Monday, 28 July 2025

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 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..

Here is a picture of us in 2023 on the terrace holding ur hand lenses - which 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 - why drive 20 miles to other places when there are good places within three 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 then up the slope to the hall amongst its beautiful gardens..

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 about peat.

4. Stump Cross Caverns - for the teashop - and info 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 is not open on Mondays so that was a non-starter.


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 - 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

Garden Ladies Mantle - This garden escape weed is spreading rapidly in Britain.

I could not see any plants that I thought would impress the group - 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 flourite from the mine spoil heaps.

I drove down to Parcevall Hall to hear the ed of the morning tlak by Farmer John Dawson...and had lunch with the group.

In the afternoon we met at 1.45 and as it was then raining a little I gave out hand lenses and explained to people how to use them. The rain stopped 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".




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 have yet to find the name of this creature on the spotted orchid leaf


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 and ad

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 Carpark at Cold Stones and enjoyed the view. (but no time to walk to the summit).








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On the Tuesday afternoon I came back and a few people used their pressed plants to make cards, with sticky back plastic.






handlens

pertusaria slbescens on the wall under the tree on the terrace at Parcevall Hall,











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