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| Abandoned Ivy Cottage near the hamlet of Wormley Hill |
Being an enthusiastic contributor to the geograph photo mapping project has led me to lots of places in the British Isles that I might otherwise never have visited.
Last week, as I was driving over to Hull to watch The Tigers play Fulham, I left the M18 at Thorne in order to take pictures in the watery flatland west of the motorway. In this part of South Yorkshire there are miles of rich agricultural land criss-crossed by lazy rivers, canals, drains and single-track lanes.
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| Southfield Reservoir |
It's not scenic like The Peak District or The Yorkshire Dales but the contrast is very interesting. People live and work in the flatland as they have done for hundreds of years. They become used to the wateriness, the big skies and the horizontal vistas.
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| Brick "outhouse" at Fosterhouses |
I only had an hour for my photo diversion. Next time I drive to Hull to watch my team I shall set off earlier and take in more of the flatland - factoring in a circular walk. There can be a subtle beauty in such places and the feelings that flatlands evoke are somehow different from the feelings you experience where there are hills and dales and surprises round corners.
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| Geeseness Lane |
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| Between Rivers Farm |
It's a bit like Lincolnshire too where my sister-in-law lives. Very flat but great for growing vegetables.
ReplyDeleteThe Yorkshire flatland melds with the flatland of north Lincolnshire. Where does your SIL live? Southern Lincolnshire - by The Wash is even flatter - if that is possible.
DeleteSurprised that Ivy cottage is abandoned, it looks like a lovely place that should be snapped up quickly.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty remote Derek. It wouldn't be many people's cup of tea and there'd be a lot of work to do. In the nearby hamlet of Wormley Hill, one of the five houses there is for sale. Go here:-
Deletehttps://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/44606953#fQXqdsXsSIGzGAUz.97
I like the Geeseness Lane photo. I'm not sure if I'd like to live in flat countryside, it's something I shall have to consider during our search. Just off to look at Zoopla.
ReplyDeleteShirley and I are considering moving to a place called Howden which is in flat territory but that's not the reason we like it.
DeleteSIL lives midway between Lincoln and Boston. Fields and fields of cabbages and cauliflowers all destined for the big supermarkets.
ReplyDeleteI think it is quite rude to refer to the citizens of Lincolnshire as cabbages and cauliflowers. They are more like turnips.
DeleteThe place I live is extremely flat, too. No hills are mountains close by.
ReplyDeleteFlatness can have its own attractions. You can see for miles if there are no trees or houses in the way.
DeleteThis reminds me of the difference between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, our neighbouring island province. Nova Scotia is quite hilly and PEI very flat. So geographically close, yet so different.
ReplyDeleteI guess Prince Edward must have been squashed by a steam roller. That must be why they chose that name for their island.
DeleteI think that I would find The Flatlands very claustrophobic. Which may sound odd but makes perfect sense to me.
ReplyDeleteYes Graham , there seems to be less air there .
DeleteI think I know what you mean Graham... but even so Shirley and I are seriously considering moving to Howden in East Yorkshire. It is pretty flat around there.
DeleteIsn't it a bit near the noise from the M62?
DeleteJust sufficiently far away that you can hardly hear it.
DeleteThis prairie boy knows nothing but flat and it's dry too. We average about 12 in of precipitation a year.
ReplyDeleteSheffield, Yorkshire gets around 32 inches of rain each year.
DeleteYou are probably aware that Sydney is far from flat and I think the topography adds visual interest but it also makes transport a little more difficult at times and building more expensive.
ReplyDeleteYour flatlands look pleasant to me
Sheffield is probably Britain's hilliest city. I have certainly not been in a hillier city in this country. It makes driving on ice and snow much more tricky.
DeleteI don't really find flat land very appealing. I love mountains and water for scenery but for walking ? Well that's another matter !!
ReplyDeleteFlatland is less photogenic. I wonder how it affects the minds of those who dwell there.
DeleteWould you please check Clint's boot, Yorkie. I think I might have left my wallet in there!
ReplyDeleteDon't get too excited, though...there's nothing in it other than a couple of five cent pieces, and a tissue...unused.
I do like the first photo...very nice, indeed.
Sorry. I couldn't find your wallet Lee but I did find a small silver compact with mirror that no doubt you use to powder your nose. Give me your full address and I shall mail it back to you.
DeleteNuh-uh! That won't work! I won't fall for that old trick! You won't get my address that easily.
DeleteThe silver compact obviously belongs to a previous boot captive, or one who followed me.
My compact, which I hold here in my hand, is gold!
You were very compact in Clint's boot. As compact as a compacted sack of spuds. And I think you will find that your new compact is 100% brass. I shall just have to use your old vintage compact to powder my own nose.
DeleteHappy new year YP (and family)....and your pics are, as always, really good....I too would like to live in Ivy Cottage or in fact in any flatland area...big skies and long horizons.x
ReplyDeleteThank you Libby and Happy New Year to you and your tribe. Ivy Cottage is half a mile from this place. Please note the price:-
Deletehttps://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/44606953#fQXqdsXsSIGzGAUz.97
Thanks for showing me another corner of England that I may or may not ever see! I admire how you can walk or explore just about anywhere and find something interesting. I like to think I'm the same way. I think it's one of the keys to happiness!
ReplyDeleteWide open spaces - I love them! I also love more feature-rich landscapes, but sometimes wide open spaces and big skies are what I need.
ReplyDeleteI always thought my heart was in the very green, very wet Pacific Northwest, until I moved to Montana--big sky country. It's a high mountain desert (clearly different from the flatlands you are describing). There are mountains and rivers, but the vegetation is fighting cold and a rain shadow and seems quite restrained. When we went back to Portland to visit my parents, I felt like all that greenery was trying to smother me--too many ferns, too tall trees, ivy all over the place!
ReplyDeleteI now appreciate the virtues of each landscape, and live again in the rampant growth of Portland, but I do miss that bracing, wide-open territory of the big sky.
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