ENGLAND'S MOORS

                                     My First Moor Hike

            The first day in Yorkshire, England we woke to cloudy skies and considerably cooler temperatures. I decided it would be a good idea to put on my silk long johns since the trousers I was wearing were lightweight.

I was looking forward to our first moor hike because of the literary romance of the area. We were to hike over the Spaunton Moor to Lastingham, finishing at Hutton le Hole. 

Old iron kilns at top of moor

What a start! The first and really only undulation that day was straight up 1000-feet to the top of the moor.  The cloudy and cool day didn’t tame the steady climb upward over a narrow switchback footpath. Many of us did a fair amount of huffing and puffing, and I, for one, thought we might never make it to the top. But about two hours and two miles later we all made it, only to find it so windy I thought it might blow a couple of the little  people over! We stood in the cold wind near some old railroad tracks for an explanation of the old iron kilns where the iron ore was decalcified to make it lighter for transport.

Fortunately the afternoon was all downhill—gently--over a reasonably good wide path. A couple of days later I learned that most groups are taken up to the moor over this gentle upward route, but our group was deemed fit enough to make the climb up the moor through the pastures!

It got warmer and warmer as the afternoon wore on. Coming down off the moor a stop in Lastingham provided a visit to the old crypt church. Built in 1078 this church is unique to England. Built on the site of a Celtic monastery, it is a shrine to St. Cedd who brought Christianity to this part of England. He is buried within.

     By the time we reached Lastingham I was more than ready to shed those long johns that were under my cargo pants. At first I thought the crypt might be where I’d shed the silkies, but after actually getting there I decided that the church might not be quite the appropriate place to disrobe. However, the deserted church cemetery served nicely. I found a large stone to sit on and in the blink of an eye, one boot and leg at a time I retrieved half of my under garment. My hiking boots were back on so quickly no one knew what I’d been up to and I certainly was more comfortable. With no one the wiser, those silkies made it back to the hotel in my pants pocket!

 From Lastingham it was only a little over a mile to Hutton le Hole where our guide knew the best ice cream stop in the village. This ice creamaholic vouches that it was really good ice cream and was a nice treat at the end of the day.

FRENCH ECO-MUSEUM

                                              Les Landes 

In the early afternoon after biking to Sabres, France we boarded a train for a short ride to Les Landes, an eco-museum. The railroad, built originally to transport logs from the pine forest, has been in operation since 1887. Napoleon gave permission to plant the sandy area with pine trees for erosion control, and it became the largest pine forest in Europe.

As the train rolled along I couldn’t help but notice the many trees that were tapped. The pitch was collected, refined and sent to factories to be used in turpentine, resins, cosmetics, pharmacy and paint cleaners.

The docent meeting our train was quick to tell us, “This museum was established in 1970 and covers an area of 10,000 square kilometers. The L’esgunmas River runs through this land mass.”
            She toured us around the home site area explaining each house. The long steep roofs  to the west to protected the homes from wind and storms. At one she noted, “Notice that the beds are high off the ground and are rather short. Years ago people here slept sitting up as they were very superstitious and believed that lying down was the position for the dead.”

I was surprised to see well established grass growing in the sandy soil. Over hearing my surprise she added, “Sheep were and still are grazed in this area. Their droppings provided good fertilizer which promoted the grass growth. In the fields beyond the fence rye and corn are grown as alternate crops.”

Entrance to Les Landes

It was fun to see real maypoles, and since my visit was the right time of year, I saw many of them on the trip. They are planted on May 1 and remain in place for a month. Friends do the planting at night for newlyweds, anniversary couples, birthdays or any other occasion they can think of. The poles are decorated with all sorts of things—bright colored paper, flowers or whatever the imagination conjures forth. If the recipient should wake and learn who is erecting his maypole, tradition dictates that he must have all the ‘planters’ to dinner.

The museum sheds  light into the  daily farming and shepherding life. Shepherd farmers abandoned their flocks when the area was planted in pine trees and became woodmen and resin tappers.

It was an interesting visit where I saw a couple of new things and was particularly drawn to the fresh baked bread coming out of the community oven!