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Brimham Rocks, once known as Brimham Crags, is an outcrop of Millstone Grit noted for its fantastically-shaped rocks, which were formed over 325 million years ago by water-and weather erosion Link (History of Brimham Rocks Yorkshire, National Trust). The site, managed by The National Trust, is reminiscent of a natural sculpture park.

The area, 8 miles to the north-west of Harrogate and 8 miles south of Ripon on Brimham Moor, is designated as a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Geological Conservation Review (GCR) site because of the value of its geology and the upland woodland and the acidic wet and dry heath habitats that support localised and specialised plant forms, such as chickweed wintergreen, cowberry, bog asphodel and three species of heather (Link Exploring Brimham Rocks North East, National Trust).

For two hundred years, some stones have carried fanciful names, such as Druid's Idol, Druid's Altar and Druid's Writing Desk as for some time during the 18th and 19th centuries, it was considered that the rocks may have been partly carved by druids; others are thought to resemble animals and carry names such as The Eagle’s Head and The Dancing Bear.

Created: Sat, 4 Mar 2023, Updated: Sat, 4 Mar 2023