October 26, 2008
Roseberry Topping
Today my flatmate, Jane, and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and somewhat warmer weather than we had previously been experiencing to hike up Roseberry Topping. This is a hill with a half-round cliff and one can hike to the very top and is one of the highest peaks where I live in the North York Moors. The name “Roseberry” came from Old Norse for ‘rock or crag’ (Odin) and “Topping” from the word ‘hill’ (toppen) so when combined the word Othensberg means Roseberry Topping in Old Norse. The explorer James Cook, whose childhood home is at a farm in nearby Great Ayton, also enjoyed climbing up the hill. Because the hill is ‘tall’ compared to the surrounding Moors, it can be seen from sea, and likewise, the sea can be seen from the top. An old rhyme says “When Roseberry Topping wears a cap, let Cleveland then beware of a clap!” as the appearance of the hill gave indication of the weather conditions. The climb begins with walking through woods and brush, then reaching a clearing where a shooting
shelter was erected for gentlemen to take cover during poor weather during a hunt. The res
t of the climb is up sandstone and brush where sheep graze so one must be careful where one steps! There are several gates to pass through known as ‘kissing gates’. I stood and waited for a nice English bloke to come by but alas no one stopped. Once at the top, we clung securely to our mittens, hats, and scarves as the wind tried to rip them from our hands. Not staying long at the top, we then trudged our way through the mud and brush back home. The flat top of the rock makes it a perfect location for a picnic so hopefully next spring when the wind is not as severe, we will go again and enjoy a picnic. 
Roseberry Topping
Today my flatmate, Jane, and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and somewhat warmer weather than we had previously been experiencing to hike up Roseberry Topping. This is a hill with a half-round cliff and one can hike to the very top and is one of the highest peaks where I live in the North York Moors. The name “Roseberry” came from Old Norse for ‘rock or crag’ (Odin) and “Topping” from the word ‘hill’ (toppen) so when combined the word Othensberg means Roseberry Topping in Old Norse. The explorer James Cook, whose childhood home is at a farm in nearby Great Ayton, also enjoyed climbing up the hill. Because the hill is ‘tall’ compared to the surrounding Moors, it can be seen from sea, and likewise, the sea can be seen from the top. An old rhyme says “When Roseberry Topping wears a cap, let Cleveland then beware of a clap!” as the appearance of the hill gave indication of the weather conditions. The climb begins with walking through woods and brush, then reaching a clearing where a shooting
shelter was erected for gentlemen to take cover during poor weather during a hunt. The res
t of the climb is up sandstone and brush where sheep graze so one must be careful where one steps! There are several gates to pass through known as ‘kissing gates’. I stood and waited for a nice English bloke to come by but alas no one stopped. Once at the top, we clung securely to our mittens, hats, and scarves as the wind tried to rip them from our hands. Not staying long at the top, we then trudged our way through the mud and brush back home. The flat top of the rock makes it a perfect location for a picnic so hopefully next spring when the wind is not as severe, we will go again and enjoy a picnic. 
2 comments:
Nice pucker Nanc!!!
Lost track of how many times I've climbed up Roseberry !! It seems to have gotten smaller since I was a kid !!
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