Brimham Rocks: a Wild Place, Once the Haunt of Druids

I have posted several times about Brimham Rocks – mainly about its function as a challenging and wonderful playground for the grandchildren. The other day, however, I went on my own, to explore its history.

In Victorian times, it was believed that the Druids were reponsible for carving many of the fantastical shapes dominating the landscape.

They weren’t. Blame geology instead. About 320 million years ago, this corner of the planet was dominated by an immense river, splitting into many deltas spilling over the land here, often changing course. As it travelled, it deposited layers and layers of sand and grit which over the millenia formed layers of rock we now call millstone grit. The area was eroded by water, by wind sand-blasting the rocks, by earth movements: and by the Ice Age, when – more than 10, 000 years ago – slow-moving glaciers sculpted and moved the rocks.

It’s easy to see the layers of sediment here which formed the millstone grit.

Earthquakes, millenia ago liquefied the rock, forcing boiling water upwards through the layers that had been laid down. You can see that phenomenon here.

There’s one particular rock, known as The Idol (because the Druids must have carved it!) Just look:

Can you see how this inmmense rock , all 200 tons of it, is supported on the tiniest of pillars? It’s quite safe – for now.

And here’s an oak tree in direct competition with another rock. It continues to grow and thrive, somehow, with a rock that declines to split any further and give it extra growing room.

All this is a rather long-winded way of saying that Brimham Rocks is the wildest place I know, and therefore a suitable candidate for Egidio’s Wild Lens-Artists Challenge

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

56 thoughts on “Brimham Rocks: a Wild Place, Once the Haunt of Druids”

  2. what an incredible, beautiful, awesome collection of REAL world…. I often think you should live in ‚my‘ Devon and tell me all about their history. This is a wonderful post – thank you so much.

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  3. When we start talking about millenia, I get lost in the immensity of it all, Margaret. We are such tiny, insignificant dots, trying to bend the landscape to our will. Brimham is fabulous! I’d love to go there again this summer.

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    1. Those are fair comparisons. What makes Brimham stand out is the wealth of fantastical shapes in such a very limited area. I’ll drag you there when you ‘do’ Yorkshire again!

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  16. Not the Giants then? So many of our rocky landscapes seem to be blamed on Giants slinging rocks at each other. The Idol does look somewhat precariously balanced which took me to thinking about the balancing rocks in Marble Canyon, Arizona. In fact the landscapes around that part of the US is magical.

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    1. I’d love to see these American landscapes, but that ship has sailed. Nope, no giants strode across our landscape dumping rocks. Ad that Idol is perfecty fine pirouetting on its tiny foot!

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  17. I have just returned from a retreat with my sister, Sarah in Victoria. It was a wonderful time of reflection and relaxation. It is good to catch up on your posts. I always learn something new every time I stop by.

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  19. Margaret, it is wonderful to have these in your “backyard.” I gotta say that the Druids story would make for a great movie, but I really like the real story you told us, and how wild Nature carved these beauties. I’m not sure I’d stand near that balancing rock. One day it’ll tumble. Great post and photos.

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  24. Definitely wild and wonderful and the oak tree adds a fantastic dimension. The geological history is so interesting. I am charmed that the Victorians so quaintly thought that the Druids did all that carving!

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  25. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Fenda da Calcedónia (Calcedónia fault) | Still Restlessjo

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