Parcevall Hall -Christians Aware Summer School July 2025 - Some Pictures.

 The group "Christians Aware" have a summer school each year at Parcevall Hall in the Yorkshire Dales (between Appletreewick and Pateley Bridge).  In 2023 I ran an afternoon session for them on Lichens. They later asked me to write a section on lichens for a book on biodiversity they were going to produce.  On the Sunday evening 20 July 2025 I was invited to attend the evening meal at Parcevall Hall,  so that I could be present when Barbara Butler introduced the new book "Rooted in Hope - A Christians Aware Resource towards building biodiversity". I was delighted to see the book.. I have written about the book here.

Here is a picture of us in 2023 on the terrace holding our hand lenses - this picture appeared in the book:

I had been scheduled to lead a visit on the Monday afternoon. Where to take the guests? Many of whom have attended these weeks here before.

I wanted to take them to places close to Parcevall Hall - there are so many good places within five miles as the crow flies. Places with wildflowers, with good views and with geological interest.

I say "as the crow flies". Parcevall Hall is built on a limestone slope, next to the North Craven Fault. To get there from anywhere involves driving either a spiral, (e.g. from Harrogate) or a zig-zag route (from Settle) to descend into the valley at 160m above sealevel then up the steep slope to the hall (260m) amongst its beautiful gardens. There is a view over the fault to the summit of Simon's Seat - a big hill (485m) made of millstone grit, just  a mile away

I used the Monday morning to visit six possible places:

1. Coldstones Cut - Splendid viewing platform above the Hanson's Limestone Quarry at Greenhow.

2. Greenhow Burial Ground - which has good wildflowers

3. The road south of Greenhow - was it near any bog areas? I wanted to find a bog so I could talk to the group about peat.

4. Stump Cross Caverns - for the teashop - and information on caves

5. Grimwith Reservoir for the view of water

6. The roadside back down to Parcevall Hall for its wildflowers

The seventh possibility - the museum at Pateley Bridge - was not open on Mondays, so that was a non-starter.

1. Coldstones Cut - Splendid viewing platform above the Quarry at Greenhow.

There is a good view of the Vale of York from the car park on the main road. The walk to the summit was billed at 500m from the car park - i.e half a kilometre. It certainly took me all of 15 minutes to reach the top of the spiral viewing platform.

At the top left of the picture you can see the Millstone Grit summit of Simon's Seat which is close to Parcevall Hall

2. Greenhow Burial Ground at Greenhow village

Garden Ladies Mantle - This garden escape weed might look nice but it is spreading rapidly in Britain.  This graveyard actually contains one or two native species of Ladies Mantle which score high on grassland conservation lists.

Although I have seen a good variety of plants there before, I could not see any plants that I thought would impress the group today - and would not want to take them trampling round anyway.

 3. The road south of Greenhow - Was it really close to any bog areas? Answer: No it wasn't. - And I remembered how straight the road is and how dangerously fast the cars travel.

4. Stump Cross Caverns and Café: No time to stop

5. Grimwith Reservoir: I drove to the car park.

6. Roadside Verge: I found a suitable place to park where you could look down to Trollers Gill and see to Gill Head where the last mine in the area to have been worked was situated - actually it was reworked, extracting fluorite from the mine spoil heaps.

I drove down to Parcevall Hall to hear the end of the morning talk by farmer John Dawson...and had lunch with the group.

In the afternoon we met in the lounge at 1.45 and as it was then raining a little I gave out hand lenses and explained to people how to use them. Put the lens really close to your eye, then bring your finger nail (or object to be examined) really close. The rain petered out and we set off.

We stopped at the road verge with a view back to the centre and to the valley leading to Gill Head. I asked each person to find a different wildflower.  The verge was rich in wildflowers, unlike the adjacent heavily grazed fields, and there were no rare plants or orchids that people might inadvertently pick.

Elijah (from Kenya) chose Ragwort and was fascinated to discover that each "flower head" was made up of over 100 flowers "Bouquet of bouquets", he said ."Bouquet bouquet".

Tagwort. 

We pressed our flowers in a newspaper I had brought for the purpose. 

Then carried on to Grimwith. On the way a participant in my car shouted "Orchids" so we stopped. There were lots of Common Spotted Orchids.

I took a phot of the spotted leaf of the orchid - and only later noticed I had a photo of this "Blob". I have been told it is a Trombid Mite - The group are known as Red Velvet Mites. The young stages are parasitic on insects, the older ones are predators of insects. 

We drove on to the official Car Park

Looking at Lichens on the fence.

Oh no, more Garden Ladies mantle

Peltigera praetextata - Dog Lichen

I invited them to sit on benches in silence and listen to the birds and other sounds 

At this point it was quarter to five. I thought that the cafe at Stump Cross might be closed. We split into two groups - most went back to Parcevall Hall, but two people came with me.

We visited Stump Cross briefly and I picked up leaflets and discovered that the cafe does actually stay open till six. Then we went to the car park at Cold Stones and enjoyed the view towards the Vale of York. (but no time to walk to the summit).

Looking down towards Nidderdale

We returned in time for the evening meal.  Then Euann and Nona showed slides and gave a talk on various communities they had visited in Britain.

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On the Tuesday afternoon I came back and a few people used their pressed plants to make greetings cards, with sticky back plastic. It was sunny so I took a table and two chairs so we could do this outside. Elijah made one of his bouquet bouquet - Ragwort.

I sat on the wall (as in the picture above) and looked at the thick crustose lichen growing under the tree that I had noticed two years ago - that I had come to the conclusion was Pertusaria albescens. It should be white,  (albescens means whitish) but here it seemed to have a pinkish sheen

handlens

Pertusaria albescens on the wall under the tree on the terrace at Parcevall Hall, seen very close-up

Ali came out and joined me on the wall. She plays the guitar and sings, and with Chris on the piano had led songs in the evening complin worship. She said "I'll write a song about lichens". She asked me a few question about the lichens I was sitting on - such as the Pertusaria I have mentioned and Parmelia saxatilis, a big grey foliose lichen that has white ridges and, when seen through a hand lens tiny finger like projections. This has been used for dying wool and as such has local English / Scots names- either Crottal or Stoney-Rag. She asked why I enjoyed studying them and elecrically recorded my answers for a couple of minutes. 

In the evening she played the song:

In the afternoon we also had a session on "LOAF" principles led by Cordelia. (Local, Organic, Animal Friendly, Fair trade)

I came back on the Thursday afternoon when the group went for a walk at Bolton Abbey. .. Maybe if time I will write about that another day.

Meanwhile here is the view I had when driving to Parcevall Hall from Settle via the Embsay and Eastby Road on the Tuesday morning: with a sudden surprise view of Lower Barden Reservoir. (I had always used this road at night before).  then Simon seat on the right and Parcevall Hall amongst the trees above the valleys.

See "A Christians Aware Resource towards building biodiversity"  here.

Rooted in Hope - Building Diversity book launch: at Christians Aware Summer School July 2025

Reading this is a veritable "Readers Digest" experience - a joy to read - A book with decent sized readable print - with colour pictures,  friendly diagrams, and with articles of different length you can dip into whenever you fancy a read.

Over 25 main contributors present enjoyable informative chapters then there is a section on poems and another on resources.

There are articles on topics from Kew Gardens to Cocoa, from Peat to Salt Marshes, from the Columban Essay Competition to Prayers, from Eco Church to Therapeutic Gardening - plus dozens of other hidden gems.

It is the title of the Christians Aware new book. It is due to have its official launch on 6 September 2025 which will be at St Paul's Church, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1JP.

The organisation Christians Aware has a summer school each year at Parcevall Hall. Last year the theme was "Building Biodiversity". Barbara Butler invited me to write a chapter on Lichens. They had enjoyed the Lichens session I had run for them in 2023.

So now the book is here! 

I recognise five other contributors who live in the Craven Area - people who have given talks to Christians Aware or who the group has visited. I recognise at least three members of Green Christian. 

See christiansaware.org.uk

The book costs £15 but has been part subsidised. 

Here is a picture of me showing the book to Rev Stephen Dawson in Settle at the Coffee Morning this week 23 July at St John's Methodist Church

YNU Field Excursion to Redmire Quarry - 19 July 2025 and some lead mine lichens

Seven spot ladybird examines
Rhizocarpon petraeum

Redmire Quarry is a large shelf high on the side of the valley of the river Ure (Wenseleydale, N Yorks)   with SW facing limestone cliffs at 350m above sea level. 

I especially enjoyed finding lichens on the led mine spoil heaps above the quarry. See lower down on the article.

We had special permission from Caslte Bolton Estate to visit the quarry.

Terry Whitaker was the organiser of the meeting and had also provided a stove and water so we could make tea, on the picnic table that is there by the private hut.

We arranged to meet up again at 2pm by this table

11a.m.

My entomological contribution.   
Derek saw two other species as well.

Terry Whitaker was the organiser of the meeting and had also provided a stove and water so we could make tea, on the picnic table that is there by the private hut.

 I spent so long making and drinking his tea when I first arrived that I missed going to see the final moth traps being opened. Apparently they had an excellent catch. At least six people had come from Yoredale Natural History Society.

The moth trappers had departed and the rest of us sat for a photoshoot at 11am before setting off as a group.

There was a "Limestone Dandelion" and lots of Limestone Bedstraw.

"Limestone Dandelion" the lowest involucral bracts stick out.

Limestone Bedstraw

Other people saw the beautiful blue Viper's Bugloss (Anyone from the trip want to send me a picture?)

 Gaby released some of the special moths they had captured.

Northern Eggar Moth  (= Oak Eggar Moth) on Gaby's boot

Northern Eggar Moth  (= Oak eggar Moth)

Tiger Moth

The first and only bit of Knotted Pearlwort   Sagina nodosa  (it has white anthers) in a slight rain gully on the track on the way up.

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 A platform along the length top of the cliffs has pebbles and mounds and evidence of lead mines. It is  bordered by rabbit proof fencing and beyond that the land, now gritstone with heather and limestone without, rises with remains of lead mines and grouse moor.

The first of any Spring Sandwort plants.
Spring Sandwort has pink anthers.

I spent much of the time on this rabbit grazed platform. It had short vegetation - in fact mostly moss and lichens: 

I had carefully collected a sliver of rock with Rhizocarpon petraeum from the cliff on the way up .....

Rhizocarpon petraeum on the cliff face

Distribution map from the BLS website

... only to discover that this bright white crustose lichen with its concentric rings of black apothecia was super common on the piles of pebbles on the platform above.

View back down to the picnic table and cars

Cetraria islandica

The Cladonia rangiferina seemed
to occur in all sorts of shapes and forms.
Here it has wide flattened podetia.

The Cladonia rangiferina 

Not sure what this white Cladonia is.

Moonwort

On the top, Big Shaggy-moss - the official name of Hylocomiadelphus triquetrus (formerly Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus) was the dominant vegetation, closely followed by Cladonia rangiformis (My name: Limestone Giraffe Lichen): Both of these were pale pastel green in the grey light of cloudy midmorning which preceded the drizzle of 1p.m.

Then my eyes picked out the dark glossy brown tangles of wire-netting-like Cetraria aculeata. I could not find any of its relation  C. muricata though I looked hard.  

Green mounds 12cm in diameter of a cushion moss (Tortula tortuosa?) had dead summits on the mounds which were covered in black stuff. Was this a result of the drought 6 weeks earlier - or was this the result of a lichen? Many of these black areas had a  rough textured thick white crustose lichen with tiny urn shaped apothecia - Diploschistes muscorum . I am used to seeing this on moss on limestone walls where Cladonia pocilum grows.  A glance at Dobson's book says it also grows on C rangiformis - well plenty of that here. 

Diploschistes muscorum growing on black stuff on Cushion Moss Note C rangiformis in the foregrounds

Closer up.

Diploschistes muscorum growing on black stuff on Cushion Moss

Thyme and Sheep's-fescue grass were the main higher plants.

Moonwort

Rabbit tunnel

Left side: quarry side; right side: moorland side

A strange lumpy form of Cladonia rangiformis

Peltigera

i lost my handlens / penknife. I retraced my steps and found it. What a relief

Definite evidence of rabbits

I had also lost everyone else by now. I spent a long time enjoying this new habitat for me. I wondered if a real lichen expert would notice more species than I was noticing, but ended up walking over lots more of the only the same species. Only one Peltigera (Dog Lichen).

I found one moonwort shoot in SE048929 and two moonwort shoots close to each other in SE048930 in another.

We had arranged to meet up again at 2pm by this table.. and had lunch. Well prepared with umbrellas.

2pm. Well prepared for the rain

I climbed up the mound (and island of bedrock) behind the picnic table and found surface vegetation similar to the top platform of the quarry - and also some beautiful yellow Hygrocybe. (waxcaps) with slimy caps.

Hygrocybe. Some had slightly reddish streaked stipes (like H puniceus) and others had  stipes which were smoother and just yellow and white

Yellow Hygrocybe Waxcaps amongst the
Thyme and Big Shaggy-Moss

Back at the Village Hall early we had tea, the roll call of Societies and the plenary session. Then we repeated part of the plenary and had more tea when several more members turned up at the official time of 4pm. It was good to meet old and new friends.