Brimham Rocks: “I climbed the bizarre Yorkshire rock formations estimated to be 320 million years old”

This summer, most of my walks have been along shaded riverbanks.

But last weekend, I was craving something more adventurous and remembered Brimham Rocks.

Estimated to be 320 million years old, this collection of moorland rock formations is older than the dinosaurs.

Better yet, Brimham Rocks is free to visit and conveniently located in Nidderdale National Landscape AONB – less than an hour from Leeds by car.

Today, the National Trust estimates that 250,000 people visit Brimham Rocks a year. On a sunny Saturday in August, on my third lap of the car park, it felt like everyone had arrived at once.

Finally finding an empty spot and paying £7 for four hours of parking, my friend and I headed straight to the kiosk for a coffee. We had barely left the car park before the first rocks began to appear.

The shapes were downright bizarre; it looked like nature had decided to play Jenga. Some of the formations seemed to defy gravity: towers of mushroom-shaped stones, balanced on precarious-looking bases.

In the 18th century, many believed that Brimham Rocks had been stacked by druids. By the 19th century, the site was a ticketed attraction, with visitors paying a sixpence for guided tours. Looking around, it is easy to understand the fascination.

After buying coffee from the refreshment kiosk – reasonably priced at £3.85 per regular cappuccino – we decided to follow the colour-coded trails.

The plan was simple. Starting with the 1.6km rocks route, we would continue onto the woodland and boundary trails for sweeping countryside views.

There were families everywhere: children and their parents scrambling to the top of stone towers, and clambering across boulders. I was surprised at how brave everyone seemed, especially the adults, who were unusually playful.

Some of the formations have names: Idol Rock, Mushroom Rock, and Dancing Bear – which was actually pretty convincing.

Despite looking magical, the explanations are scientific: these formations were shaped by millions of years of erosion. For more information, some visitors book guided tours, learning how water formed tunnels and glaciers carved rock.

We diverted into a quieter section of woodland, the forest floor covered with moss-covered rocks and bright-green bracken.

It was like being transported back to childhood. My friend and I climbed scattered rock formations, giggling and tiptoeing to spot valley views from above the treetops.

Suddenly, everyone disappeared. The crowds were gone, and all I could hear was swishing bracken and the scraping of trainers on stone.

By the time we’d finished our coffees – which we’d proudly avoided spilling despite the rock scrambling – we emerged at the boundary wall.

The views were beautiful: quiet country lanes, fields scorched in late-summer yellow, and just a few cattle wandering on the horizon.

I wondered what this terrain would have looked like 320 million years ago, as Brimham Rocks were forming. There might be a scientific explanation for these stones, but it still feels otherworldly.

It’s no secret that Brimham Rocks attracts a crowd, but I’ll be returning, especially to walk its quieter boundary walk. Some sites are popular for good reason.