The Bathgate Hills Geotrail Geodiversity The Bathgate Hills are rich in geological and cultural history, situated between the towns of Bathgate and Bathgate Hills Linlithgow. Over the millennia, the region has been home to many communities of people as far back as Neolithic times. Many of the nearby towns were once Geotrail mining communities who exploited the opportunity provided by the area’s rich geological history. What is a Local Geodiversity Site (LGS)? A Local Geodiversity Site is a landscape, landform or rock feature that has particular value for education and tourism; for academic research; for the history of science; or for its aesthetic appearance. In West Lothian, 51 Local Geodiversity Sites have been identified. Many quarries produced limestone for use in agriculture and the production of limewash and What are its planning implications? There are no statutory restrictions on the site but when planning proposals are mortar. Others quarried the hard igneous rocks for considered, Councils will be aware of the value of the site. making roads. Sandstone, such as that from Binny Quarry, has been used in the construction of the Scott Contact: Lothian and Borders Geoconservation Group Monument and many of the buildings in Edinburgh’s www.edinburghgeolsoc.org email: [email protected] New Town. Coal, ironstone and clay were once extracted in the western parts of the area. To the Rob Grierson, University of Edinburgh and members of the Lothian and Borders GeoConservation, a south and east of the hills are red bings of spent committee of the Edinburgh Geological Society, a charity registered in Scotland No SC008011. shale, remnants of the once prosperous shale oil industry, which provided much of Scotland’s oil. Even silver and lead were mined from veins associated with the igneous rocks found throughout the area. Funded by the Edinburgh Geological Society and a generous contribution from the Edinburgh U3A Geology Group. Geology of the Bathgate Hills When you visit the Bathgate Hills, bear in mind that the The volcanoes didn’t erupt landscape you see now was once very different. Around continuously, and in quiet periods 330 million years ago, West Lothian was situated close to limestone reefs formed in the the Equator in shallow seas on the edge of an enormous warm shallow waters, creating a continent known as Euramerica. This continent included rich ecosystem filled with diverse what is now North America, Greenland, Ireland, Britain lifeforms. Limestone beds with and Scandinavia. abundant fossils can be found in Many of the features of the landscape today are the the Petershill Quarry, including result of volcanic activity at that time, when this area large brachiopod shells, corals witnessed many and fragments eruptions of runny of crinoids. basalt lava that built Since the site up islands within is a registered the sea and spread Site of Special across the land Scientific Interest surface, forming (SSSI), please low volcanic hills. refrain from There were also collecting your volcanic explosions own fossils. Reconstruction of Carboniferous sea bed in the National Museum of Scotland. that showered the Westlothiana Lizzae, found in East Kirkton Quarry area with volcanic More recently (within the last 2.5 million years) glaciers ash. Inland areas were dominated by stagnant swamps, slid slowly eastwards, scraping away softer sedimentary Later, magma which would fill with the decaying remains of the rocks and volcanic ash. In places, subglacial material seeped former thick forests, eventually making coal. Sand, was moulded into groups of low elongated mounds underground, mud and silt called drumlins. The more resistant volcanic rocks cooling to form were deposited were left as prominent hills. One of these, Binny Craig, vertical dykes and by rivers that sheltered flat sills of dolerite, eroded and sedimentary a tough, crystalline carried material rocks directly igneous rock. from the behind the Dolerite forms surrounding hard volcanic many of the land. At times rock, creating high points of the area a crag and tail the landscape was covered with a large lagoon, where algal life landform with today, including proliferated and died off. The resulting sediments the tail tapering Cockleroy and were eventually transformed into the West Lothian to the east. Binny Craig. oil-shale. Cockleroy Hill: One of See next page several hills formed of This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Officec Crown copyright. resistant igneous rock, Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. West Lothian Council LA09052L 2019 East Kirkton Quarry: This Cockleroy Hill provides a site is of special significance panoramic viewpoint. The hill is as it marks the spot where topped by the remains of a late Westlothiana Lizziae, better Bronze Age / Iron Age fort known known as “Lizzie” was discovered as “Wallace’s Bed”. A stone by Stan Wood. The rocks formed by arrowhead was discovered nearby. chemical precipitation in a small lake Hillhouse Quarry: This fed by volcanic hot springs around 338 site is located within the million years ago. The water was too Beecraigs Country Park hot for animals to live in the lake, so three km south of Linlithgow. the fossils are entirely land-dwelling The Hillhouse Limestone has been creatures that must have fallen into mined using both underground and the water – perhaps when trying to surface methods. The limestone escape forest fires! Whether Lizzie is overlain by a sill of basalt with is actually a reptile or an amphibian has been the subject of hot scientific columnar jointing. Underground 2 workings are dangerous. Do not debate, as it is impossible to tell from enter. the fossil whether its eggs were laid 3 on land (as with reptiles) or in the 1 Beecraigs Quarry: water (as with amphibians). In fact, Located within Beecraigs it is impossible even to tell if Lizzie Country Park, which was male or female. While the site boasts mountain bike trails, is owned by West Lothian Council, seasonal camping and a host of 10 access can be difficult and care other outdoor ventures. A dyke of 4 should be taken. hard igneous rock within the park was once quarried for use in the 5 11 Binny Craig: A striking building of roads. example of a crag and tail landform, much like Castle Wairdlaw Quarry: The Rock in Edinburgh. The quarry at Wairdlaw was craig is formed by the intrusion of formerly worked for molten magma into the surrounding limestone that lies within the 6 sedimentary rocks, which were lavas of the Bathgate Hills Volcanic eroded within the last 2.5 million Formation. Well-preserved lime 7 years by glaciers. kilns can be seen near Wairdlaw Farm. Binny Quarry: Sandstone from this quarry was used in Witchcraig Wall: At the the construction of the Scott bottom of the hill is the Monument and many of the Scottish Korean War buildings around Edinburgh’s New Memorial. At the top is a 8 Town. The stone was known for its “Geology Wall”, which contains uniform colour and the quarry location 43 different rocks gathered from 9 close to the Union Canal made it around Scotland’s Central Belt. possible to transport stone into the These demonstrate the region’s city. The site is privately owned and diverse geological history, which access is not encouraged. can be seen in the grand view from the site. Hilderston Mine: The vein of silver that once ran through this The Knock: The resilient igneous rock of this step within Petershill Quarry: In Carboniferous times, this was the mine was of such purity that the mine was “nationalised” by a sill of dolerite, at 312m above sea level, marks the site of a reef in a shallow sea, teeming with aquatic King James VI in 1608. It is thought that the silver was used highest point in the Bathgate Hills. It provides a stunning lifeforms. Quarried for limestone in the 18th century, in the manufacture of the Scottish Crown Jewels or “Honours view of the area. The surrounding sedimentary rocks, the site was later used as a reservoir. It was notified as of Scotland”, which are now on display within Edinburgh Castle. susceptible to erosion, have been scraped away by glaciers, a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1974, and is owned and leaving this prominent landscape feature. managed by Scottish Wildlife Trust. Lomond Hills Mining Human History E N NE Mossmorran Cleish Hills W E In more recent history, communities Benarty Hill Hill of Beath Cairnpapple Hill Arthur ’s in the Bathgate Hills began to rely Berwick Law Seat increasingly on the local rocks Rosyth Dockyard Forth Bridges and minerals for their livelihood. The industrial revolution marked The Binns Corstorphine Hill River Forth a momentous rise in the demand for coal and local oil-shales. By the Tar Hill early 17th century, outcrops around Fawnspark Bing Broxburn Bings Hilderston were being quarried for Oatridge College their coal and by the 18th century, coal was being mined extensively to provide fuel for lime kilns at The spectacular views from this hill, Turnhouse quarries that sprung up along the E SE West Cairn Hill Culter S formed of basalt lava flows, were Allermuir Hill Carnethy East West East Cairn Hill bands of limestone. Railways were Kip Kip Fell constructed to transport the lime, obviously appreciated by the local Lammermuir Hill Hill people in late Neolithic times, about Hills coal, shale and iron. 5,800 years ago. They built a henge Black Hill here, but unfortunately little remains Dalmahoy Pumpheston Bing to be seen today. Over subsequent Hill Kaimes Livingston New Town millennia the site has been redeveloped Hill and used for different purposes in the Bronze Age and in the early Christian Broxburn Uphall era, as their burial sites testify.