Tag: Moorland

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Walking a Wintry Darwen Moor Through Hoar Frosted Birch Trees

Winter grasses on Darwen moor

On leaving the house, I usually glance up at Darwen moor to get an idea of what weather is heading our way. Last week, to my surprise, the trees below Darwen Tower were standing out white with hoar frost against the darker moorland. Intrigued, we changed our plans and made our way up the hill so we could witness the effect up close. Continue reading “Walking a Wintry Darwen Moor Through Hoar Frosted Birch Trees”

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Tackler’s Trail, Part of Witton Weaver’s Way, Darwen

Stone wall with lichen and barbed wire fence

Inspired by Becky’s WalkingSquares, I’m inviting you to take in the view along Witton Weaver’s Way, a 32 mile circular walk that crosses Darwen moor.

Witton Weaver’s Way has four sections: Beamer’s, Reeler’s, Tackler’s and Warper’s Trails, all named for jobs in the cotton industry. My first two pictures are taken from Tackler’s Trail, not far from Lord’s Hall.
Continue reading “Tackler’s Trail, Part of Witton Weaver’s Way, Darwen”

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Pale Mushrooms and a Richness of Swallows

Pale mushrooms on a beech tree

My sister and I were on a mushroom-spotting walk in and around Sunnyhurst Wood when we found these pale ones just above head height on an old beech tree. The tree has been struck by lightning and part of its canopy is dead and bare.

We weren’t planning to pick mushrooms, neither of us being able to identify them, just to see how many different types we could spot before the autumn leaves covered them. We found quite a lot, though no unusual colours, such as purples, and none of the elusive white spotted red ones I’d love to see. Most of the fungi were growing at the base of trees, on the ground or on fallen branches, and the ones in the trees were more often bracket or turkey-tail types so these seemed unusual, the luminous backlight showing them off well against the living half of the tree. Continue reading “Pale Mushrooms and a Richness of Swallows”