Yesterday, I gave a Memories talk to the Glaxo Retired Staff club in Barnard Castle. I've driven along the A67 from Darlington to Barney countless times over far too many years, and know the road pretty well.

To my astonishment, going westwards, starting the descent into Gainford, there I saw a milestone that I didn't know was there. In fact, this milestone seems to have been lost in the overgrowth for decades because I can't see that it is marked on the OS map. All the others on this road are noted by the OS.

The milestone, pointing the way to Darlington 7 and BC 9, looks as if it has recently been cleared and painted: there were white splatterings on nearby leaves. I am sadly fascinated by milestones so it is a great joy to see that someone else is cherishing this stone. I guess it dates to 1751 when the road from Barney to Darlington and Stockton was turnpiked, and it is in the same style as the others along the road. It's just about opposite the entrance to Greystone Hall. I stopped in Greystone's driveway to get the picture on this page, and realised I'd never noticed the stone-built farm - possibly Jacobean? - either. Perhaps I'm just spectacularly unobservant.