Odin's Fire

What a sight Roseberry Topping is, standing at around 1,000 ft towering over the surrounding landscape and in particular the village of Great Ayton, famed for being the boyhood home of Captain James Cook. Roseberry was held in special regard by the Vikings who settled in Cleveland in the medieval period and was believed to be a place of worship to the Norse god Odin. On this evening we (my partner Tracy and I) had made our way up the winding path to the top of the cliff face on the Captain Cook’s Monument side what seemed to be just an exploratory trip as the weather was not quite right for what I was looking for, but that was about to change. After viewing the scene and taking a few shots we packed up and were about to descend, when, as it does in this part of the world, the weather calmed as the sun set and storm clouds rolled in. This was the cue to hastily get the camera on the tripod and frame the scene. As we know the conditions can change in a flash, then with a few clicks of the shutter I had my picture and with a last restful look, the landscape had changed again to a flat scene with sky to match to accommodate nightfall. I just love the idea of the Norse god of war raging over the ‘Topping’ and producing … ‘Odin’s Fire’.

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