The actual Dead Pine Gulch

In my previous post about Chartley Moss, which is a very weird place, I referred to a location within it known as 'Dead Pine Gulch'.   The name made me laugh as it sounded like something out of a Western.

I thought you might like to see a photo of the actual spot known as Dead Pine Gulch.  Complete with dead pine.

Dead pine gulch

Chartley Moss is not often visited.  It is a floating bog - and in the wrong weather walkers could quickly find themselves in danger of suddenly sinking.  It’s all private land anyway.

It’s a shock when you do get there.  The pines that were planted there a hundred years ago sank under their own weight down through the nine-foot thick peat bed and into the lake below – and then their roots simply drowned. Curiously, as the pines die they get lighter and ‘re-ascend’ – creating this spooky landscape of spiky dead trees.

Natural England do occasional tours of the site; and you have to sign up for them in advance.

Inaccessible castle

We are not known for authentically old castles in Staffordshire (though Tutbury has some special ruins).  Which is why it's a shame that the ruins of the imposing thirteenth-century Chartley Castle are not accessible to the public.
I had to take this photo on a zoom lens to avoid trespassing.

The castle is most famous for being one of the prisons of Mary Queen of Scots.