Brimham Rocks - Bizarre rock formations in Yorkshire
Brimham Rocks is a 454-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest(SSSI), near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, on Brimham Moor in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The site is known for its water and weather-eroded rocks, which were formed over 325 million years ago and have assumed fantastic shapes.
The natural spectacle of Brimham Rocks, with its giant rock formations, was created by an immense river 100 million years before the first dinosaurs walked the earth.
The rocks, sculpted by 320 million years of movement of entire continents as well as hundreds of thousands of years of ice, rain and wind, have taken on weird and wonderful shapes and with a little imagination, they resemble familiar creatures. The site is owned by the National Trust and visitors are free to explore the site, spotting the Dancing Bear, the Gorilla, the Eagle and the Turtle, whilst the more nimble can crawl through the Smartie Tube and balance on the Rocking Stones.
It takes around four hours to explore all of this fascinating site, though some of the most iconic rock formations can be viewed only 10 minutes’ walk from the car park.
Brimham Rocks and its heather moorland are both Sites of Special Scientific Interest and are a magnet for geologists, naturalists, climbers and walkers. The area has been popular with tourists since at least the late 1700s.
Further reading
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