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Members are reminded they are welcome to attend Westmorland Geological Society field trips.

Friday 3 July   
Ruskin’s geological collection at Brantwood
Including a talk by Roy Starkey, author of The Mineral World of John Ruskin
2pm Further details available on WGS Website.
Grade G.
Please book your place on the WGS website as soon as possible as numbers are limited. Note that the usual charges will apply for entry to Brantwood as per their website https://www.brantwood.org.uk/visit/ 

Thursday 9 July   
Far Arnside Fossils and Faults
Leader: Tim Tranter
1.45pm Holgates Leisure Park, Middlebarrow Plain, Cove Rd, Silverdale.
Grade G.
For further details and to book a place go to WGS Website.

Monday 27 July   
Geology around Millom
Leader: Dave Kelly
The Hodbarrow Mine was one of the largest iron ore mines in south and west Cumbria. See how the form of the ore body influenced the method of mining and how the ingress of sea water into the mine was prevented. Also view the lower Carboniferous Martin Red Hill Limestone Formations.
10.00am start at Hodbarrow, parking at SD163786
Grade G.
For further details and to book a place go to WGS Website.

On account of a cancellation there is an opportunity to join the CGS Shropshire field trip 2026.

If you are interested in joining please contact Helen James to check if there is still availability.

Arrangements

• Dates: Sunday 23 August to Friday 28 August 2026 (finishing about 1500h).
  • ‘Official’ start will be 1300h on 24 August. People staying the night before have a free morning on Monday (Shrewsbury is nearby).
• Location: Field Studies Centre, Preston Montford.
• Leader: David Cronshaw, who led the very successful 2025 trip to Snowdonia (Geology and Scenery). Provisional itinerary.
• Cost: £600 per attendee which includes:
  • In-course minibus transport for all trips.
  • Full board including picnic lunches.
  • Single and twin rooms most with en suite
• Travel: rail travel is possible, subject to Sunday schedules. There is a bus from Shrewsbury bus station to Montford Bridge, which is then a 15-minute walk from Preston Montford. Shrewsbury Railway Station has a taxi rank outside and Preston Montford is a 10-minute journey.
• Taster info:
  • https://www.shropshirehills-nl.org.uk/special-qualities/geology
  • https://shropshiregeology.org.uk/

CGS members are welcome to attend these trips – please contact the organisers using the links provided.

WGS Field trip   Tuesday 19 May          Shap Beck Limestone Quarry

Leader Chris Arkwright

On the A6 North of Shap village. The rock quarried is from the Great Scar Limestone Group which includes high quality white limestone, used to produce a flux for steelmaking, and standard pink limestone used as a general aggregate and roadstone both locally and regionally.

We shall assemble in the training building for a talk about the site history, current operation and safety. Then drive past some of the processing plant to a lookout point for an overview of the quarry. Here, the layers of different types of limestone can be clearly seen and we shall discuss the reasons for their different colours. Then be driven to a safe  area in the quarry where we can hunt for fossils and examples of other limestone features. Things to look for include coral and brachiopod fossils; gypsum pseudomorphs and/or stylolites.

This is a working quarry and we are required to wear boots, hard hat, visi-vest.

Further details and booking/registration now available on WGS Website. Grade G.

CGS members are welcome to join the following upcoming OUGS field trips in Cumbria

Saturday 20 June       The Carboniferous Limestones of Fell End Clouds

Leader: Richard Langthorp

To examine the sedimentology, fossils and structures of the Carboniferous limestones which form the Fell End Clouds. First, a look at the limestones in Fell End Quarry before walking up to the summit of Stennerskeugh Clouds then along the ridge to Fell End Clouds noting karst features and mineralisation seen along the way. In the afternoon visiting a biostrome in the Great Scar Limestone at Mazon Watch.

A walk of about 7 kms (4.5mls) and 240m (800ft) ascent over an upland limestone area. The weather can be very wet and windy and there are some steep, rocky footpaths which are very slippery when wet. In the afternoon there will be a 20 minute drive to Mazon Watch with a walk of 3.2 kms (2 mls) and 90m (300ft) also over an upland limestone area.

Park off-road adjacent to the disused Fell End Quarry NY734 006.

Public toilets are available in Kirkby Stephen.

Why not make a weekend of it and book also for the Kendal Fell trip on Sunday 21 June.

Sunday 21 June 2026     Kendal Fell        

Leader Richard Wrigley

The excursion is based around Itinerary 9  in GA Guide No 77 : Cumbria, Westmorland and Furness, vol 2, pp 147—162. Discounted copies will be available on the day.

To examine the local geology of Kendal, particularly how the tectonics and glaciation have influenced the landscape we see here today. We will then focus on several limestone formations found on Kendal Fell to the west of the town centre to compare the lithologies, fossil content and paleo-environments.

A walk of approximately 8 kms on good public footpaths and pavements with 100 m ascent/descent.

The excursion starts at Kendal Castle and finishes at Kendal Town Hall. 

There are pay-and-display carparks and toilets at several locations around Kendal town centre.

To book for either or both OUGS trips, contact ChrisArkwright email hidden; JavaScript is required

See more details of all OUGS events on the OUGS Events pages All OUGS Events