Wednesday 11 April 2012

Tod walk 9 : The Bride Stone and the Groom



Eventually, the top of the hill came into view and we saw the jagged line of the Bride Stone crags.

This is gritstone and, inevitably, there were people climbing. I didn't see any ropes though, just lots of bouldering mats. When I checked with Mark afterwards, he told me that the crags are well known for bouldering because there are a lot of highball problems (routes which are not quite high enough for trad climbing, but are at the top end of what would be recognised as bouldering. - I've never enquired about the origin of the name 'highball' :p )


I love the little peep holes through grit.


The views were marvellous.


Snack stop on top!

The trig point is beginning to crumble a little.



This weathered bit of grit is the rock after which the whole crag is named. Once this was part of a pair of standing stones; the bride stone and the groom stone. In the past, wedding ceremonies happened here. Unfortunately, the top heavy groom stone has toppled from his base and the bride stone is left standing alone.


The groom stone is on the right here, lying behind his base.

Of course, there were the inevitable quips about drunken grooms :)

6 comments:

  1. Do you often hike with your son? This was such an interesting place to "see". I wish I could have seen the groom with his bride. To me, the bride looks like a mummy's head wrapped in those mummying cloths and one eye peeking out.
    Tina @ Life is Good
    Co-Host of the April A to Z Challenge
    Twitter: @AprilA2Z #atozchallenge

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  2. I love exploring places like this, looking for all the nooks and crannies in the rocks :-) The bride stone looks quite spectacular, shame about the groom :-(

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  3. It looks a bit like the end of the world. Hang on a moment, it must be near the Lancashire border; it is the end of the world.

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  4. Groom backed out, pure and simple.

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  5. Well, H, there was a lot of Greek-to-me in this post... bouldering mat, highball problems, trad climbing... LOL! But the photos are stunning! I know nothing about geology either, but among my favorite places are the various stone parks of Utah (will have to scan some of my pics one day and post). I think you and your son would enjoy them too.

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