Hole of Horcum

Hole of Horcum
Hole of Horcum from the North with flowering heather in the foreground, August 2017
Hole of Horcum Hole of Horcum shown within North Yorkshire
OS grid reference	SE845935
List of places UK England North Yorkshire

The Hole of Horcum is a section of the valley of the Levisham Beck, upstream of Levisham and Lockton, in the Tabular Hills of the North York Moors National Park in northern England. The hollow is 400 feet (120 m) deep and approximately ³⁄₄ mile (1.2 km) across. A "Devil's Punchbowl" type feature, local legend has it that the amphitheatre was formed when Wade the Giant scooped up a handful of earth to throw at his wife during an argument.^{[1] [2]}

The Hole was actually created by a process called spring-sapping, where water welling up from the hillside gradually undermined the slopes above, eating the rocks away grain by grain. Over thousands of years, a once narrow valley widened and deepened into an enormous cauldron – and the process still continues today.^[1]

Panoramic view

A panorama of Hole of Horcum in early evening light, looking West.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hole of Horcum.

Coordinates: 54°19′53″N 0°42′04″W / 54.331266°N 0.701168°W / 54.331266; -0.701168