Idol Rock – Nature’s Balancing Act

Oliver C. Wright

 The 50-acre expanse of Brimham Moor in North Yorkshire, England is home to a number of curious rock formations shaped by tens of thousands of years of erosion, but the most impressive of all is Idol Rock, a 200-ton monolith balancing on a tiny pyramidal base.

The 15-foot high Idol Rock looks like it’s about to crumble, but it never does. Weighing an estimated 200 tons, the giant rock formation has been performing its amazing balancing act for as long as anyone can remember, defying the laws of physics and leaving the visitors of Brimham Moor scratching their heads in awe. Also known as The Druids Idol or The Druid’s Writing Desk, this unique attraction sits on a tiny lump of rock only one foot in circumference. Photos of it have been circulating on the internet for years, with many claiming it is just the result of Photoshop manipulation, but the Idol of Brimham is very real, an example of Mother Nature’s artistic talent.

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 The whole of Brimham Moor is considered one of the United Kingdom’s strangest environments. During the Victorian era, the dozens of curiously-shaped rocks had everyone thinking it was a place created by the Druids, and it was only in the 20th century that people finally realized it was just the result of 18,000 of years of constant erosion. “For Brimham, could it be transported to Salisbury Plain, would reduce Stonehenge itself to a poor and pygmy miniature,” someone once said about this magical place.

Category: Travel

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