Mendip Rocks! The fascinating geology of the Mendip Hills August - October 2011 • Guided walks • Talks and visits • Summer school • Family Fun Day Wells & Mendip Museum SOMERSET Mendip Rocks August-October 2011 SOMERSET Discover the fascinating geology of the Mendip Hills with open days, talks, walks and other events. Please check with venue organiser before making a special visit. Introduction The Mendip Hills are a special landscape where a wide variety of rock types and wildlife habitats occur within a relatively small area. Such diversity makes it one of the best areas in the country to appreciate the relationships between geology, landscape, cultural and natural history. The western part of the Mendip Hills is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) for its attractive landscape. The limestone ridge with its windswept plateau is punctuated by spectacular dry valleys and gorges, ancient sink holes and depressions, and impressive rocky outcrops. Hidden beneath the hills, the underground world of the karst landscape, includes many famous caves, adding to the unique character of the area. On the hilltops there are hundreds of ancient monuments yielding evocative tales of early civilisations, while on the steeper slopes flower-rich grasslands and wooded coombes offer habitats for a wide diversity of wildlife. There are two excellent British Geological Survey books and maps which describe the Mendip area - one covering the eastern part of the region, the other the western. The 1:25 000 scale maps show the rocks which form the landscape, while the books explain the types of rocks, flora and fauna which can be found in the region. These publications are written for the walker, the ambler or the scrambler – perfect for anyone with an interest in the outdoors. Each book with map is £12.00 from www.bgs.ac.uk This project has been supported by the Mendip Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund in collaboration with Wells & Mendip Museum and the Somerset Wildlife Trust. Cover photo: Ubley Warren © Matthew Marshall www.mjmarshall.co.uk August Events Rock & Fossil Roadshow at Wells & Thur 25 Mendip Museum 10am-4pm An open day at Wells & Mendip Museum to which children and their parents are invited. Bring in your collection of stones and fossils and we will try to identify them for you. We will also show you how volcanoes work, how sandstone is formed and invite you to search for fossils in our sandpit. Colour a dinosaur, go on a treasure hunt around the museum, or create your own rock pet out of local stones. If you’re into rocks, Wells & Mendip museum is the place to be! Venue: Wells & Mendip Museum, Cathedral Green, Wells Tel: 01749 673477 or [email protected] Wells car parks. No need to book. Admission fee to museum applies. A Story in Stone – A Guided Geological Fri 26 Walk around Wells 2pm Walk through the historic City of Wells with a geologist, who will tell you about some of the stone buildings and monuments great and small. How and why were they built? Where did the stone come from? Will they last forever? We will try to piece together the history of buildings that are made of stone that is hundreds of millions years old. Venue: Meet at Wells & Mendip Museum, Cathedral Green, Wells Tel: 01749 673477 or [email protected] Wells car parks. Free and no need to book. A circular walk of about 3 km, returning © Christopher Hancock to the Museum at about 4pm. Firm level ground underfoot. Bring a hand lens and binoculars if you have them. © Christopher Hancock 3 August Events Tue 30 Guided Geological Field Work Day at 10am-3pm Moon’s Hill Quarry & Whatley Quarry Somerset Earth Science Centre This will be a guided field work day, looking at the geology of the East Mendips. The morning will be spent in a Silurian volcano and the afternoon will take place in Whatley Quarry, a carboniferous limestone quarry. No geological knowledge is required. Venue: Meet at the Somerset Earth Science Centre, Stoke St Michael, BA3 5JU. Parking: Large car park, signposted. Bring a geological hammer if you have one (no domestic hammers). Bring a packed lunch, suitable clothing and sturdy treaded footwear © Patrick Mackie (e.g. wellies or walking boots). Booking essential, free, maximum of 12 people. Contact: Dr Gill Odolphie 01749 840156 or [email protected] September Events Sat 3 Guided Walk at Dolebury Warren, 11am Churchill, Winscombe Avon WildlifeTrust Guided walk around Dolebury Warren Nature Reserve, looking at the unique history, geology and wildlife with Reserves Manager Joe Middleton and Living Landscapes Project Officer Richie Smith. Learn about the Mendips Living Landscape. Venue: Meet at car park steps, Dolebury Warren, Dolberrow Lane, Dolberrow, Churchill, Winscombe, BS25 5NS. Parking: Restricted parking and turning, some parking available on A38 opposite entrance to Dolberrow or in Churchill village, walk down lane to car-park. © Guy Wareham Steep steps, strong footwear recommended. Free and no need to book. Contact: Joe Middleton and Richie Smith 0117 9177270 or [email protected] 4 [email protected] September Events East Mendips Summer School at the Somerset Earth Science Centre Tue 6 - Fri 9 This will be a four day course focussing 10am - 4pm on different aspects of the East Mendip landscape. Experts will lead field activities based on the geology, archaeology and ecology of the area. These activities are aimed at adults. Venue: Somerset Earth Science Centre, Moons Hill Quarry, Stoke St.Michael BA3 5JU Parking: Large car park, signposted Bring treaded footwear (i.e. walking boots or wellies) for walking, practical clothing for working outdoors and waterproofs. Walking will include steps and uneven ground. Bring packed lunch. Tea/coffee provided. Please call to discuss any access issues. Booking essential (donation of £60, including a © Matthew Marshall deposit of £10). Contact: Dr Gill Odolphie 01749 840156 or [email protected] Guided Walk around Westbury Quarry Sat 10 Join Nigel Taylor, Manager of Westbury 2-5pm Quarry in a guided walk around this Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). View the superb wild flower meadows and dew ponds above the SSSI and enjoy the views across the Cheddar Valley and away across Somerset. Venue: Westbury Quarry, Stancombe Lane, Westbury-sub-Mendip, Nr.Wells, BA5 1HT Parking: Plenty inside the quarry as directed. Meet at the Reception Building within the main gate area. Stout footwear is recommended, a short uphill walk of some 200m to reach upper meadows, cameras are allowed, though photography may be restricted in parts of the site. You are welcome to bring food & drink though we ask © Jake Chant you to carry away any rubbish with you! Though dogs are welcome, owners must be responsible and also keep them on a lead at all times. Booking essential, free, though donations to Somerset Wildlife Trust are welcome. Contact: 07860 227815 or [email protected] 5 September Events Sun 11 Discovering the wildlife of dry stone walls 10am-1pm Somerset Biodiversity Partnership Discover what wildlife nestles within the dry stone walls of the Mendip Hills. Join John Dickson of the Reptile and Amphibian Group of Somerset and other specialists as we take down a wall at the beautiful Chancellors Farm reserve and then enjoy a guided walk around the farm walls and ponds. Venue: Chancellors Farm, Priddy, BA5 2EQ near Wells (ST525 526). Parking: Limited parking at the farm, please car share if possible. Unsuitable for wheelchair users/limited © Steve Bond mobility or dogs. The walk will be less than 1 mile and take less than one hour. There may be stiles and uneven ground. Taking down the wall will involve lifting stones, although this part of the event is optional. Booking essential, numbers limited to 20. Free. Contact: Alison Slade 01823 652409 [email protected] Sat 17 Guided Walk to De La Beche Site and 10.30am-4pm Tedbury Camp Fossil Collecting Vicki Griffiths, Geologist We will visit the famous De La Beche geological site in Vallis Vale where we will investigate limestones of about 300 million years old and limestones of about 150 million years old. What happened in the 150 million years that are missing? What were the ancient environments like? What was living there at the time? We will then walk to Tedbury Camp and walk on an ancient sea floor. We can collect fossils here. Venue: Bridge over the Mells River just south of Great Elm ST 749 492. Parking: There is room to park cars near the © David Doff bridge over the river. Packed lunches, strong shoes and waterproof gear are essential! Easy walking , about 2km - all flat except for steps up to Tedbury Camp. 6 September Events We usually walk east to the De La Beche quarry (20 minutes) in the morning, return to the cars for lunch and walk west (15 minutes) to Tedbury in the afternoon. Free and no need to book. Guided Walk at Uphill Quarry, near Sun 18 Weston-super-Mare 2-4.30pm North Somerset Council Ranger Service (approx) This walk will be led by local expert Chris Richards, Seafront Ranger. Quarrying once dominated the scene around Weston-super- Mare and much of the older parts of Weston and Uphill were made of locally quarried stone. Still visible in Uphill Quarry are signs of the changing technology of rock-drilling and blasting. Remains of caves exist in the quarry face that contained artefacts left by Neanderthal people 35,000 years ago. Venue: ‘Quarry Corner’ at the junction of Links Road and Uphill Way, Uphill. Rough ground and steep gradients. Wear suitable footwear and clothing appropriate for weather conditions. No dogs please. © Derek Harper Contact: 01934 626982 or [email protected] Cost : £3 per person, no need to book.