Bowder Stone

The Bowder Stone was established as a tourist attraction in 1798 by Joseph Pocklington. He had a cottage built nearby to house the custodian of the stone, and to sell refreshments and souvenirs. A feature of the stone is the ladder which allows visitors to access the top and appreciate the magnificent view down the valley. As I write, the ladder is in the process of being replaced with one more like the ladder that would have been originally there in the eighteenth century.

The way that the stone balances on its edge meant that you could crawl underneath and shake hands with someone on the other side, a big attraction for us as children. The National Trust are now the custodians and the hole underneath has been blocked off (health and safety?). The cottage is available to rent.

The image, in autumn colours, represents the balanced stone and the ladder. The tension ever present.