The Upland Collection

Here is a list of some of the articles I have published which fall under the broad category of ‘moorland’ or ‘uplands’, it’s by no means exhaustive as there will be some I’ve missed out, some which overlap other themes and others which sit on the fringes. I hope you find it a useful and/orContinue reading “The Upland Collection”

Northwest Recipes, Bowland Venison Curry

Venison is widely considered to be one of the healthiest and most environmentally sustainable meats available and it certainly is very available here in the Northwest of England! Here you can find almost all of our species of deer, native and introduced, including Red, Roe, Fallow and Sika, which I wrote about earlier this year,Continue reading “Northwest Recipes, Bowland Venison Curry”

The Wild and Yellow Bloom of Gorse

The Flowers of Gorse, Bright and Bold, Paint the Landscape with Strokes of Gold Also known as ‘furze’ or ‘Whin’, Gorse, Ulex europaeus, is an exceedingly spiny evergreen shrub with an abundance of aromatic yellow flowers and a familiar sight across the Northwest of England, from the windswept mountainsides of the Lake District to theContinue reading “The Wild and Yellow Bloom of Gorse”

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the name of the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. The word ‘shrove’ is the past tense of the English verb ‘shrive’, which describes the means by which to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession and penance. On this day, Catholics are encouraged to go toContinue reading “Shrove Tuesday”

Admiring the Barns and Walls of Northwest England

The Northwest of England is home to some remarkably beautiful landscapes, shaped over millennia by traditional farming practices.

It is a part of the world famous for its ancient drystone walls and barns, built from the bones of the land and woven seamlessly into its very fabric in such a way that manmade and natural complement each other.

Nursery Web Spiders

Nursery web spiders are fascinating creatures known for their unique parental care and courting behaviour. Their scientific name is Pisaura mirabilis and the second half of this, mirabilis (the root of the word miraculous), means ‘admirable’ or ‘remarkable’ and refers to the remarkable parental care the mother gives to her progeny. Another name commonly usedContinue reading “Nursery Web Spiders”

The Bullfinch

The Common Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula, is perhaps the best-known species within the Pyrrhula genus, aptly named after the Greek word pyrros, meaning ‘flame-colored’. It is the male who is most strikingly coloured, sporting a rich, rosy-pink breast, black cap, and grey back. In contrast the female is more conservatively dressed with a lighter pink breastContinue reading “The Bullfinch”

Seo Wulf-mona

The Wolf-moon Tonight, given that the weather forecast is cloudy and rainy, there is a slim chance that you might be able see the full beauty of the January full moon, also known as the ‘Wolf moon’ or ‘Old moon’. The Northwest of England has several dark sky discovery sites in and around it, theseContinue reading “Seo Wulf-mona”