Norber Erratics

More than 100 dark boulders lie scattered across open grass on the southern slopes of Ingleborough, above Austwick and Crummackdale. They are glacial erratics: rocks carried by moving ice during the last ice age and dropped where the ice melted.

The contrast is the point. The boulders are Silurian greywacke, a dark sandstone-like rock, and they sit on pale Carboniferous limestone. Ice scraped them from the northwest side of Crummackdale and carried them only a relatively short distance before dumping them on the limestone bench.

Some boulders now stand on short limestone plinths. The rock directly beneath each boulder was sheltered from erosion while the surrounding limestone surface wore down, leaving pedestal shapes. The exact amount and rate of that erosion, and the precise sequence of deposition, are still debated by geologists.

• There are no verified facilities at the boulder field itself. Carry the food, water and layers you need.
• Wear sturdy footwear. Expect stone, field paths, stiles and ground that can be wet.
• Paths cross fields with livestock. Dogs are allowed on the usual routes but must be kept under close control.
• The ground is open upland with broad views toward Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent, so wind and weather are felt directly.

The strongest images play on the dark boulder against pale limestone. Early morning or late afternoon side light rakes across the rock surfaces and the grass, bringing out texture and the pedestal shapes, and those hours also tend to be quieter on the paths. Get low to include the limestone plinth in the frame, and step back for wide shots that set the boulders against the surrounding hills.