Jo’s Monday walk : Nesbitt Dene
Thorpe Bulmer Farm

Thorpe Bulmer Farm

This week I’m going to take you for a simple little stroll from Hart Village, through Nesbitt Dene and back again.  Hart is only 2km north of Hartlepool, and if I’m not walking on a beach, the chances are I’ll be somewhere near this village.  It’s not very big, but has 2 pubs, a village hall (where I do t’ai chi on Wednesday mornings) and a lovely little church.  More of this later.  Time to put on the walking shoes.

From the main street, a public footpath sign directs you through a gap in the housing, down to a little stream and round to St. Mary Magdalene’s Church.  Sometimes it’s open and you can take a look inside, but if the sky is blue we’ll keep on striding.  A right turn onto Butts Lane will lead you out of the village, towards farm land.  You’ll usually pass a nosy sheep or two on the way.

Today they look like teddy bears and are busy 'tucking in'.

These two look like teddy bears, busy ‘tucking in’.

There's an old barn, of course

There’s an old barn, of course

And maybe some hay rolls in the fields.

And sometimes hay ‘rolls’ in the fields.

The sea is over on your right, across the fields

The sea is over on your right,in the distance

The road heads gently up an incline, and you should carry on until you see Thorpe Bulmer Farm ahead of you.  It’s a large white building and not easy to miss.  When you reach the farm a path splits off to the left, taking you around the side of the farm to the lovely view in the top picture.

I was surprised by the bright yellow of the seats by the duck pond.  Last year they were a more soothing duck egg blue.  Either way, the ducks don’t seem to mind, and wouldn’t it be a nice spot to recline?  But not for us!  We’re going to the woods.

The leaves are unfurling nicely and there are hens in the farmyard

The leaves are unfurling nicely, and soon there will be a canopy of green

But the woods are still breathing quietly

But the woods are still a little sparse, and breathing quietly

Wood anemones flourish

Wood anemones flourish

Pine cones litter the path

Pine cones litter the path

And a twinkling or two might catch your eye

And celandines sparkle amid the green

Following the path to the side of the farm, you very soon come to the woods, on your right.  There are a number of paths leading through them, crossing a little stream, and back out again.  Take the steps down and over the bridge, then continue straight ahead.

Emerging from the dene you will see Nesbitt Hall across the fields ahead of you.  It is a Grade ll listed building, dating from 1697. Keep it on your left hand side and follow the edge of the field.

Nesbitt Hall and a lot of clouds!

Nesbitt Hall, and a lot of clouds!

The fields are full of rape seed at the minute

The fields are full of rape seed at the minute

And great heaps of rolled hay

And great heaps of rolled hay

And rusty old bits of farming equipment

With rusty old bits of farming equipment

Not good for pollen sufferers, I’m afraid!  Take the path to your right, away from the Hall, and continue downhill, back into Nesbitt Dene and the woods.

I cannot resist a blossom shot along the way

I cannot resist a blossom shot along the way

Or even two!

Or even two!

Then back under the feathery leaves

And then you’re back beneath the feathery trees

Beside a stream, primulas thrive, liking the mossy surround

Beside a stream, primulas thrive, liking their mossy surroundings

The trees reflecting in the shallow water

The trees, reflecting in the shallow water

Then you are climbing back out of the dene and retracing your steps to Hart Village.  Here you might want to linger in the churchyard.  Or try one of the village pubs.  I can personally recommend ‘The White Hart’.  If you have driven to the village there is a car park conveniently beside the church, signed Butts Lane.

St. Mary's and the churchyard

St. Mary Magdalene’s and the churchyard

A peaceful scene inside the church

Inside the church, a peaceful scene

I can guarantee you peace for a week or so, because I’m heading off to Poland tomorrow.  I hope to have time to respond to your comments before I go, but if I miss anyone, my apologies in advance.  I’m hoping you’ll join in and share a favourite walk with me.  If not this week, then maybe when I return?  You have a little extra ‘think time’.

As usual, you can leave a link to your walk post in my comments, or you can link back to me from the post.  I really don’t mind, and any day of the week will do.  It would be lovely to have some walks to cheer me up when I return.  I’ll try to entertain you with a Polish walk in exchange.  Seem fair?  Great!  I’ll see you then.  Take care in the meantime!

Just got time for some shares before I go.  Don’t miss Amy’s lovely River Walk :

https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/jos-monday-walk-river-walk/

And Yvette, being zany 🙂

http://priorhouse.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/monday-walk-with-jo-street-shots-bread-and-jim-gaffigan-clip/

And you simply can’t miss Sonel taking a Mantis for a walk, in her own inimitable style!

http://sonelcorner.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/jos-monday-walk-a-walk-with-mantis/

Bluebell woods, anyone?  Thanks, Elaine!

http://elainemcnulty.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/tiptoe-through-the-bluebells-with-me/

 

 

Six word Saturday

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What a year for blossom trees!

Like this cluster of pinkness!

Great clusters of pinkness!

I never tire of seeing them overhead

That almost take your breath away

So delicate yet so profuse

So delicate and yet so profuse

The darker pinks, more sparing of their favours

The darker pinks are a little more restrained

But happy to flirt with their showy neighbours

But happy to flirt with their showier neighbours!

Such a heady wash of colour

I never tire of looking up

Restful white

There are still a few delicate, restful whites around

And even a flash of black and white

And even a flash of black with the white!

Aren't the black ones just gorgeous?

Aren’t the little black ones simply gorgeous?

In a sea of colour

Just one more splash of colour!

I’ve gone a little blossom crazy because next week I go to Poland, and I know that when I come back they’ll mostly have vanished. Isn’t this the most beautiful time of year?

I won’t be posting 6WS next week, and I have just one more Monday walk to take before I’m gone. You can catch me there if you like, or even join in, if you have a walk you’d like to share.

Meantime, have a happy and colourful weekend, and don’t forget to visit Cate at Show My Face to post your Six word Saturday.

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Wild! Fast! Panoramic! Epic!
A very tame kind of wildness

A tame version of wildness, but beautiful, don’t you think?

He’s one of my favourite photos from Loule Carnaval, and let me tell you, things can get a bit wild there.  It’s a while since I entered a photographic competition, so when I discovered that my friends at Blacks were hosting one with a pretty wild prize, I thought it was time to have a go.  It’s just a bit of fun really, but you never know where it might lead, do you?

The prize is £2000 to spend with adventure travel experts Explore.   When I opened the link to them and read “Burma for under £2000”, I was convinced to enter!  They organise walking tours and wildlife tours, and cycling tours, of course.  I wondered what a ‘tame’ option like rail journeys would offer and was beyond excited when I saw ‘Japan by rail’ and ‘India by rail’.  Go and have a look at the boat journeys ‘to die for’!  The Nile on a felucca or the Maldives on a dhoni?  I’ve taken a gulet cruise off the Turkish coast, so that’s one less to think about.

So, now you need to know what to do.  Simply, compose a blog post around the subjects ‘Wild, Fast, Panoramic, Epic’.  I’ll give you more details later but for now you should know that Leo the Lion, up there, is my entry for Wild. Well- you can go pretty fast with two pedalling, can't you? Well- you can go pretty fast with two pedalling, can’t you?

In case you haven’t guessed, this is my entry for Fast.  They do say at Blacks that you should be creative, and certainly have fun with it.  I haven’t made it onto that Shinkansen train yet, but I have been to Barcelona.  Stick with what you know, right?  El Quatre Gats was a venue for one of the most creative artists our planet has ever known.  I was walking in the footsteps of Picasso.

I looked up Epic in my dictionary to be sure of the meaning and it seemed to have connotations of history and grandeur.  A few places came to mind, but in the end I decided on Warsaw’s amazing reconstruction of Stare Miasto, the Old Town.  Nothing can have been on a more epic scale than the rebuilding that was necessary after it’s total annihilation in World War 2.

Plac Zamkovy

Plac Zamkowy- Castle Square

And while I’m in Poland I thought I’d finish on a slightly different, interesting panorama.  I was rather surprised by these chess pieces the last time I was in Krakow.  I’m returning next week for a family wedding so I’ll have to check if they’re still there.  Hope you like my Panoramic entry.

Beautiful -framed behind the chess pieces

Beautiful Wawel Castle and Cathedral, framed behind the chess pieces

So now you need some competition details, but you have to promise me not to win!  Otherwise how will I get to Burma or the Maldives?  The closing date for entry is Monday, May 5th at midnight.  You need to tweet your post to Blacks #epicadventures or put it on their Facebook page.  Full details are in the link.

I hesitate to wish you luck.  Oh, go on then!  Good luck!  But expect to be struck off the friend list if you win.

Jo’s Monday walk : Guisborough Forest and the Priory
The ruins of Gisborough Priory

The ruins of Gisborough Priory

On Easter Monday I wasn’t sure whether I should take you on a little local walk, or something more grand.  Well, Gisborough Priory was once very grand indeed.  Now just a ruin, it nevertheless sits at the heart of one of North Yorkshire’s finest market towns, Guisborough.

English being the funny old language that it is, Guisborough town is spelt with a ‘u’, but Gisborough Priory and nearby Gisborough Hall are spelt without.  You can check the Wikipedia links for the where’s and why for’s later, but it’s time to grab your coat, and off we go.

From the car park, at the back of Westgate, turn right down Bow St.  The houses are an appealing mix of stone and whitewash.  In gentle sunshine, a magnolia unfurls.  Just before the railway bridge, a series of steps lead up to a footpath.  If you turn left, it crosses over the bridge.  The railway is long gone but it makes a pleasant enough path around the back of Guisborough.

This magnolia was a beauty!

This magnolia’s a beauty!

The forest or Commondale?

Choices!  Choices!

You can turn right and head for the forest, but beware!   You never know what creatures are lurking in these woods.  It’s ok though- most of them are friendly.

Good morning Mr. Fox!

Good morning Mr. Fox!

And a whole family of sleepy owls!

Sssh!  Don’t wake the owls!

But today we’ll take the shorter route.  Choose the junction to the left, signed Cleveland Street Trail, and follow the path.  You will cross an open field and might have a friendly encounter with a sheep or two.  A frisky herd of horses live at the top of the field. Normally they’ll just keep an eye on you.  Don’t panic if they come to investigate.

The trail ends opposite this gatehouse

The trail ends opposite this gatehouse

Nice, isn't it?

Nice, isn’t it?

Not this grand entry for you, though!  Tradesman’s entrance!  A few yards to the left, a more modest footpath skirts the boundaries and takes you along the Monk’s Walk, through the woods.

And there's the priory, across a field

And there’s the priory, across a field

There's not much to it, when you get up close

There’s not much to it, when you get up close.  Gisborough Priory is a ruined Augustinian priory. It was founded in 1119 as the Priory of St. Mary by Robert de Brus, an ancestor of the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, and became one of the richest monastic foundations in England.  In 1289 a fire destroyed much of the Romanesque Norman priory, but it was rebuilt in yet grander style.

The priory was prosperous until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540.  At this time it was demolished and the stone re-used in other buildings in Guisborough.  The east end of the church was left standing- a rather romantic image.

But the arches are pleasing

With rather pleasing arches

If you are interested in the history there is a quite substantial amount of it in Wikipedia.   Also on the site are fragments of the lower courses of the west range, a vaulted undercroft, a gateway and a 14th century dovecote, along with the Priory gardens.

Gisborough Priory is an English Heritage site and instructions on getting here are contained in the link.  There’s also the cutest ‘Brother Ted Bear’ for sale but I warn you, he doesn’t come cheap. Nor does the parking in the main town car park.  You can also walk from nearby Pinchinthorpe through the Guisborough Forest into town if you’re feeling energetic.

In Guisborough centre you will find a number of tearooms- mostly hidden around corners, so poke about a bit.  A more substantial meal can be had in several of the pubs on the main street.

So there you are.  I hope you have a lovely day!  If you would like to join in with Jo’s Monday walk, it’s simple enough.  You can link a post back to me, or you can simply leave a link to a walk you like in my comments below.  It can be as elaborate or as simple as you like, and you can join in any day of the week.  I just like to see where you’ve been.  Nosy, I guess.  Happy walking!

First up, Yvette’s taking us to Richmond, VA :

http://priorhouse.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/short-walk-around-my-town-jos-mw/

Then Amy- avoiding the snakes, I hope! :

http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/jos-monday-walk-countryside-part-2/

And Dale, having fun in the sun :

http://diaryofaninternetnobody.com/2014/04/22/monday-walk/

On top with Gaudi
The rooftop at La Pedrera

The rooftop at La Pedrera

For most of the time I was in Barcelona I was on top of the world!  Gaudi’s architecture far surpassed my expectations.  Could anything top this?  A world of pure fantasy.

Patterned or 'plain'

Patterned or ‘plain’

Everywhere you looked, someone was pointing a camera!

Everywhere you looked, someone was pointing a camera!

And who could blame them?

And who could blame them?

At Casa Batllo I felt I was drifting off into that sky

At Casa Batllo, I felt I was drifting off into that sky

Lost among the chimney pots

Lost among the chimney pots

One man's vision, more than enough for me

One man’s vision, more than enough for me

From the second I saw the Weekly Photo Challenge, my head was full of Gaudi and the time I spent in Barcelona.  I reached some wonderful heights, culminating in the breathtaking Sagrada Familia. If you ever have the chance, do go.

Thanks for the memories!  On top was this week’s theme.  Don’t forget to visit.

 

 

Six word Saturday

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A hope for peace and harmony

Each morning the beauty of the sky greets us

Each morning, the beauty of the sky awaits us

Unasked, the flowers turn their faces up to us

Unasked, the flowers turn their faces up

With all their shy beauty

With all their shy beauty

Flamboyance

Flamboyance

And delicacy

And delicacy

Each year they awaken and delight

Each year they awaken, to delight

Peeping out of their pots

Peeping out of their flowerpots

Or maybe we've brought them inside to enjoy

Or maybe we’ve brought some inside, to enjoy

Before the sun sets

Before the sun sets

With maybe just a hint of rain

With, maybe, just a hint of rain

And drains the colour from our world

Before the colour drains from our world

It is so simple, isn’t it?  So beautiful.

My wish for you at Easter is peace and love, with not too many raindrops. (and certainly no more snow for my Stateside friends!)

I almost forgot to link to Cate at Show My Face.  Even on Easter Saturday you can still share your six words.  Happy Easter!

 

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A musical interlude
Pearlescent beauty

Pearlescent beauty

Sometimes this blogging world leads me down paths I don’t really want to take.  What place does an Ibanez guitar have in a travel blog?  But it is an instrument of great beauty, and though he rarely plays it these days, a treasured possession of my son’s.

You’re used to seeing my daughter sashay through my pages, with her inimitable flair and style. James, though, would not appreciate an appearance here, though he’s happy enough to perform in another venue.

He’s a left hander who started his musical journey as an Iron Maiden fan.  A proud moment when he was in sixth form college was having Janick Gers (a local lad made very good) from Maiden come to their new recording studio.  The photo still lives on my study wall, and I won’t embarrass James by showing it here.

His real love is recording, though he loves to play too.  Down the years I have followed his musical tastes, sometimes with real pleasure, sometimes with horror.  Instruments have come and gone, but these days it’s not so much the instruments that occupy every available space in his bedroom (and beyond!)  It’s the array of sound pedals and gadgetry which I totally fail to appreciate. There’s little beauty to them.

Many have graced his pedalboard, and I do remember a pretty yellow one.  A little like photography, nothing comes ‘untampered with’ these days, and James will spend many happy hours on his laptop, composing and mixing the sounds.

For me there is nothing quite so fine as listening to my son strum his guitar and sing.

So, many thanks to Jake for reminding me.  Have you joined in with this week’s Sunday Post challenge?  You’re running out of time!

Thursday’s Special : The Lighthouse
Did you guess where I was, among the rooftops?

Did you guess where I was, up among the rooftops in Glasgow?

Looking down

Looking down

This might be the clue you need

Maybe this is the clue you need?

The Glasgow Herald Building is known as ‘The Lighthouse’ and was designed by Glasgow-born architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  Now Scotland’s Centre of Architecture, Design and the City, it has one floor dedicated to the work of its designer. When I read that I could ascend the tower for views over Glasgow’s rooftops there was never any doubt that I would seek out the building.

The building was Rennie Mackintosh’s first public commission and was built between 1893-1895.  A former warehouse, its most prominent feature is the tower, which was designed to contain an 8.000 gallon water tank, to protect the building from fire hazard. When the Herald moved to new premises in the early eighties, it stood unoccupied for 15 years. Thankfully today’s model is as cutting edge as Rennie Mackintosh was in his time.

I entered it in pure excitement.  Ascending the escalator to the third floor I marvelled at what I found there.  Tiny models of designs of his that were never even completed sat alongside others of his landmark Glasgow buildings.  I found myself longing to visit them all.

How sad that this was never built

How sad that this was never built

But this one was

But this one was- the Glasgow School of Art

There are drawings to examine

There are drawings to examine

Like House for an Art Lover, completed after his death

Like the plans for ‘House for an Art Lover’, completed after his death

There’s a history of this building
In pictorial form
With all it’s drama
And numerous design details

And numerous design details

Rennie Mackintosh admired simple forms and natural materials.  In his design he used texture and the contrast of light and shadow. He admired Japanese design but developed his own style, with strong right angles and the decorative floral motifs, with subtle curves, for which he is known. This building and its use of industrial space is a fitting tribute to him.

Impossible not to love!

For me it’s a love affair

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Visit The Lighthouse website for a better look at his work.  As it says in the video, “each of the properties will tell you a different piece of the story”.  Sadly I never did get to climb that tower.  It was closed for repairs!  But I took the lift to the sixth floor for the rooftop view anyway.  You can take a virtual tour of the Mackintosh Centre and the viewing platform on the website (on a much sunnier day than I managed).

I am dedicating this post to Paula.  She is not able to delight us with her usual Thursday’s Special this week due to pressure of work and being ill.  Get well soon Paula.  We miss you!

 

Jo’s Monday walk : A Saltburn stroll
Huntcliff Nab from the cliff top

Huntcliff Nab from the cliff top

I’m back on the north east coast of England for my walk today.  Saltburn-by-the-Sea may be familiar to some of you.  Anyone remember my yarn bombing post, on the pier last Summer?  The place really has so much charm.

But it can receive the full brunt of nature sometimes, when the North Sea comes thundering in.  I was there last week and repairs to the promenade were ongoing from the latest onslaught, just a few weeks ago.  Happily the Victorian Pier has resisted the storms so far.  The wind whips at the waves, but if you drop down into the Valley Gardens it’s a different world.

So, park up on the cliff top and admire the view above.  I’ve ordered sunshine but there’s always the chance of an April shower.  A choice of several footpaths take you down through the gardens but they all end up in the same place- some more steeply than others, so I’ll let you choose.

Fancy a game of I-spy?
In the dene this chap will keep an eye on you
While you dabble in Skelton Beck
Then follow it through the valley towards the sea

At Easter there’s a bustle of excitement because ‘Prince Charles’ is released from his winter hibernation and whistles his way through the gardens.  The miniature railway has been delighting Summer visitors for as long as I can remember.

The promenade leads directly to the pier

The promenade runs beneath the cliffs and past the pier

And you can walk out to the end

You can walk out to the end of the pier, if you like

And look back, if you like

And look back

Or you can carry on walking, if it's too cool

Or if it’s too cool, carry on walking

The pier has the usual entertainments, and there’s always a bag of chips to be eaten, out of the paper, as you’re strolling.  It’s a good way to keep your hands warm.

The inevitable chips!
Before you reach the end of the promenade
And turn inland
Back to the cliff top
Where Henry Pease awaits
In sculpture form
A ‘man of energy and imagination’
With Quaker roots
And a fine cliff top view

And a fine cliff top view

Pease was a local industrialist who had considerable impact on the way the town looks.  When Saltburn was just a green and pleasant valley he had a vision of the jewel it could be and set about fund raising to make it happen. This wasn’t too difficult as his father was wealthy and influential in the development of the Stockton to Darlington Railway.

The streets were constructed on a grid pattern with many of them running towards the sea, and named after precious jewels.  The buildings were faced with a white brick, locally made, with the name Pease engraved on them.  In prime position sat the Zetland Hotel- one of the world’s first railway hotels.

Marine Dri ve follows the cliff tops with beautiful views

Marine Drive follows the cliff tops, with lovely views out to sea

Until you reach the iconic cliff lift

Until you reach the iconic cliff lift with its stained glass windows

The distinctive housing on the cliff top

And the distinctive housing on the cliff top

Town map

Map of the town and Valley Gardens

The former 'Zetland Hotel' was the world's first railway hotel

The illustrious former ‘Zetland Hotel’

Just after the Zetland you cross over the road and find yourself back at your start point.  The whole will only take you an hour or so, but there are places you might want to linger.  If you arrive by train it’s just a 5 minute stroll downhill to Valley Gardens.

Two charming Victorians loiter by the Valley Gardens

Two charming Victorians, loitering by the Valley Gardens

This would make a perfect expedition for the Easter weekend.  It might even be fine enough to take a picnic?  Happy walking, everybody!

If you have a walk you’d like to share with me, I’d be so pleased to see it.  It can be as detailed or as simple as you like.  I really don’t mind.  I just love seeing new places.  Put a link in my comments, or link a post to me, any day you like.  I’ll have another walk for you next Monday.

I’m starting my shares this week with beautiful Lewes, in Sussex.  Many thanks, Sherri :

A Lingering Look at Windows and A Walk In Lewes, Sussex

http://diaryofaninternetnobody.com/2014/04/13/picture-this-springtime-by-the-river/

Dale got so enthusiastic, he’s given me a choice of two, so here’s the other :

http://diaryofaninternetnobody.com/2013/09/08/picture-this-return-to-watersmeet-valley-of-the-rocks/

Jo’s Monday Walk: A Countryside Walk

A walk in the night

http://smallbluegreenwords.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/a-stroll-around-ludlow-castle/

Six word Saturday

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I came, I saw, I photo’d!

Some with wonderful graffiti

The Commonwealth Games- what an event that will be!

Elephants, fishing?

Two elephants- fishing?

One stealthy cat!

One stealthy cat!

And my 'wonder wall'

And my amazing ‘wonder wall’

If you’ve seen any of my posts in the week, you’ll know that I was ‘bowled over’ by Glasgow.  I’ve had a terrific response to all the posts so I’d just like to say thank you to all who visited and enjoyed Glasgow with me.  The wall art was amazing, but that was just a small part of it.

Seonaid of Breath of Green Air shared this link with me yesterday.  It explains a little about the wall art and gives me yet another reason to go back.  I missed the panda, and my Wonder Wall is illuminated at night!

I still have one more delight to share with you, next week.  Here I am, up among the rooftops.

It's a little 'Gaudi', don't you think?

It’s a little ‘Gaudi’, don’t you think?

A small hint at where we'll be going

A small clue.  Anyone know where it is?

No, not the Glasgow School of Art

No- not the Glasgow School of Art

But I did have a quick peek in there

Though I did have a quick peek in there- not long enough!

I have to finish with the riverside.  Undisputably damp though I was, still I was very happy to get my first sighting of the River Clyde.  Grey skies and all!

This is one of my favourite shots from the riverside

This is one of my favourite shots- the sun almost came out!

And I like the reflections on this one

And I like the reflections in this one

But when it comes to reflections ....

But when it comes to reflections ….

I hope you’ve enjoyed reflecting with me.  This time last week my adventure was just beginning.

How about you- what have you done in the week?  You can share it here on Six word Saturday. Cate at Show My Face is a great hostess.   The links and header will show you how it works.

 

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