Get the timing right and reap the rewards of the healthy hazel nut

The brambles had virtually disappeared, but recent high winds had produced a wonderful windfall of ripe hazel nuts. Dozens of them were scattered upon the ground beneath the trees, a free treat for me. I managed to fill a couple of pockets so that I could carry some home, probably for use during the Christmas break, but I must say I left a lot behind for the benefit of a variety of deserving wild creatures.

Despite their tough shells, which must be a challenge for hungry birds and small animals, hazel nuts are popular with mice, squirrels, pheasants, pigeons and jays. Jays, of course, are noted for their habit of storing their treasures by concealing them. They will bury food such as hazel nuts, acorns, berries of various kinds, fruit and even potatoes. I believe much of this hidden food is forgotten, leaving it to sprout into new trees and plants - an example of the cleverness of nature.

Gathering hazel nuts is a skilled operation. If you gather them too early, they will not be ripe and their shells will be soft and green. Keeping them until they ripen does not work - they shrivel into a tasteless lump. On the other hand, if you wait until they are nice and ripe, it's highly likely that creatures such as squirrels and jays will get there first. They can strip a tree in a very short time.

Another snag is that when hazel nuts are fully ripe, they can easily be shaken from their husks. Picking them when ripe is therefore a hazardous occupation because many will slip from your fingers to be lost in the undergrowth, and it requires only the slightest movement of a branch to dislodge them. Not surprisingly, therefore, the strong winds of recent weeks shook my local trees, but deposited the nuts on to the smooth road surface, where collecting them was easy.

I believe the best time for picking them is the latter part of September or early October - and that's when we can expect winds. When picked, hazel nuts should be stored in a warm, dry place and kept in their shells until they are required. If they are opened, the kernels will shrivel.

Some people like to chop or grate hazel nuts for use in salads or even for making their own muesli with apples, raisins and raw oatmeal.

They are considered a very healthy food, being rich in protein, and imaginative cooks can make very good use of them in a variety of dishes and drinks.

Finding a double hazel nut - one with two kernels - was always considered lucky. People would carry double nuts around with them as means of attracting good fortune, rather like carrying a rabbit's foot, while in some areas it heralded a wedding or birth.

In Shropshire, for example, eating both kernels of a double hazel nut was a sign that you would become the parent of twins, while in Lincolnshire it was thought that a double nut should be shared between two people, each eating his or her share in silence.

As they did so, they should make a wish, but the wish had to be kept secret if it was to be granted.

During our recent visit to the Highlands of Scotland, we were surprised at the number of bridges and roads built by the famous General Wade (1673-1748). His skill at bridge construction and road-building opened up many isolated Highland areas to trade and commerce. I believe he constructed about 40 bridges and many miles of metalled roads in hitherto inaccessible places, and he also had a hand in disarming many clans to bring peace and tranquillity to the Highlands.

Wade was an English soldier who fought with distinction in many campaigns, spending a great deal of time in Europe. But in 1724 he was sent to the Highlands, where he began his construction of metalled roads.

His efforts led to a famous old verse which goes: "Had you seen these roads before they were made, you would lift up your hands and bless General Wade.

I make reference to General Wade because so many people confuse him with another man called Wade who is said to have built a famous causeway which crosses the North York Moors near Goathland.

Wade's Causeway, however, is far older than any of General Wade's roads for it dates to Roman times, when it was part of a network which extended from Malton. One route branched across Ryedale towards Cawthorne on the moors above Pickering, where the four Cawthorne Camps can still be seen. From there, it stretched across the moors towards the coast, crossing what is now Cropton Forest and continuing towards Wheeldale. From Wheeldale, it followed a route past Julian Park near Goathland and continued via Randymere Reservoir to cross the River Esk near Grosmont. It then made for Dunum Sinus, which some believe to be Dunsley near Whitby, and it probably terminated on the coast near Goldsborough, where it is known a Roman signalling station was constructed.

When the Romans left Britain, this old road fell into disuse and was soon smothered with heather and bracken, with many of its stones being removed for the building of local farms and houses. However, more than a mile of it, complete with culverts and drains, survived on Wheeldale Moor. But the simple people of that time (long before 1066 and all that) had no idea where the road had come from or who had built it. In their minds, it was the mysterious work of a giant.

It so happened there was a legend of a local giant, based on the real-life exploits of a Saxon chieftain called Wade, a powerful and huge man. He was born during the eighth century and was one of the conspirators by whom Ethelred, the brutal King of Northumbria, was murdered in 706. Wade was thought to have done a massive service to the people by ridding them of this tyrant, but Ethelred's men were determined to get their revenge.

Wade strengthened his castle at Mulgrave near Whitby to defend himself, but continued to fight a ceaseless battle against tyranny. In that way, he won the respect and support of ordinary people. How he died is a mystery. Some accounts say he suffered from "a distemper", while others say he was attacked by Ethelred's successor. Whatever his illness or injuries, he reached his home in Mulgrave Castle, where he died.

Exaggerated stories of his exploits made him into a legendary giant and, because local people did not know how the Wheeldale Roman road was built, they attributed it to Giant Wade. There are lots of unlikely stories about Wade and his causeway, but the fact is that his road was genuine, albeit built by Romans, and he was a real person, even if tales of his road-building and other exploits are pure legend. But I don't think General Wade was connected in any way to Giant Wade.

On the topic of roads, what is meant when someone "takes the Darnton Trod?" This phrase crops up from time to time and I believe Darnton is a shortened version of Darlington, with the "trod" element referring to a road or path.

One suggestion is that it refers to someone fleeing from justice after committing a serious crime, the objective being to reach South Shields to catch a boat to freedom by bribing its owner. In similar vein, it may be that Darlington was regarded as a safe haven for Quakers when they were hounded and persecuted by the Government. It was an unwalled town, it was not fortified and it had no powerful guild or person to represent the law. In other words it was a free town, so Quakers fled here in their thousands by "taking the Darnton Trod."

Another possibility is that the Darnton Trod was an ancient route dating to Roman times and later used by pedlars, chapmen, drovers, religious processions and even sellers of crude salt from the old Durham saltpans. Yet another idea is that the phrase was used to correct disobedient children. If they misbehaved, they would be threatened with being sent along the Darnton Trod, although its precise meaning or threat in this context is not clear