Bitterly cold at altitude this morning but very bright!

Felt like a bag of spanners but enjoyed myself anyway.

#commute #BikeTooter #cycling #Pennines

Love this stretch of winding road that hugs every curve and contour as it heads across the North Pennines in Co Durham, NE England, from Blanchland to Stanhope.
At this time of the year, if the temperature drops, it can often quickly become snowbound.
As remote as it looks, the area once boasted numerous lead mines and a number of long-abandoned farmsteads nearby bear witness to some of the hardy folk who once managed to make this place their home.

#england #pennines #durham #monochrome #landscape #photography

I think that Wolf Cleugh Farm, near Rookhope in Weardale, Co Durham, was abandoned in the 1960's (the fireplace looks late 1940's/early 1950's).
Even in its now in a very ruinous state, there is a haunting connection to those who once lived within these walls.
The former farmstead is also tied in with the area's lead mining past.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the property was occupied by the Roddam families, with George Roddam living here with his wife Annie, working as a shepherd and his sons working in the nearby lead mines.
The Roddam's would later move further down the valley to Daddry Shield and I have not as yet been able to find out who last occupied the property.
It certainly looks like quite a while since the last time a fire was lit and someone was cosily tucked up in bed in this room!

#england #durham #pennines #abandonded #history #photography

When wondering how best to describe the settlement of Thwaite in North Yorkshire, I went for 'hamlet', but then discovered it is described by some as a 'village'. So that got me thinking, what is the difference?
One helpful definition I came across describes a 'hamlet' as a tiny, rural settlement without a church or central services, typically smaller than a village which is likely to have a church, school and maybe shops.
A hamlet is more likely to be little more than a cluster of dwellings, but a 'village' will generally be more developed.
I think that puts Thwaite in the 'hamlet' category.
Situated near Muker in Swaledale, alongside Thwaite Beck, it was, from 1974, part of the district of Richmondshire, but since 2023 falls under the unitary North Yorkshire Council.
Popular with walkers, two long-distant paths run through it, the Pennine Way and Wainwright's Coast to Coast.

#england #yorkshire #swaledale #pennines #pennineway #landscape #photography

A new Long distance walk in North England:
https://northeastbylines.co.uk/news/environment/a-special-place-roof-of-england-walk/

#England
#Pennines
#Cumbria
#Northumberland
#walk
#Longdistancewalk
#roofofengland

I drove the Woodhead Pass from Sheffield to Manchester last night. Dark, with pouring rain and dazzled by oncoming headlights, basically I was aiming for the dark bit of road between the oncoming lights and the white line on the left. My knuckles were white.

#WoodheadPass #Pennines #Sheffield #Manchester #WhiteKnuckle