Inspiration & ideas
Curious
Strange place names
Mysteries of the Knights Templar
Nine Standards Rigg
The drystone cairns stand in a row, 2 – 4 metres tall. They’re very much part of the landscape but do seem to vary over time – some say they can find only 7 of these tall ‘standards’, others claim to find 11! Their height varies with the weather and effo…
Which Masham treasures have you discovered?
Cracking the code of place names in the Yorkshire Dales
Trig points - how many have you bagged?
Have you bagged any trigs? Where? For the uninitiated, I’m not taking nonsense! You might have occasionally noticed a structure like the one in the photo, usually with a number on the side and curious symbol on the top. There are over 6000 of them in the UK. Some walkers pride themselves on 'trig-bagging', sharing their finds online.
These mysterious small structures are called Trig Points, or more correctly, "triangulation pillars". They're usually on the highest point in the area and theoreti…
Flat caps and Clapham
A little story about flat caps, Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales & Peaky Blinders. Know why woollen flat caps are so popular? Their story goes back almost 500 years. In order to protect the wool trade, a law was passed in 1571 that all non-noble men and boys over 6 should wear a wool cap on Sundays and public holidays. They were fined if they didn’t. By the time the law was repealed in the 1590s, the tradition had stuck. It continued through the centuries, especially in colder areas with easy acce…
Sherlock Holmes - inspired by the Yorkshire Dales?
What's the connection between the Yorkshire Dales, the Hound of the Baskervilles and Sherlock Holmes?
Some believe that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to write his books thanks to connections in this area. His mother, Mary Doyle lived at Masongill Cottage near Ingleton for about 30 years. When Conan Doyle visited her it's likely he'd have travelled by train to Ingleton and then onwards through Holme Head to Masongill.
One of Conan Doyle's early stories was called Uncle Jeremy's Household,…
Feizor: a wonder-woman, witches' seats, Wainwright's wish & a wall
Most cars whoosh along the A65 between Long Preston and Clapham with no idea of the delights they're missing at Feizor. It's a small hamlet tucked away down a narrow meandering lane away from the rush of traffic. The lane takes its time curving this way and that, petering out into a track after Feizor as if it just couldn't bear to leave.
You might wonder why Feizor even exists, it's such a tiny place? It's said that it was once owned by the monks of Fountains Abbey and was a stopping point on …
Big Stone: a curious climb
Have you visited this place? This isn't the best photo of it (if you have a better one I can use, please do send!) but I think you can see it's an oddity! It’s not very often that places in the Yorkshire Dales remind me of famous landmarks in Sri Lanka.
The Dales version isn’t quite as big as Sigiriya in Sri Lanka, but it’s still remarkable, an impressive stone standing proud on a lonely moorland road south of High Bentham on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales
‘Our’ Sigiriya is imaginatively know…