Brimham Rocks

Sunday 9th October 2022

Before returning home, we visited Brimham Rocks, which is around 4 miles from Pateley Bridge, where we had parked Fufu for the weekend.

We had encountered outcrops of millstone grit on Brown Hill which were weathered into interesting shapes, but this was at a completely different level.

It is just the weather and time which have shaped the rock. It is all millstone grit, but softer layers are eroded at a faster rate than harder ones, frequently with amazing results:

The area is in the ownership of the National Trust who have laid out paths and signposts throughout the site, as well as providing “facilities”. The result is that there were many people visiting and the car park was almost full, however it is a large site and there was no overcrowding.

Many of the formations have been named according to things they resemble. Apparently, there is a “Blacksmith”, an “Anvil”….

…..a “Sphynx” a “Turtle”, the “Druid’s Writing Desk”, the “Dancing Bear” and an “Eagle”. Hmmm, we wandered around, but never really could decide which was which. The most famous rock is “The Idol Rock”.

Thanks for the above photo to the fellow motorhomers we met here. And apologies as we neglected to ask their names.

There were people enjoying the rocks in many different ways.

There is also interest on a smaller scale, with fascinating textures and forms:

There were also some fungi to be found:

We enjoyed our time at Brimham Rocks, spending more time wandering and exploring than we planned before finally heading home.