Hole Of Horcum
Etymology
Early forms of the name include Hotcumbe, Holcumbe, Horcombe and Horkome. The first element of the name is Old English horh, meaning "filth," while the suffix, cumb, means "bowl-shaped valley", and is of Brittonic Celtic origin.
The Hole
The hollow is 400 feet (120 m) deep and about ¾ mile (1.2 km) across. The Hole was 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. In this way, over thousands of years, a once narrow valley widened and deepened into an enormous cauldron. The process continues today.
Legend
Local legend has it that the "Devil's Punchbowl"-type feature, the amphitheatre, was formed when Wade the Giant scooped up a handful of earth to throw at his wife during an argument.
Panoramic view
References
- ^ "Horcum, Hole of Horcum".
- ^ "Urra".
- ^ "Levisham Moor and the Hole of Horcum". North York Moors National Park. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- ^ "The hero's hole, Hole of Horcum, North Yorkshire". The Guardian. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2017.