Brimham Rocks
Brimham Rocks in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near Harrogate are one of the most extraordinary natural rock formations in England, a collection of millstone grit tors weathered by wind and rain over millions of years into fantastical shapes that balance enormous masses of rock on improbably narrow bases and create natural sculptures of considerable comic and dramatic variety. The National Trust manages the site and the rocks, each named for the object they resemble, attract visitors who combine the pleasure of scrambling and exploring with the astonishment that natural erosion can produce these results.
The rocks are the remnants of a continuous layer of Millstone Grit that once covered this section of the Pennines and has been progressively eroded over the millions of years since the Carboniferous period, the erosion acting most aggressively on the softer bands within the rock and creating the characteristic shapes of balanced rocks, arches and vertical columns. The names given to the most distinctive formations, including the Idol Rock, the Druid's Writing Desk, the Dancing Bear and the Watchdog, reflect centuries of imaginative human response to these improbable natural forms.
The moorland setting of Brimham Rocks, with the open heather moor stretching to the Nidderdale valley below and the Yorkshire Dales visible in the distance, provides an excellent landscape context for the rock formations and the combination of the rocks, the moorland walking and the views makes Brimham one of the most rewarding half-day destinations in the Yorkshire countryside.