Another splendid walk lead by Bob and Linda. The weather was cool at the start and those of us [i.e. everybody] more used to the Mediterranean temperatures of the last few weeks were caught unawares [me] but the sensible ones among us [everyone else] had long trousers on on account of the heather bashing we were probably going to do. I had brought my long waterproof coat though to go with my shorts as a good luck charm against an unpredicted shower for which I was very grateful later - see below. The walk started in the charming village of Rosedale Abbey redolent with inviting teashops for the end of the day. After an initial steep climb we were rolling along gentle inclines and declines over the heather moors to Lastingham. Caroline thought that she spotted a merlin [Britain’s smallest breed of falcon] dipping and diving in the near distance but sadly the sighting was not confirmed. Then we met two blokes with bins, while not having seen Caroline’s merlin, confirmed that white-tailed eagles [also known as sea eagles] had been seen in Farndale and the local twitchers were about in force watching for them. There are apparently white-tailed eagles now breeding and living permanently on the Isle of Mull and also on the Isle of Wight and they regularly pass through the Dales on their journey between the two nesting places. This was very exciting for Caroline whose son, James, had seen a very large bird, possibly an eagle, recently in Swaledale. So for the rest of the day we kept our eyes peeled for very large birds but were disappointed. The sun remained hidden at our high point coffee stop and the wind was still a little chilly. I discovered that my trusty Osprey Camelbak water bladder was leaking and my clothing was rapidly becoming sodden. It has done me 7 years good service so I cannot complain but I was very happy to have brought that waterproof jacket to insulate me from the constant trickle down my back. By the time we descended into Lastingham the sun was shining brightly, the leaky bladder was emptied and replaced with a bottle of expensive Harrogate mineral water from the lovely pub - which is obviously very popular in the area. The heather is in full bloom at the moment and the photo shows us standing in a lovely spot on our return to Rosedale. Unfortunately, a lot of the heather is brown on the count of the incessant munching of the larvae of the pesky heather beetle. Another long hot summer will be an additional burden for the heather to weather…
We returned to Rosedale Abbey in the warm sunshine, my clothes had dried and we were anxious to enjoy a reviving cup of tea! Hopes dashed! Teashops were all pulling down the shutters at 4:15pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon with loads of tourists still about…they are obviously making too much money!
Thank you Bob and Linda for a lovely walk over the North York Moors.
Jane McLennan