Further details from the Field Trips Secretary
admin@bathgeolsoc.org.uk (01249) 813628 or 443019
Further details of the trips in March, May, June and July and updates to the programme as needed, will be made available at meetings and on this website.
Meet at 10.00 a.m. at Brown's Folly Car Park (G.R. ST 798663). Strong boots, waterproofs, hard hats are required.
At Burrington we shall examine in greater detail the lithologies and fossil content of the above-mentioned sediments, especially those of the limestones, but also a little of the shales. Loose specimens of the Devonian sandstone are also present in the lowest parts of the combe, and in addition we shall see sedimentary deposits from the Palaeozoic/Mesozoic transition of the Triassic sequence, represented here by coarse conglomerates which rest on an early valley floor formed when the combe was a desert wadi on the slopes of the newly elevated hills.
Suggested maps and reading - The best local topographic map would possibly be the O.S. 1:25,000 Explorer series ‘Mendip Hills West’, although there is now the very useful B.G.S. guide ‘Western Mendip’ which includes a really clear geological map at the same scale with more detailed inserts for Burrington and elsewhere, and could easily be used for grid. refs. This would make a very useful purchase as it includes a detailed explanatory booklet about the geology and local history.
In order to better appreciate the detailed lithologies a hand-lens would be of great use.
Car parking - The public car-parking area/s at Charterhouse include an off-road area with parking for six to
eight normal sized vehicles at ST 505 556 and on the public roadside room for around a dozen vehicles at ST 503 555.
If both of these are full there is car-parking in off-road space for several vehicles at St. Hugh’s church at
ST 502 557. Suggested driving time from Bath centre around 1 hour.
Field trip assembly point is at the roadside at the stile into Ubley Warren, ST 504 554 at 10.30 a.m. The walking
distance in the morning will be around one mile at a gentle pace over reasonably level ground, mostly on paths,
with minor climbs of about 20-30 metres, some rocky ground, but mainly smooth grassy areas and gravel. There are
no public facilities at all at Charterhouse, although there is a field study centre nearby (ST 503 557).
The morning will conclude at lunch-time, around 1.00 p.m. and the next venue is at Burrington Combe, to which cars
could drive for lunch and toilets, both public and private (in the café) are available. The afternoon session will
start from the roadside at the public toilets ST 477 587 and will begin at 2.00 pm unless adverse weather alters plans.
There is usually adequate parking somewhere in the lower stretch of the combe, but if not nearby it may be necessary to
walk up from a large area around 200 metres to the north on the roadside, formerly used by the now defunct garden centre.
Otherwise there is quite a lot of roadside parking a little further up the combe, again a few hundred metres away.
The afternoon session will involve some half mile of roadside walking, and optional extra few hundred metres off-road along
(through!) a shallow stream, where waterproof boots would be advantageous. There is a moderate climb throughout the outward
leg of this walk, maybe 100 metres in all.
The walks will offer little shelter, especially if windy, so bring warm and waterproof clothing and stout footwear is
essential. Wellington boots are a suitable alternative for the afternoon session, but strong gripping soles better in
the morning, when the ground should be fairly dry, but the grass is often slippery. Hard hats are always a good idea,
although there is no need to expose oneself to immediate hazards from falling rock. Hammering of rocks is to be avoided,
these are protected sites and loose material is plentiful.
The junction between Lower Dolomite and Crease Limestone is uncertain in this area as dolomitisation has affected both units to a high degree. The Whitehead Limestone is variably porcelaneous, mudflake breccia and dolomitic mudstone, with many stromatolites and a significant palaeosol at the top. Lower Drybrook Sandstone is a coarse gritty sandstone but there are some curious features exposed in the track cutting that the leader will invite suggestions about. Drybrook Limestone is partly oolitic, partly porcelaneous and has palaeokarst within it (nearby is an area of limestone pavement which we could visit if we have time).
Meet at 10.30 am at Tintern Quarry (SO 550 984)
Please wear stout walking shoes and suitable outdoor clothing.
Bring your own packed lunch.
Meet at 11.00 at the car park in Harbour Road, Watchet. Packed lunches, waterproof gear, hard hats and strong boots are required.
This trail runs from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth. Steaming through geological
time on the Severn Valley Railway. In the comfort of a railway carriage, you
will encounter landscapes created in hot, dry deserts, steamy tropical swamps
and exceedingly cold Ice Age conditions. You will see how the underlying rocks
and the erosive effects of the river have influenced the landscape.
The plan is to arrive at Kidderminster to catch the 10:25 train which arrives at
Bridgnorth at 11:34. After a leisurely lunch and maybe a stroll around the
town we will return on the 14:45 arriving back at Kidderminster at 15: 52.
We need a party of 15 or more adults to qualify for a group discount on this
trip (£12.95 instead of £15.50 for adults).