The Hitching Stone

The Hitching Stone is a gritstone erratic block on Keighley Moor, North Yorkshire, near Earl Crag and the village of Cowling. It is very close to the border between North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire and the border between Yorkshire and Lancashire.

It is said to be the largest boulder in Yorkshire at 29 ft long, 25 ft wide and 21 ft high. It is also said to weigh a lot more than 1000 tonnes.

Geography
The Hitching Stone is 5 mi from the town of Keighley and is at an elevation of 1200 ft.

History
The Hitching Stone and all the other erratic boulders on Keighley Moor were put in place thousands to possibly millions of years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. The Hitching Stone most likely originally came from Earl Crag during this time. As a result of the fact that The Hitching Stone lies at the borders of historic counties, ancient councils and parliaments met at the stone and markets, fairs, and other gatherings were also held at the stone, with the last fair being held in 1870.