Nice to see the names of the Farms on the OS Map. I've been walking/running past them for years and never knew their names. Seems a shame that farms don't have big signs up with their names on allowing people to navigate or give others directions in the same way we do with pubs. In January there is "North Tyneside 12k" Run which encompasses a lot of this route, at a certain point on the route runners have to choose between 'muddy' and 'very muddy'. I've always been intrigued by the ownership of "Holywell Dene", I get the impression it's not part of the Estate owned by the National Trust, but I could be wrong
A lovely description thanks - there’s so much to be said for seeing how a favourite walk changes through the seasons. Coincidentally I was reading about dolphin sightings from the Seaton Sluice area just a couple of days ago and thinking now there’s a place to visit!
Thanks for your encouraging comment, Kevin :) I've really been enjoying writing on Substack since I stumbled across it earlier this year - so much more fulfilling and fluent that Twitter.
Thanks, and I'll take a look at that group. I've arrived at Substack from a different direction, having run my own blog for a while, and like the way it blends both worlds together.
Yes, there were coal mines all over that area, including one at Seaton Delaval. I suspect that the nature reserve's lake is formed from mining subsidence.
Or possibly former opencast - here in SW Scotland we had a lot of opencast up to about 30 years ago. The sandstone slabs in your waterfall picture look very 'coal-measurey' to me. There might even be some plant fossils in it.
Thanks Ronald. Next time we visit I'll take a much closer look at the Sandstone :).
By the way, I noticed you wrote the Cairngorms Cicerone guide sitting on my desk. I found it very helpful when planning my walk from Ben Macdui to Bynack More in March with the various alternatives and escape routes. Hopefully I'll be back next March to explore further, possible with a longer walk from South to North or West to East.
Well it takes luck to find good Carboniferous plant fossils - in last 10 years I found giant clubmoss on Pennine Way and also in old opencast now sculpture park where was also giant horsetail. Don't get hopes too high... Glad the Cairngorms book useful, it's been a nice little earner but is quite old now.
Nice to see the names of the Farms on the OS Map. I've been walking/running past them for years and never knew their names. Seems a shame that farms don't have big signs up with their names on allowing people to navigate or give others directions in the same way we do with pubs. In January there is "North Tyneside 12k" Run which encompasses a lot of this route, at a certain point on the route runners have to choose between 'muddy' and 'very muddy'. I've always been intrigued by the ownership of "Holywell Dene", I get the impression it's not part of the Estate owned by the National Trust, but I could be wrong
Yes, I also suspect the Dene is not owned by National Trust. Not sure who.
A lovely description thanks - there’s so much to be said for seeing how a favourite walk changes through the seasons. Coincidentally I was reading about dolphin sightings from the Seaton Sluice area just a couple of days ago and thinking now there’s a place to visit!
Thanks for your encouraging comment, Kevin :) I've really been enjoying writing on Substack since I stumbled across it earlier this year - so much more fulfilling and fluent that Twitter.
It's always worth watching out the pod somewhere between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Sunderland. There is a Facebook group called North East Cetacean Project that helps you track the sighting. https://www.facebook.com/groups/454398278321732/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=1961960960898782
Thanks, and I'll take a look at that group. I've arrived at Substack from a different direction, having run my own blog for a while, and like the way it blends both worlds together.
Seems to be on the Coal Measures. (According to the BGS app) Denes carved into flat lying sandstone?
Yes, there were coal mines all over that area, including one at Seaton Delaval. I suspect that the nature reserve's lake is formed from mining subsidence.
Or possibly former opencast - here in SW Scotland we had a lot of opencast up to about 30 years ago. The sandstone slabs in your waterfall picture look very 'coal-measurey' to me. There might even be some plant fossils in it.
Thanks Ronald. Next time we visit I'll take a much closer look at the Sandstone :).
By the way, I noticed you wrote the Cairngorms Cicerone guide sitting on my desk. I found it very helpful when planning my walk from Ben Macdui to Bynack More in March with the various alternatives and escape routes. Hopefully I'll be back next March to explore further, possible with a longer walk from South to North or West to East.
Well it takes luck to find good Carboniferous plant fossils - in last 10 years I found giant clubmoss on Pennine Way and also in old opencast now sculpture park where was also giant horsetail. Don't get hopes too high... Glad the Cairngorms book useful, it's been a nice little earner but is quite old now.