Anchored

There was a fierce wind up on the moor today, and it was a struggle to stand upright. This boulder has been anchored in the turf for thousands of years though, unmoved by the coal-mining or tanks that have tested the landscape's resilience.

It's another of the cup-marked rocks that are dotted about Baildon Moor and the wider Rombald's Moor. This one's on Low Plain, where twenty-nine rocks have been recorded, although I've only found about half of those so far. It's catalogued as #173 in Yorkshire Archaeology's Prehistoric Rock Art of the West Riding. These carvings are thought to date from the Early Bronze Age, about 3-4,000 years ago.

I've found that pictures into the sun are quite effective at revealing the markings on the rock, although the nice winter moorland colours get bleached out. In this case the nine cups and one ring are easily visible. The summit of Baildon Moor rises up behind.

The afternoon was sunnier, with some nice wispy, winter cloud formations. I went back out on the moor with 3yo and 7yo and a pair of footballs, and much fun was had jumping up and down in muddy puddles.

bronze age
rock art
anchored to the moor
four thousand years
blow by