A “Valley of 1,000 Hills” image from Flickr – click on the name of the photographer below to see more Durban goodness and to thank the photographer.
Roseberry Topping
Photo by spratmackrel
This is Roseberry Topping, which overlooks the Tees Valley, England. Roseberry is a corruption of the original Old Norse name of Odins-Beorge meaning Odin’s Hill, which was recorded on a 10th century map, when the Tees Valley was part of the Viking kingdom of Sadberge. Over the years, the name changed to Othensberg, Ohenseberg, Ounsberry and Ouesberry. Association with the village at the foot of the hill, then called Newton-under-Ouseberry, led to the modern name Roseberry when the final ‘R’ of ‘under’ produced the initial letter of the modern name. Newton under Ouseberry is now called Newton under Roseberry. The word ‘Topping’, from ‘Toppen’, is one of a number of old Viking words for a hill. In the Teesside accent it is still pronounced ‘Toppen’.
I grew up on Teesside and my family have been living and farming the land in the valley below Roseberry for at least the last 1000 years (They didn’t get out much!). Every year when I was at school we would be taken to climb it, usually as part of Sponser Week. It is very steep going up the North side, but it was worth it to run down the South side 🙂
In October 2009 Roseberry was the site of Odin’s Glow – one of the biggest cultural events ever held in the North East of England, in which the Hill and the Village were illuminated and sound was generated that created a magical atmosphere. It explored the area’s Viking history and the myths and legends surrounding Odin. You can watch the official video of the event, featuring Odin, Valkyries, saints, wolves and ravens, here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAW4ZR7rAxs&feature=fvw
Click here to submit your News – free.
Have you tried: Reach Trust for Solar and Building Management?
Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: Durbanites have their own lingo – If you hear something like, “Ek se, it’s cold, I’m vaaing posie to catch a dop”, don’t be alarmed. Durban has its own slang that ranges from a mishmash of local expressions to derivatives of Afrikaans and Zulu. In fact we think it’d be pretty “kiff” if you learnt some too.
Watch a Video:
