Catrigg Force

Catrigg Force is an impressive waterfall as Stainforth Beck flows into a haunted dell. No-one seems to know who or what haunts the dell. I certainly didn't spot anything unusual when I visited after dark :-)

Autumn Maple

At the weekend we visited Chatsworth House in Derbyshire and walked the gardens and woodland trail. The autumn leaves looked quite spectacular, particularly the red maple. :-)

The berries of the yew tree look unusual. The seed is formed first then the red flesh grows around the seed, leaving an opening at one end. The seeds are poisonous, as are most parts of the yew tree...

Warrendale Knotts Cave

Warrendale Dale Knotts Cave is hidden on Warrendale Knotts 60m above the Settle to Attermire footpath. The cave isn't the easiest to find, located behind a limestone block and a patch of nettles. There are approx 20m of passage, all crawling :-(

Spider Cave

Spider Cave is a high opening in Beacon Scar. The debris strewn passage quickly lowers to a crawl which enters a small chamber. A squeeze through to the left enters a passage which is too narrow to follow :-(

Brent Scar Cave

Brent Scar Cave is a high fissure to the south of Victoria Cave. The passage closes in after about 5 metres :-(

Spider

I spotted this monster spider earlier today. There seems to everywhere this autumn, lurking just out of sight :-)

Sawfly Larvae

Our rose bush is covered with sawfly larvae at the moment. This strange looking bug is approx 14mm long :-)

The Old East Passage, Gaping Gill

A few days ago we paid another visit to Gaping Gill, a pothole in Yorkshire with a 110m drop from the surface. Once inside we went off to explore the Old East Passage.

After climbing the east slope and scaling a small ladder we entered a wide low passage.  Progress along the passage varied between stooping and a crawl.

The passage is well decorated with an abundance of stalactites :-)

Dragonfly

I suspect this dragonfly I spotted a few minutes ago is a blue hawker, another insect that isn't mentioned in Complete British Wildlife :-)

The View from Victoria Cave

Victoria Cave is in King's Scar high above the village of Langcliffe and offers a fantastic view to the distant hills. :-)

Spider

I visited a few caves over the weekend. Now I know how Spider Cave earned it's name - it's full of spiders :-(

Coquet Island

Coquet Island is located off the Northumberland coast, but landing is strictly forbidden to protect the seabird colonies. The island is home to the medieval ruins of Saint Henry the Dane's hermitage which have been incorporated into the Victorian lighthouse.

Hobthrush: Saint Cuthbert's Isle

The small island of Hobthrush or Saint Cuthbert's Isle lies just off the coast of Lindisfarne. Saint Cuthbert lived here as a hermit before seeking solitude on Inner Farne.

Northern Marsh Orchid

Found in an abandoned quarry along the path of Hadrian's Wall. :-)

Forget-Me-Not

One of my favourite flowers grows wild in the garden. The forget-me-nots are approx 7mm in diameter. :-)

Comma Caterpillar

I spotted a few comma caterpillars in the garden this morning. The caterpillar above is 6mm. His bigger brother munching a currant leaf is 11mm :-)

Mystery Photo - Caterpillar Eggs

I spotted this for the first time this morning... Can you identify what it is? :-)

Thanks to everyone who guessed and congratulations to Sparkle and Sheila who correctly identified caterpillar eggs. Also well done to everyone who mentioned eggs, close but not quite close enough! :-P

Chalk Arch at Selwicks Bay

The chalk cliffs at Selwicks Bay, Flamborough Head contain several sea caves, rock arches and other formations. The rock arch formed when a sea cave collapsed. Eventually the top of the arch will fall away, leaving a chalk stack.

Swan

While walking around a local lake I spotted a mute swan on her nest. I snapped a photo before taking a detour to avoid getting too close :-)

Caldey Island

Caldey Island is just off the Pembrokeshire coast where the Bristol Channel meets the Celtic Sea. The Pembrokeshire coastline is visible on the horizon.

Formations in Gough's Cave

Gough's Cave is one of the show caves in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset. The cave was originally know as Sand Hole. A retired local, Richard Cox Gough, spent 8 years excavating the cave before discovering Saint Paul's Chamber and opening it to the public.

In 1903 a human skeleton was discovered just inside the entrance, buried beneath 9000 years of debris. Cheddar Man was about 23 years old when he died and dates from 7150BC. Excavation revealed evidence of human occupation from approx 12000BC to Romano-British times.

Saint Margaret's Island

Saint Margaret's Island is a small island in Carmarthen Bay, Wales. Two ruins can be seen on the island and Google maps reveals a square enclosure. Unfortunately the island is inaccessible to the public.


View on Google Maps

A Walk in the Forest

A few days ago we went for a late afternoon walk through the woods at Sandringham. It's quite a trek through the forest so we only explored a small distance before the sun went down :-)

The Sky Tonight

The crescent moon seems clear tonight so I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. The moon didn't turn out too bad although I didn't have much luck with Jupiter :-(

Storr's Cave, Ingleton

Storr's Cave has two prominent entrances close to the road east of Ingleton. A large passage joins the two with smaller passages leading off. A low passage to the south descends to a dried up streamway. A narrow passage leads north, waiting to be explored another day ;-)

A hidden third entrance used to be an easy climb to a dry chamber full of small bones. However, the entrance has been enlarged and the chamber strewn with clay and debris from a new passage that's being excavated. I can't help wondering who's digging and what they've discovered :-)