Rosedale
Abbey

Representatives of LEACH, the Huddersfield based graphics consultants met with Linda Chambers, Land of Iron Steering Group member and Elspeth Ingleby from the Land of Iron project team in Rosedale Abbey on Tuesday 24 July to discuss progress on the designs and placement of information panels forming the Rosedale Hub.

The History Society has now been tasked with providing detailed information on Rosedale’s industrial heritage sites for inclusion on the displays around the dale. Currently, it is hoped that these will be in place by next Spring to greatly improve visitor information and updates on progress will be given here.

These stunningly beautiful butterflies are now emerging on the wing in mid-late July. They live for up to 11 months and new adults emerge at this time of year so are at their best. Buddleia flowers are just coming out which attract peacocks to our gardens Updale Natural History Recorder

Thrilled to find white-letter hairstreak butterfly here in Rosedale.  It is on the wing in July but not widely recorded here in the National Park.  It is a small butterfly and always rests with its wings closed showing the white hairline across its underside.  It has a white W towards the bottom tip of the hindwings which is not easily seen and orange marks along the bottom edge near the wing-tail.  They spend their time in the tops of trees and can be found on elm but more commonly now on wych elm.  They feed on aphid honeydew found on the leaves.

The best way to spot them is find a wych elm in a sunny but sheltered position and watch the canopy.  Eventually the small butterfly will flit about and land often from where it launched.  It is then easy to watch the butterfly through binoculars or photograph.  This white-letter hairstreak was seen on the wych elms at the junction of Daleside road and Knott road at Rosedale East.  It helps to have this glorious weather Updale Natural History Recorder

The coffee morning held on Saturday 7 July 2018 at the Coach House Inn in aid of the church repair appeal raised over £400 thanks to the outstanding generosity of all who attended. Then, after counting the bucket of change left by Simon and Nicola, the total came to a staggering £554.86!

As usual, the organisers are very grateful to Dave Oakey and the team at the Coach House for laying on the coffee and biscuits, to Margaret, Carol and Janet for their customary efficiency in setting up the raffle and to all who contributed and bought cakes in the sale.

There will be a number of other events in support of the church appeal this year so please keep your eyes on this site and social media for more  information and news.

This old oak tree in Thorgill is in full leaf and host to hundreds of living creatures.  It is older than all of us in the dale.  Pictured here at the end of June against a backdrop of the moor.  Each month it will appear here showing the seasonal changes of our landscape Updale Natural History Recorder

This coming Saturday’s coffee morning is in aid of the Save Rosedale Abbey Church Appeal and will held in the Coach House Inn between 10.00 and 12.00 am.

All the usual attractions will be on offer, including a cake sale, the ever popular raffle and great coffee and biscuits to chat over while supporting this very important cause. So please come along, all are welcome and enjoy the morning in good company.

On Saturday 23 June 2018 Rosedale’s Updale Natural History Recorder took 11 keen walkers along a journey through the dale visiting various habitats.  Walking alongside hedgerows full of dog rose and walls lined with foxgloves and ferns was a real pleasure.  The route included the river to Low Thorgill Farm, Thorgill and the hillside above Thorgill and the track north of Thorgill.

The banks of the River Seven hosted numerous birds nests including wren, robin, coal tit and dipper.  Trees and shrubs alongside added nests of great spotted woodpecker, blackcap, nuthatch, redstart and green woodpecker.  Further afield were willow warbler and chaffinch.  All but one nest had already hosted a brood this year and were no longer in use or were last year’s.  They gave a great insight in to bird breeding in the dale.  A pair of green woodpeckers were still feeding young in their nest hole high up in an ash tree alongside the river and the group were very lucky to watch one of the young peering out of the hole.  A spotted flycatcher performed what they do best, flitting out from a branch, taking an insect in mid-air and returning to the same perch.  Over the moor a red kite soared high and curlews gave protecting warning calls to their young.

The group visited habitats which favoured some less common flora.  Wet flushes revealed musk, creeping forgetmenot and round-leaved water crowfoot.  Unimproved acidic pasture hosted our locally rare heath spotted orchid (just the one), bitter vetchling, heath speedwell and heath bedstraw.  Close to the moor there was the delicate looking but robust chickweed wintergreen.  Both trailing and slender St John’s wort was encountered on a dry trackside leading up to the moor.  Three sedges included yellow, oval and remote.

It was good to see ringlet, common blue and small heath butterflies but none in great numbers despite the warm weather.

It was a pleasure to lead such an engaging and interested group Updale Natural History Recorder

The first of the combined Rosedale walking and heritage festival went well, with good weather on both days for the walkers and lots of visitors to the Rosedale History Society and Land of Iron heritage information stands. The combined format was a great success, with a lot of very positive feedback from walkers and visitors, such that the final number for this year’s event are around 121 walkers or 50% more than last year, a great tribute to the tireless efforts of Kate Jones and Ian Thompson in organising and promoting the event, to all those who volunteered their time and expertise as walk leaders and to the Rosedale History Society and the Land Of Iron project for their fascinating stands. Watch out for details of the 2019 festival!

Rosedale gets weekend buses

On Saturdays and Sundays until the end of September Moorsbus connects Rosedale with the rest of the world.

Not only can visitors from the region get to Rosedale Abbey for its walks, tea rooms, accommodation and other attractions, but Rosedale residents can get to Pickering to connect with other services.

Five services on Saturdays make it possible for locals to get to Scarborough for over a four hour visit. And four services on Sundays connect with Pickering as well as giving locals a direct morning service to Ralph Cross and Danby.

Using the bus also gives locals and visitors some great choices of ‘Buswalks’ – linear walks which save both the cost and problems of taking a car to the start of a walk, and then having to get back to the car at the end.

Fares for an all-day, travel-anywhere Moorsbus Rover ticket are £9 or £4.50 for a child. Single fares are also available and Rosedale to the Moors Centre at Danby costs £3, for example. National concessionary passes are accepted on all Moorsbuses. All the details are on www.moorsbus.org or pick up a timetable in shops and libraries.

So this summer, Rosedale is better connected than ever.