Friday 5 November 2010

Holystone Burn

The area surrounding the Holystone Burn is one I return to regularly, not least because the panoramas across the upland moorland are beautiful at almost any time of year, and certainly enhance my drive to the shops in Rothbury. Here we see the view towards Simonside in July, looking across the semi-natural woodland alongside the burn ...


And here in late August, when the air is thick with the smell of honey from the fine sweep of heather, left ungrazed for many years ...


And finally here, during my visit last week, when the autumn colour in both the trees and the decaying bracken was at its best and the distant Simonside was obscured by driving rain ...


The land, which is owned by Forest Enterprises, is managed jointly with the Northumberland Wildlife Trust as a reserve and I hoped to find some interesting fungi in the woods. Sadly, there were not as many to be found as I might have liked ...

Brown Birch Bolete (Leccinum scabrum)

Jelly Rot (Plebia tremellosa)

Stag's Horn or Candle-snuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon)

The Pixie Cup Lichen (Cladonia pyxidata)

And during the walk, the Holystone Burn, glimpsed here through the trees, ripples along in the background ...

6 comments:

Brian R said...

Great area Emma, first place i saw a live Badger. my visits tend to be in spring / summer for Green Woodpecker, Tree Pipit and Green Hairstreak butterflies, but it seems ive missed a trick as some interesting fungi to be seen.

regards brian.

ADRIAN said...

These are grand. I really will have to come and explore now.

holdingmoments said...

Love those landscape shots Emma. It looks a beautiful place.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful scenery again Emma.

Emma Anderson said...

Thank you Brian, Adrian, Keith and Roy for your kind comments. It's a great pleasure to me to have the opportunity to live in such beautiful countryside, and to be able to enjoy it so often. And when I go out for a day, I always think how lucky I am to only have a short ride home and don't have to face an hour-long drive.

The Wessex Reiver said...

Great to read this Emma, it brings me back to childhood, as I know that area intimately, and in later years the Salmon Inn in Holystone itself. Wondeful to see it again from a wet and windy Bristol. I'll add you to my blog list. All the best. Andrew