Bridestones, Crosscliff and Blakey Topping

The Bridestones are the remains of a Jurassic sandstone cap laid down 150 million years ago on the North York Moors, eroded by wind, frost and rain into the mushroom-shaped stacks that stand in two groups above Bridestones Griff, their name coming from the Old Norse for edge stones. Around them lies a 300-acre National Trust nature reserve of heather moor, rough pasture, wooded hillsides and the flower-filled valley of Dovedale, grazed by cattle and never burnt, so mosses, lichens, sundew and adders thrive. To the north the flat-topped hill of Blakey Topping rises about 60 metres above the moor, shaped by ice-age meltwater or, in legend, by a spadeful of earth the giant Wade threw at his wife. The Trust's Old Wife's Way trail runs from the Hole of Horcum car park to Blakey Topping and on to the Bridestones, and dogs are welcome everywhere under close control, on a short lead near livestock. Reviewers rate the circuit of the stones for its scenery. Tips from visitors: road access is through Dalby Forest, where the toll applies to Trust members too, the paths are slippery after rain, and the toilets are beside the car park.