These slopes have been known as the Crags for at least 100 years, although the name on the 1841 Ordnance Survey map is Northcliffe Hills.
In ancient times these rocky outcrops were vital to local transport, communication and defence. They provided firm ground for travel and vantage points for surveying the landscape. On a clear day you can see as far as the Derbyshire hills, Emley Moor television mast, Barnsley Town Hall, and the urban skylines of Sheffield and Rotherham.
Along the Conisbrough side of the Crags you will find Northcliffe Quarry, which provided limestone to make fertilizer. A tramway known as 'the incline' carried stone to the kilns, and you can still see the remains of the incline if you look carefully.
The quarry is now a local nature reserve (LNR) and a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).