If you’re only in North Yorkshire for a limited time, make sure that Brimham Rocks is on your list of places to visit. This National Trust site is home to a fantastic collection of naturally sculpted rocks, many of which have unique names (such as the Turtle or the Anvil) based on their appearance. Brimham has been a popular destination for over a hundred years, but the rocks have been here much, much longer: at least 300 million years. No matter when you visit Brimham has plenty to see and occupy your senses: but we especially love it in autumn, when the crowds have died down, the sky is a cold crisp blue and red topped fungi are emerging in the nooks and crannies along the paths.
Brimham isn’t too far from us, and despite having visited several times over the years, we’re always blown away by the rock formations. There are so many, in so many weird and wonderful structures, that you feel like you’re walking around a lunar landscape. The site spreads for miles, and it’s worth continuing on past the busy area between the car park and visitor centre to explore the quieter side of Brimham. You don’t have to go far – less than 200 metres past the visitor centre, there is a narrow but clear path which leads you to yet more incredible rocks, with some panoramic views of Nidderdale thrown in while you’re at it.
Continuing on to the moor, you’re unlikely to come across many other people (although we did surprise a herd of red deer, who were close enough that I could count the whiskers on one doe’s nose). It feels a hundred miles from the visitor centre up here, although all in all it makes for a walk of not much more than an hour.
Brimham is perfect for an easy Sunday morning mooch. Parking is free for National Trust members, and it’s generally a very easy and mostly flat walk, although if you want to explore around the rocks themselves you may need to scramble up or down (you may come across climbers or boulderers in some of the quieter spots, but don’t be tempted to copy them without the right equipment or training!).
You can make your visit as long as you want: whether that’s a 10 minute stroll down to the cafe, an hour loop around the moor, or even further into the Nidderdale countryside. The Nidderdale Way passes the site and offers plenty of opportunity to see the best that Nidderdale has to offer.
Dog friendly rating: 4/5. Dogs are welcome at Brimham, but they do need to be kept on leads. This is a sensible idea anyway, as there tend to be a lot of children popping out unexpectedly on the path (which would probably result in several dog/child collisions), and there are also plenty of very steep drops. Nevertheless there are usually a lot of dogs knocking around, whether they are on their normal weekend walk or tagging along on a family day out. If you stick to walking around the main visitor areas and the moor, there are no stiles, and it makes for a nice easy stroll while still giving dogs the opportunity to have a good sniff and wear themselves out. Ours always have a good long snooze when we get home, despite staying on the lead!
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