Country diary: The moon is as high as it can ever get here | Amy-Jane Beer

Aldro, North Yorkshire: The 'major lunar standstill' only happens every 18.6 years, and once upon a time it would have been an unavoidable eventThere's a place a short drive from home where I'm often drawn to watch the sunset. It's been special for thousands of years - a high point on a pre-Roman trade route and a gateway to the chalklands of the Yorkshire wolds. The area is thick with prehistoric archaeology, including mounds, cursuses and earthworks.Here at Aldro, the banks of a vast bronze age ditched enclosure would once have stood out white against both land and sky. It is a truly spectacular vantage point, with unobscured views west and north across the vales of York and Pickering to the dales and the moors. From here it is also possible to see almost all the setting stations of the sun as they track north in summer, south in winter, falling fully west only during the spring and autumn equinoxes. Continue reading...