Cotherstone Moor Rock Art
High on the open moor above Cotherstone, among rough grass, scattered boulders and the remains of old farms, lie some of the oldest human markings in Teesdale.
Carved into natural rock are mysterious patterns known as cup and ring marks. These shallow circular hollows and grooves were carefully pecked into the rock thousands of years ago by prehistoric people.
Today these quiet stones form part of a protected archaeological landscape on Cotherstone Moor, offering a rare glimpse into the lives and beliefs of people who lived here over four thousand years ago.
If you walk slowly across the moor and look closely at the rock surfaces around you, you may realise that the landscape holds far deeper history than first appears.
What Is Prehistoric Rock Art?
Prehistoric rock art is found on natural rocks across many upland areas of Britain. It is particularly common in northern England, including parts of Northumberland, County Durham and North Yorkshire.
The most common carvings are known as cup marks, small circular hollows pecked into the rock surface. Some of these cups are surrounded by one or more carved rings, creating what archaeologists call cup and ring markings.
Other carvings include shallow grooves or lines that extend from the cup marks, sometimes forming patterns across the surface of the stone.
These carvings are believed to date from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, roughly between 2800 BC and 500 BC, making them some of the earliest surviving forms of human expression in the British landscape.
Across England around 800 prehistoric rock art sites have been recorded, although many more are thought to have been lost or hidden beneath vegetation over time.
Rock Carvings on Cotherstone Moor
Several prehistoric carved rocks have been recorded around East Loups, West Loups and the surrounding slopes of Cotherstone Moor.
These sites are protected as Scheduled Monuments, meaning they are recognised as nationally important archaeological features.
One of the best known carvings lies about 120 metres east of East Loups, where a large rock outcrop carries numerous cup marks across its upper surface.
Another carved rock lies around 310 metres west of East Loups, close to the remains of an old lime kiln on the moor. This stone contains multiple cup marks as well as at least one example of a cup surrounded by a carved ring, along with faint grooves cut into the rock.
Together these carvings form part of a wider prehistoric landscape across the moor.
Prehistoric Activity on Loup’s Hill
Information signs along the nearby footpath explain that activity on Loup’s Hill stretches much further back in time than the modern use of the area as the Ministry of Defence Battlehill Range.
Archaeologists believe the carvings across this part of Cotherstone Moor may be around 4,000 years old.
Across the Battlehill training area archaeologists have recorded at least nine prehistoric carved rocks, although many are difficult to see because centuries of weathering have worn the markings down.
In some cases the carvings have become so faint that specialist surveys using laser scanning technology have been carried out to record them before erosion eventually removes them completely.
What Did the Carvings Mean?
The true meaning of prehistoric rock carvings remains one of the great mysteries of ancient Britain.
Many archaeologists believe the markings may have had ritual or religious significance, particularly because similar symbols are often found close to prehistoric burial cairns.
Another theory suggests the carvings may have acted as markers within the landscape, possibly used by herdsmen or shepherds who grazed animals on the high ground during the summer months.
Some researchers have even suggested the carvings could have worked like a kind of prehistoric information marker, helping people recognise important places across the landscape.
Although their purpose is still debated, the carvings clearly show that people were interacting with this landscape thousands of years before the farms and walls that shape the moor today.
Looking Closely at the Moor
Many prehistoric carvings are surprisingly easy to miss.
Over thousands of years rain, frost and lichen slowly soften the markings until they almost disappear into the stone surface. Often the cup marks only become visible when sunlight falls across the rock at a low angle.
If you explore Cotherstone Moor, it is worth slowing down and looking carefully at exposed rock surfaces.
You may be standing beside something carved thousands of years ago without even realising it.
Because these carvings are fragile and protected archaeological features, they should never be touched, cleaned or altered in any way.
Simply observing them is enough to connect with a small piece of Teesdale’s deep human history.
Prehistoric Cup Markings on Cotherstone Moor Rock
This exposed rock surface on Cotherstone Moor carries numerous prehistoric cup marks carved into the stone. These shallow circular hollows were pecked into the rock thousands of years ago during the Late Neolithic or Bronze Age, creating one of the earliest known forms of human expression in the Teesdale landscape.
Carved Rock Outcrop near East Loups
This large rock outcrop sits close to the historic site of East Loups on Cotherstone Moor. The broad stone surface contains several cup markings that can be difficult to see at first, but become clearer when sunlight falls across the rock at the right angle.
Landscape of Cotherstone Moor around the Rock Art
The prehistoric carvings lie within a wide upland landscape of grass moor, scattered boulders and old stone walls. Although quiet today, this landscape has been shaped by human activity for thousands of years, from prehistoric communities to later farms and moorland use.
A Landscape Marked for Thousands of Years
The carvings scattered across Cotherstone Moor remind us that this landscape has been important to people for thousands of years.
Long before the farms of East Loups and West Loups were built, before the lime kiln burned stone for agriculture, and long before the modern training ranges appeared on the hill, prehistoric communities were already leaving their mark on these rocks.
The shallow cups and rings carved into the stone are quiet traces of those early people. Their exact meaning may never be fully understood, but they show that the moors above Teesdale have been part of human life for far longer than most visitors realise.
When walking across Cotherstone Moor today, it is worth remembering that beneath the grass, stones and weathered walls lies a landscape shaped by thousands of years of history.
Sometimes the oldest stories are written not in books, but in the rock beneath our feet.
Ministry of Defence Training Area Notice
Parts of Cotherstone Moor form part of the Ministry of Defence Battle Hill training area.
Access across the moor is normally possible using public rights of way, but when red flags are flying the area is closed for military training and must not be entered.
Before visiting it is important to check whether the training ranges are active. Information on firing times for the Battle Hill ranges can be found by searching online for MOD Battle Hill range firing times.
Always follow any signs or instructions on the ground and remain on public footpaths where possible.