Ambrose, K, Carney, J N, Lott, G K, Weightman, G, And McGrath, A. 2007. Exploring the landscape of Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel. A walkers’ guide to the rocks and landscape of Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel. Keyworth, Nottingham: British Geological Survey.

The guide is available to purchase from the British Geological Survey https://shop.bgs.ac.uk/Shop/Product/BSP_CHARNWOOD

Exploring the landscape of Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel

A walkers’ guide to the rocks and landscape of Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel

by Keith Ambrose, John Carney, Graham Lott, Gill Weightman and Annette McGrath

Bibliographic reference: Ambrose, K, Carney, J N, Lott, G K, Weightman, G, And McGrath, A. 2007. Exploring the landscape of Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel. A walkers’ guide to the rocks and landscape of Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel. Keyworth, Nottingham: British Geological Survey.

Cover photograph: The front cover features scenes from Bradgate Park. The main picture is a view eastwards across Cropston Reservoir, with cleaved Precambrian rocks in the foreground. In this park can be found typical Charnwood walking country, the famous landmark of Old John Tower, and herds of deer.

Walking photograph: © Libraryphotos.com. Deer photograph: © istockphoto.com

Old John Tower photograph: Reproduced by permission of the Bradgate Park Trust

Contents

Contents

Welcome to Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel

Useful information

Further reading

The National Forest

Further information

Acknowledgements

Walking in Charnwood Forest and Mountsorrel

The geological timescale

Plate tectonics and the rocks of Charnwood Forest

Precambrian — volcanoes, seas and the dawn of life

Cambrian — the sea advances

Ordovician — more magmatism

Silurian and Devonian — orogeny, and the Caledonides mountain belt

Carboniferous — warm seas and coral reefs

Permian and Triassic — deserts and mountains

Jurassic and Cretaceous — tropical seas

Quaternary — the Great Ice Age

Walk 1: Buck Hill, Out Woods and Beacon Hill

Walk 2: Bardon Hill

Walk 3: Cademan Wood and Grace Dieu

Walk 4: Charnwood Lodge Nature Reserve

Walk 5: Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood

Walk 6: Ordovician granodiorite at Castle Hill and quarry, Mountsorrel

Walk 7: Morley Quarry

Walk 8: Blackbrook Reservoir

Walk 9: Mount St Bernard Abbey

Walk 10: Hill Hole Quarry, Markfield

Walk 11: Tickow Lane

Minerals of Charnwood Forest

Charnwood’s quarries

Stone in Charnwood Forest’s buildings

Geological glossary

(Front cover) Front cover

(Rear cover) Rear cover