Jumble of Rocks

Brimham Rocks, what can you say about these weirdly shaped enormous rocks that balance on each other?  You can read the geological history here and learn how the land formed in Yorkshire when two continental plates collided and then how the weather milled the stones down into these strange formations.  But weather, ice and sand have left us with this marvellous playground for children today.  We arrived fairly early before the carparks filled up and wandered down the paths to the little cafe below Brimham House.

Well the children called my family played at Titanic on the rocks, though Andrew got a fright when a particularly strong gust got him, yes the weather was cold and windy though the sun shone.  The rocks of course fit into anthropomorphic shapes as you look at them and it is indeed a very strange landscape.  You can get a glimpse from Rhiannon of  Modern Antiquarian fame in her role as an excellent folklorist.  She used to work in Bath Library at the weekends and often found me little bits of history that only a true librarian can find in those literate papers that lurk unseen in the back rooms or on the net..  The link is here.  

Being of a certain age I did not scrabble around on the rocks but kept to the paths, though I did once climb to a viewpoint and look at the landscape all around, not knowing at the time that these rocks once formed a range as high as the Himalayas.

Thanks must go to my family for arranging this outing and to Andrew for his driving and upmarket skills at arrangment of paid car parks beforehand.  I shall never come to terms with apps on phone that show that you have paid for tickets on trains, buses and outings, the world moves too quickly for me.

Also my daughter arranged a picnic for when we got to Bolton Abbey, where we sat by the river on an old patchwork quilt, wasn't sure if it was one of mine because I recognised some of the materials.  Quiche and sausage rolls, tomatoes, olives and grapes to the sound of rippling water by the River Wharfe which is a wide shallow river falling over stones.  There was blackheaded gulls patrolling up and down and little wagtails dipping their ways over the stones.  

At this stage too much fresh air had got to me so while everyone went a walk down to the abbey I stayed in the car and chatted on the phone to my son.

So all in all a perfect day arranged by Karen and Andrew and I have been introduced to perhaps another wonder of the world......

My tag at the end:  For those who do not understand technology of the time, just wait for people to go abroad and work it out from there!