Near Middleton-on-the-Wolds.

26 07 2018

Near Middleton on the Wolds.

Approaching Middleton, on a crest of a small rise I see a sign, a footpath sign near the entrance to a field. I park in the shade of a small tree and take George out for a walk. The temperature remains dangerously hot, 32 degrees in the shade. I make sure we walk slowly,  the hemmed in path, is single file narrow, I am wearing shorts brushing past long grass and occasional reminders of nettles. Suddenly we emerge into the open. The views are good, looking over a newly harvested field of barley I see a white cottage with the rolling Wolds beyond. The heat makes walking difficult and we stop every 50 yards to rest and cool down in the shade of some field margin oak trees. After about 200 yards we reach a wonderfully cool wood. George walks ahead, now off his lead and much happier as the ambient temperature is much more comfortable. The path through the wood is broad and level, dappled light shines on golden orange coniferous needles and then, suddenly I stop. Ahead I see a large hare sitting, studying us as we approach. It stays still. We study each other. George has not seen it, and as he overtakes me the hare seeing George approach, flip hops silently into the dense green undergrowth and vanishes. The wood, I discover, is called Prickett's Hollow. It is absolutely wonderful, on this hot day, to walk through the shade. A slight breeze adds to the pleasure as we move deeper into the quiet solitude of this place. The refreshing breeze gently ruffles the small leafy saplings at the side of the broad track as we pass. The path detours to the edge of a field, a warning sign 'BULL BEEF' is fixed to the wire fence. Amazingly, the path drops dramatically. Alongside I see a small hidden valley with cattle in the distance. We turn round and head back. George walks through the dancing dappled light, his tongue hanging, soon we will be back at the car where I have lots of water. On the south side of the broad track the trees are mainly coniferous, stretching only about 30 yards to the fields, the north side is wider, perhaps 60 yards and is made up of mainly deciduous tress with an open canopy. I stop, I have heard a bird I do not recognise. I see it. It is sparrow sized. I cannot make out any detail, perhaps a black cap. It is foraging in the pine needles. I must bring my binoculars if I come again. I am momentarily distracted as I spot a soaring buzzard, and then the unknown bird is gone.  We have the wood to ourselves, it is a peaceful place, the silence, only occasionally broken by unseen, cooing pigeons. There is no traffic noise. Out of the wood we walk from the shade of one tree to another. Meadow browns, small blue and orange tip butterflies flitter flutter around us and, grasshoppers rasp their presence. We reach the car.

After resting and cooling George down we head back, to the nearby shade of a tree, and I set up to paint. I wet George to help him keep cool and he sits near me trying to catch the slight cooling breeze. As well as lots of tall hogweed going to seed now, there is the flash of Ragwort yellow, ( the enemy of horses, as it attacks their livers). Also, noticeably now, drifts of small ground creeping pink and white columbine cover the ground. Brambles can be seen among the white, long, dried grasses, some 6 feet tall with particularly dense, almost furry seed heads.  This year has been wonderful for seeing wild flowers. Back to the car, George disappears into the dense undergrowth, emerging triumphantly with three quarters of an old tennis ball, and now he is covered in various seed heads.

Hope you like the picture.