Trees and In the Woods

Yorkshire River Derwent The Yorkshire Derwent rises at Lilla Rigg on Fylingdales Moor (North York Moors) the only river of the eastern moors, running south east across the moors towards the coast. The river changes in character more than most moorland rivers. The upper reaches flow between the northern end of Langdale Forest and the open moors. After four miles the river turns south and runs through Langdale (a valley), with the narrow ridge of Langdale Rigg to the west and the steep slopes of Broxa Forest to the east. After emerging from Langdale the Derwent meanders its way through an area of more open farmland, bounded by steep sided but more distant hills. Originally this was the last stretch of the river, and it ran into the sea just to the north of Scarborough. This all changed during the last ice age, towards the end of which the glaciers retreated at different speeds, with the thinner glaciers over the Moors melting more quickly than those over the modern North Sea. As a result the Derwent was unable to flow into the sea and a large lake built up to the north of the Tabular Hills. Eventually this lake overflowed the hills penning it in. The resulting flood carved out Forge Valley. The Derwent still flows down the Forge Valley, emerging form the moors between West and East Ayton. At this point the river is only four miles from the coast, but it turns its back to the sea and flows west across the Vale of Pickering. The total length of the Derwent is approximately 71 miles (113km). It joins the River Ouse near Barmby on Marsh in East Yorkshire. The name was recorded by Bede in the 8th century as Deruuentionis fluvii , from the Celtic “river where oak trees grow abundantly".

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The woodland in Forge Valley, and many other valleys in this area, are carpeted with wild garlic in the spring. The crop this year seems to be more abundant than ever, perhaps due to all the rain we have had over the past few months. The picture shows only a very small part of the carpet. Beyond the fallen tree the gill becomes much more narrow, and deeper, with steep slopes ending in vertical rock walls of about 3 to 4 meters height. A footpath descends from the high ground at the top of the gill, allowing easy access from my home to this part of Forge Valley. (see PiP) **The Yorkshire dialect word Gill or ghyll, from the Old Norse, means small narrow valley or ravine. **Reference: www.viking.no/e/england/yorkshire_norse.htm

Waters of the river Derwent - West Ayton

Mature horse chestnut trees grow to a height of around 40m and can live for up to 300 years. This specimen is located in Forge Valley Woods near the River Derwent.

Low Mill Weir on the River Derwent, which forms the border between the villages of East and West Ayton, North Yorkshire.