Geology

A series of downloadable walking routes exploring the landscape, wildlife and history of the Mendip Hills.

Discover the history of quarrying in the Mendip Hills and its legacy on the landscape, history and wildlife of the area.

Discover the rich 'geodiversity' of the Mendip Hills which means there is a large range of rock types exposed in a small area. This superb diversity of rock types, ranging from Silurian to Jurassic in age, are exposed in many natural rock outcrops, particularly in the western Mendips where the limestone gorges and caves at Cheddar and Wookey are national tourist icons

Discover the fascinating history of farming and land-use on the Burrington Commons.

Discover the industrial past of Burrington Ham from limestone quarrying and lime burning to mining for lead and calamine.

Discover how Burrington Combe was created during periglacial periods over the past 1.2 million years. Today Burrington Combe provides a well-exposed section through the complete Carboniferous Limestone sequence (359 to 259 million years ago).

Discover how over thousands of years streams flowing over the impermeable sandstone rocks of Black Down onto the permeable limestone rocks of Burrington Combe have worn away cracks in the rocks to produce a series of sink holes known as swallets as well as creating caves. Many of these caves were homes to nomadic humans as well as animals over 10,000 years ago. Caves that are sited on the Ham include Foxes Hole, Lionel’s Hole, Milliar’s Cave, and Plumley’s Hole.

A guide to the two Scheduled Ancient Monuments on Burrington Ham – Aveline’s Hole and Burrington Camp.

Burrington Camp is a multiphase hill-slope enclosure of late prehistoric date.

Discover how the earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Britain, 10,200 and 10,400 years old, was found at Aveline's Hole