Brimham Rocks are a collection of boulders and crags near Harrogate in North Yorkshire. The rocks, made of gritstone, have been sculpted by erosion into unusual shapes including rounded towers, loaf shapes, and rocks are balanced in surprising locations.
The grippy nature of the rock, and the shapes it is formed into, make Brimham Rocks a great place to go climbing and bouldering. There are climbing routes up to about 14 metres long across the grades, and a similar range of bouldering problems scattered across the formations. Jamming cracks seem to be a common feature here.
The second weekend of January was blessed with sunny, still conditions - a perfect opportunity to make my first visit to Brimham and try and work off the excesses of christmas.
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| Sculpted shapes: around Castle Rock at Brimham Rocks |
We started by doing some boulder problems and routes on Castle Rock, the most impressive large rock formation at Brimham. Despite the frosty conditions the rock faces in the sun were warm to the touch, making climbing pleasant. Lots of walkers stopped to watch as we soloed some of the easier routes, although some of the parents with young children were not impressed by the example we were setting.
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| Cubic Block, Brimham |
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| Heather Wall, Brimham |
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| Cubic Corner, Brimham |
