Brimham Rocks a day out - An awesome place 2

Geocache at Brimham rocks

Explore the curious rock formations at Brimham in Nidderdale which are scattered over some 50 acres on Brimham Moor and provide a great variety of weird and wonderful shapes. Many of the gritty monstrosities suggest all manner of things, including elephants, hippos, bears, mushrooms and some are said to have associations with druids, Mother Shipton and even the Devil himself.

Our friend managed to snap her achilles tendon on the first rock we came across and we have renamed the rock in her honour as 'Tendon Rock' - I'm still waiting for our other friends' photo of the rock in question and when I receive it I will post it here.

6 weeks of hopping begin with snapped Achilles tendon

 This amazing collection of weird and wonderful rock formations makes a great day out for families, climbers and those wanting to enjoy the simple pleasures of fresh air and magnificent views over Nidderdale.

 In the beginning ...
320 million years ago, a huge river washed down grit and sand from granite mountains in northern Scotland and Norway. A delta formed, covering half of Yorkshire. Increasing layers of grit and sand, along with rock crystals of feldspar and quartz, built up to form the tough sandstone known as Millstone Grit, the exposed sections of which can be seen today at Brimham Rocks.

A feature of the rocks is their cross-bedding. As the water from the river flowed, it created bedforms such as ripples or dunes on the floor of the channel. Sediment was deposited on the downcurrent side of these bedforms at an angle - not horizontally. The layering is inclined and dips in the direction the water was moving.

Shaping
Most of the rocks owe their bizarre shapes to erosion during and after the Devensian glaciation. For example, Idol Rock was most likely formed just after the last glaciation when the land lacked any plant cover. Here, sand-blasting at ground level wore away the softer layers of the rock producing a tiny plinth with a massive top. Freeze-thaw action on the joints and bedding planes have shaped many of the tors such as the Dancing Bear.

 Location:
Brimham Rocks is located 4 miles east of Pateley Bridge of the B6265, 10 miles north west of Harrogate of the B6165, and 10 miles south east of Ripon.

The area is owned by the National Trust and is usually open all year round from 8am to dusk.

Brimham Rocks near Ripon or Harrogate.
For a good day out we go to Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire.
National Trust Welcome to Brimham Rocks.