all that common in smaller Anglican churches so it was nice to see. 

Propped up in the porch are four carved medieval gravestones, two of which have the Percy family coat of arms: 

The church is attractively tucked away, a peaceful little place - apart from the occasional train passing along the line. Kildale railway station is still used but the building on the church side of the tracks is obviously no longer functional! 

Captain Cook's Monument

I set off for a day out on the North York Moors, looking forward to seeing the heather. I didn't appreciate just how drizzly and misty the weather was going to be. Oh, the joys of a great British summer! I stopped for coffee in Great Ayton where, despite it being a rather pretty village, I failed to be inspired to take a single photo in the gloom.

Then I walked up to see Captain Cook's Monument, on the moors outside the village. Erected in 1827, the obelisk commemorates Captain James Cook, who grew up in Great Ayton in the early 1700s and went on to become a famous seafaring explorer. On HMS Endeavour, Cook commanded a scientific voyage to the Pacific Ocean where he mapped the whole coastline of New Zealand and then in 1770 became the first European to sight Australia, eventually landing in Botany Bay. He was undoubtedly a great explorer though nowadays we question the colonial mindset of such expeditions. Cook was killed on Hawaii in 1779, after a dispute with the native Hawaiians. 

The moors were shrouded in cloud and drizzle, so I could barely see the monument and certainly not the views from up there. The moor is covered with heather and it is in peak bloom in mid-August. I love to see the swathes of purple... even in the mist! 

There are two types of native heather and in the photo below you can see both. The bell heather flowers first, larger and often a brighter purple than the soft mauve ling heather, which comes a week or two later. 

Up here on Easby Moor there is also a memorial to the crew of an aircraft that crashed in 1940 during WWII. Taking off to search for German minesweepers off the coast, it failed to gain enough height due to the formation of ice on its wings and it ploughed into the side of the hill. Three of its four crew members were killed. 

Grasses

Grasses catching the light at the edge of the riverbank caught my eye, looking dramatic against the much darker water. It seemed a good image to play with and a mono conversion adds even more drama and contrast. I do also like the softer colour image, hard to choose between them.  

Norber Erratics

Above the village of Clapham, on the southern flanks of Ingleborough, there's an area strewn with huge glacial erratics: boulders of gritstone, perched on the underlying limestone, known as the Norber Erratics. They were deposited by melting ice sheets at the end of the last ice age some 12,000 years ago. The boulder field is a spectacular sight, with far-reaching views across to Ribblesdale. Certainly worth the climb up.  

It was a bright but overcast day, which brought out all the subtle, pastel colours in the rocks and walls, fields and sky. So beautiful; it was a day to enjoy. 

St James Church, Clapham

There has been a church in Clapham since Norman times but the present structure is mostly late Georgian/Regency (1814) apart from the tower which dates back to the 15th century. It's quite cavernous inside and quite plain too, with only a couple of stained glass windows. 

The interior is relatively light, as the rest of the windows are frosted or clear glass, through which you can see the trees outside, which is always lovely in a place of worship.

The most decorative thing in the church seemed to be the fine set of painted organ pipes:

Clapham

Clapham is a pretty little Yorkshire Dales village, set along both sides of Clapham Beck and nestled at the foot of Ingleborough, one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks. It's a popular spot for walkers and cyclists as you can ascend the mountain (723m) from here. For some reason, I have never visited the village before. It has a by-pass and so I've always just driven past. It turns out that I'd missed a treat as it is very attractive, and also has several excellent cafés, including the Old Sawmill where I had lunch. 

One of its claims to fame is that the writer Alan Bennett keeps a second home here, though he mostly lives in London. Bennett was born in Leeds and is still very much a Yorkshireman at heart. 

The stream, running through the village off the slopes of Ingleborough, tumbles over a waterfall from a man-made lake on the Ingleborough Hall estate, which provides some electricity through a turbine. 

Work done and work needed

The walk along the riverbank is one I enjoy fairly regularly but, since I last went that way, the Canal and River Trust (CRT) people (I suppose) have been doing a lot of remedial work. They have widened and flattened the path and topped it with a gravelly clay mixture (though that will be muddy after rain, I'm sure). The new path goes all the way from the Rowing Club to Dowley Gap, ironing out all the uneven bits and the holes. It makes it much safer and easier for walking. Hooray! 

They have also packed a lot of the areas where the river was starting to erode the path, which should help stop the damage getting worse, though I'm not sure those barriers will survive a flood. 

Our local Green councillors, with Hirst Wood Regeneration Group and conservation volunteers have also fenced off a dangerous pathway down to the bridge over the goit underneath the aqueduct, making a safer access path further round. 

Now someone needs to turn attention to the lock gates at Hirst Wood. One of the big wooden balance beams has sheered off and the gates themselves are riddled with holes. I think they are still being used but they do need some remedial work. It's going to become an increasing problem as the CRT are complaining that the next round of government funding is far lower than they actually need to maintain our river and canal systems in good working order. It's a shame as it's much easier to maintain things than to reclaim things that have been left to deteriorate. 

The Coldstones Cut artwork

The Coldstones Cut is a public artwork that provides a safe viewing platform for the adjacent Coldstones Quarry (see yesterday). Created by Andrew Sabin and opened in 2010, it is a massive stone structure that feels like a medieval castle. As well as the viewing area it has sinuous paths through thick stone walls that culminate in two tower-like 'forts'. You can't determine its 'secret' on the ground. Only from an aerial perspective would you see that the whole forms a curious spiral structure, likened to snail shells or a woman's reproductive system. I like to think of it as the Earth Mother, watching over the men ransacking the quarry below for its treasure.   See HERE and scroll right down for this hidden view.

There are stunning views from up here. It's said that on a clear day you can see York Minster - but it wasn't a clear day! 

There is a sculpture of a bike up here too, commemorating the Tour de Yorkshire and the unforgiving climb up Greenhow Hill. By the time we were coming away, huge storm clouds were building. Thankfully we were safely ensconced in a café by the time the rain came but that did sadly put paid to any further plans for exploring the area.