Sunday, September 27, 2015

Cheese Stones, Baysdale

At Baysdale 615050 are a small group of boulders.   These are mentioned by Stanhope White (Standing Stones & Earthworks on the North Yorkshire Moors 1987) who seems to think these are man  made perhaps.  I looked on top of all the boulders and sure enough they are lots.  And on other boulders too.  Frank Elgee an


eminent author does not think these are man made.  Some of these look as though they have suffered much erosion around the edges which cuts into the circular depressions and several are on the top and very precariously it must have been for anyone trying to chip  into the rocks as there is little to no room in some places.  The top picture also shows a cross on one  small boulder.  The lower picture shows another group of depressions taken whilst standing on one of the much higher stones.








(left)
I don't know who Maurice H Close 1928 was but have included it in anycase.


Saturday, September 26, 2015

Invaders From......

.... Paddling down the R.Tees near Newsham we came across this tropical rain forest.  Alas, it consists of mainly three introduced species and non of them from the tropics
:-

Giant Hogweed, from Southern Russian/Caucasus
Japanese Knotweed, from errrr??? Japan!
Himalayan Balsam, from ????  Oh, yes - the Himalayan mountains.

All three species spread easily down rivers and in some areas, such as this on the Tees forms dense stands eliminating all native species.