Walking Yorkshire : Brimham Rocks Brimham Rocks is a National Trust property close to Pateley Bridge in North Yorkshire. It is within the Nidderdale Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Brimham Rocks formations sprawl over 400 acres, so you could easily spend half a day, or longer, here with the children playing and exploring, do supervise though, there are one or two hidden falls and cliffs. The weird formations are made from millstone grit, a sedimentary rock laid down roughly 320 million years ago, the odd shapes and formations have been brought about as a duel result of glacial erosion and weathering. Many of the stone shapes suggest other things and have been given folk lore names over the years, the Dancing Bear, Druid's Desk, Blacksmith and Anvil, some are rather more obvious than others. After wandering around the rocks area for a while I struck out West, there are numerous footpaths around the rocks, I took a woodland path out to High Wood Farm (203647), where I saw this cute little chap. Are you thinking what I'm thinking ? Mmmmm, rare breed pork chops. Snowdrops blooming next to Fell Beck. I walked on through the woods and came out onto the road above the hamlet of Fell Beck (199663) and then followed the road NW out on to Pateley Moor. There is a tourist feature marked on my map, South Oaks Pottery, but it seems to be closed / converted into a vast private home. Looking across Kingstone Farm to a smoke plume on Skell Gill Bank. This is normal winter burning off, a controlled burn of old heather to make space for new growth, with the ground so wet there is no danger of uncontrolled fire, unlike the blaze on Ilkley Moor last summer which got down into the peat layer. I thought I'd walk out to watch the burning, but when I got there the flames had died down, so I walked on, and when I looked back a couple of miles later it was burning again, pah. The moor just in front of the burn area is called Burnt Heath. Red Grouse on Pateley Moor, the moor was alive with grouse, pheasant and rabbits. Grouse often managed to startle me when I'd striding across the moor, they wait until you are almost atop them before they burst into the air with a rapid drumming of wings. A quick fly by from the RAF, great, I got a picture of one at last, usually the Tornado's are dots in the distance by the time I have got the camera out. Standing stone looking out across Bishop's Moor. (174675). I pressed on along the road north to the junction at Bonfire Hill (199706) where I took the road east to meet the Ripon Rowel Walk at Skelding Grange (216697) and followed the walk as far as Eavestone Lake where I came back to the road again. Inquisitive sheep on the Ripon Rowel, it's compulsory to take pictures of sheep you know. I had pottered on parts of the walk and now I realised that I would have to press on if I was going to get back to the NT car park before they locked my car in for the night, so I fairly yomped back along the road, pausing only to snap this lovely sky scene. If you are inspired to come and visit my beautiful county because of the stuff I write and the pictures I post, please do, however...... I was changing out of my boots in the car park when a scutter car pulled in, you've seen the type, small car with blacked out windows, huge exhaust and spinning wheel trim thingies. The car sits there for a few minutes, then two of the windows open and the scutter occupants eject a heap of litter out into the car park, then the car pulls away leaving their pile of debris behind them. Take nothing but photographs and memories, leave nothing but footprints, if you're a scumbag, please stay away from the places I love. This walk can be found on OS 298 : Nidderdale, as always, wear proper boots and kit, there were some boggy sections and two fords that would be dangerous after rain. The walk was 23k done in about 6 hours.