Backscratcher

Having had an abortive attempt at this walk last week we only just made the starting point today. Our route up Chimney bank, a rather precipitous hill leading out of Rosedale valley, was rather icy and we nearly didn’t make it.

We were the only car in the car park and the bitter wind soon made us realise why. However it was good to escape the mud in the valley bottoms as we walked the old railway line.

This bench is called Set in Stone, with two planks carefully set into a carved boulder. There is a poem inscribed into the edges of the planks and images carved into the boulder. The sculptor, Vivien Mousdell, worked with the children of Rosedale Abbey primary school to come up with the words and images, that reflect the ironstone mining heritage of the area.

“In the dark, working hard, loading up the wooden cart,
Work-shift over, in the sun, on the hill, having fun.”

I am not sure that the artist imagined this use for the bench!