Wednesday 3 June 2009

Cheviot Seasons

The historian G. M. Trevelyan, a native of Wallington, wrote: "in Northumberland alone, both heaven and earth are seen. We walk all day on long ridges, high enough to give far views of moor and valley and the sense of solitude far below. It is the land of far horizons. Up above here on the moor, the silent sheep browse all day long, filling the mind with thoughts of peace and safety. Northumberland throws over us, not a melancholy, but a meditative spell."

It is this feeling of peace and safety, and no doubt a measure of Trevelyan's meditative spell, which draws the walker, naturalist and visitor alike, again and again to the Cheviot Hills. Once neighbours of mine, now living in Australia, sit on their Sydney veranda and remember days spent in the hills; many people have favourite places amongst the hills which draw them back, always satisfying, never disappointing. And if you stand on any point along the Simonside ridge and cast your view northwards, the horizon is filled with the Cheviot Hills, rising in green waves to the Cheviot ridge, where the English and Scots made a boundary they fought over for eight centuries.

The Cheviot Hills seen from Carter Bar

The Cheviot in snow

The River Coquet in spate after the thaw

'Green waves rising to the Cheviot ridge'

A ewe and her lamb on Yardhope Moor

7 comments:

Matt Latham said...

Stunning landscapes Emma

holdingmoments said...

What an interesting blog, and beautiful pictures you have here Emma.
Fantastic landscapes, and the earlier bird pictures are superb.

Anonymous said...

It would be difficult to leave this kind of territory behind and move to Australia - tried it myself once.
You seem to catch the light just right for your landscapes - they stand out from the screen.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful scenic images Emma, great photography.

abbey meadows said...

This is one of my favourite places in the whole world. Wonderful post. I'm having difficulty linking your blog to my own. I will keep on trying.

Brian R said...

Your blog just gets better and better.

A great advert for our beautiful county.

Empty Nester said...

You live in a beautiful place!