10 May 2008

Bride Stones Walk



Finally a little sun and dry weather has arrived, so on a lovely evening and taking directions from "The Walking Englishman" website we set out to the edge of town where Lancashire becomes Yorkshire and the Landscape becomes moors and craggs.
I have never seen these stones before or heard of them and our route to them follows the old pack horse roads and bridleways that criss cross this area.
They overlook the Calder Valley and stare down at Todmorden from high up on the Bride Stones Moor. The Bride Stones are a super example of Yorkshire bouldering crags formed when glaciated within the last 15000 years. These edge tors are periglacial in origin and probably the result of freeze thaw and sand blasting. They post-date the end of the Devensian Ice age and they are spread all over the hillside. Many of the interesting ones are individually named. They include the Indian's Head, the Villain, the Cheeseblock and the Bride Stone itself which is a large rounded rock in the shape of an egg perched on a slender pillar. It is an amazing sight as it stands precariously on its small base. Myth has it that the stone is a rich source of fertility for newly married couples.
I have included a link below which will take you to an album showing the bridal paths, old abandoned dwellings that are scattered around the moor and some of the local population of spring lambs that live up here. Also if you click on the title of this post it should take you to the Walking English man's site for full maps and other walks in the area.


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi, the Walking Englishman here! Impressed by your visit to the Bride Stones and equally impressed with your choice in music - Marillion, Rush, Porcupine Tree!! - have you got a psychic link to my IPod?

All the best,
Mike Brockhurst
(The Walking Englishman)
mail@walkingenglishman.com

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