Brimham Rocks is the jewel in Nidderdale's crown and, with all due respect to the Peak District, the finest gritstone playground in England bar none.
Just a short drive from my hometown of Harrogate I have been going to Brimham Rocks for as long as I can remember. Some of my favourite childhood memories are at Brimham Rocks; picking bilberries for my mum to make a pie, playing hide and seek amongst the rocks and bracken with my brothers and dog, Tina. Then of course there are the numerous rock scrambling adventures that are a must for anyone visiting Brimham Rocks.
While it is rare to visit Brimham Rocks without seeing climbers on some of the higher buttresses one of the great things about Brimham Rocks is that they offer something for everyone. No matter age or ability most people will be able to find a rock to scramble on and survey an incredible scene of gritstone boulders, towers and buttresses. There really is nowhere like Brimham Rocks!
Most of the rocks have names and for all my visits I've never been able to memorise them all. A favourite spot of mine are the Lover's Leap rocks to the west of the tearoom. I've shared many a picnic with family and friends sat atop these particular rocks which feature a fine view down Nidderdale.
Extended walks to Brimham Rocks can be planned from places such as Pateley Bridge but to be honest there is so much to see it is worth paying the fee at the National Trust owned car park and spending as much time as possible exploring.
More recently I've enjoyed taking my daughter Rhiannon to Brimham Rocks who simply calls them the 'The Rocks'. It will never be a place I tire of and for all the times that I've been there I can't help feeling that there is still so much more to discover.
