Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: September 2020

Brimham Rocks

Brimham Rocks is a 183.9-hectare (454-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Geological Conservation Review site, 8 miles (13 km) south of Ripon on Brimham Moor in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire and is looked after by The National Trust.

The site was SSSI listed for the value of its geology and because the heath and bog habitats had been much reduced by farming and forestry abd also to preserve rocky outcrops, birch woodland, acidic bogs, wet and dry heath, and plant communities which thrive when sheltered between the rocks and exposed on the moor.

Many of the rock names have been used for over a hundred years. Some fanciful names may have been invented to amuse visitors but some appear to have been inspired by antiquarians who adhered to Druidical theories about their origins. Just a few names, such as the Noonstone whose shadow indicated midday and old local names, Great Cannon and Little Cannon (now the Smartie Tube), may come from an earlier tradition.

The Rocking Stones, Lovers' Leap, Baboon's Head, Pulpit Rock, Parson's Head, Yoke of Oxen, Frog and Tortoise, Serpent's Head, Dancing Bear, Druid's Writing Desk, Druid's Aerial Altar, Druid's Coffin, Sphinx, Oyster Shell, Mushroom, Idol Rock, Anvil and Porpoise Head have all been named over the years.

Obviousle Brimham Rocks isn't the place to visit on a weekend or school holiday and the parking isn't cheap but if you pick your time it can be reasonably quiet and the parking fee is well spent. An added bonus for me was the coffee kiosk being open which I took full advantage of. A good couple of hours was spent photographing the rocks and I noticed that from one particular spot you get a distant view of Ripon Cathedral.

My journey home took me via Pately Bridge and Blubberhouse to Otley where I joined the rush hour traffic for a slow and laborious final leg.

Brimham Rocks

Galloway Coast

First of all, apologies for having these photos in reverse order. Basically I took the first photo last and the last photo first if that make any sense!

I can't really remember exactly how I discovered Kippford but I think it was because someone recommended going to Sandyhills Bay which is just down the coast and then it all sprung from that. I think I took in Southerness, Rockcliffe, Kippford as well as Sandyhills that day and have been coming back once a year ever since.I think once a year might be a bit of an understatement but my recent trip there was definitely my first this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Everywhere seems to be a lot busier compared to previous years, I've notice that a lot in The Lakes and Yorkshire Dales as well. Maybe it is due to the fact that no-one wants to travel abroad due to the possibility of facing quarantine on return.

My first stop as always was Carsthorne which was very quiet so I got parked up without any bother. The Solway Firth tide was out which resulted in there being thousands of Oystercatchers on the beach and boy were they making a racket. My photo only shows a fraction of the number. Looking inland, I was treated to a spectacular, ever-changing view of the clouds breaking over Criffel which is the highest hill in the area.

I had a walk along the beach and took photos of the old pier and jetty which were both used for the transportation of Scots to Canada and America during the Highland Clearances of the 1850s before moving on to Southerness with its iconic lighthouse. The lighthouse was built by Robert Stephenson and was first lit around 1800 before finally being decommissioned in 1936. The rock formations around the lighthouse make for some great photos.

I didn't bother going into Rockcliffe as it is a busy little place which makes it hard to park but carried on to its neighbour Kippford instead. There was not a single parking place to be had there, either in the car park or along the main road. I had more or less given up any hope of stopping but as a last resort I thought I'd try going in to Rockcliffe and fortunately someone was leaving the car park as I pulled in.

The stroll round the bay and through the woods to Kippford is only a couple of miles and is scenic as well so walking it was no imposition. My photos were all taken of the cockleshell beach area of the village and all look out over the Saur peninsula to The Solway Firth.

This is another of my 'feel good' places where I can just sit for ages and peacefully take in the view. Feeling revitalised, I set off back up the hill and through the woods to Rockcliffe where I sat overlooking the bay for a short while before retreating back to Cumbria.

Rockcliffe

Sea Thrift, Kippford

Saur Peninsula, Kippford

Kippford

Cockleshell Beach, Kippford

Southerness

Southerness Lighthouse

Caresthorn

Seabreaker

Solway Firth, Carsethorn

Old Jetty, Carsethorn

Oystercatchers

Weathered Shed, Caresthorn

Weather Clearing on Criffel

Hadrian's Wall

We hadn't intended visiting the Wall but due to the closure of the tearoom at Lanercost Priory, we were left out on a bit of a limb. Stuck in the middle of nowhere without our morning caffeine fix is never a good thing. Before we both entered full meltdown mode, I remembered passing a little tearoom at Greenhead which was only a few miles down the road so we decided to give it a whirl and then go up the road to Walltown Crags and have a little wander along the wall. As it turned out, it was a little gem and certainly somewhere we would visit again.

The section of the wall at Walltown is posssibly its best preserved section, its a bit of a stiff pull up there but the views are well worth it. I have to admit that looking northwards towards the vast wilderness of Northumberland is one of my 'feel good' views and I always take the time just to have a sit down and take it all in. Its hard to believe that people would go to so much trouble building a structure like the wall in such an inhospitable place. Those Scots must have been a mighty fearsome breed to have warrented such attention and dread.

I find that the Wall is one of those places that transports you back in time, purely and simply by its grandeur, situation and length. You can almost relive what it must have been like to build it and then have to live there to protect it. I don't know who were the bravest, The Scots for attacking it or The Romans for defending it!

We finished the walk off with a vist to The Twice Brewed Inn. How times had changed since the last time we visited. We had to have our temperatures taken at the door, leave our contact details and have waitress service for ordering and paying. The only thing I could do unhindered was make a call to the gents. Somehow the whole fun of going for a pint has been taken away by this bloody virus.

The walk wasn't too long but we werent bothered about that as the holiday had taken quite a bit out of us both. I think we were both worn out by all the driving but it had been well worth it. It was good to finish the holiday at a place we both loved plus discovering a new cafe and having some grand weather.