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Date: |
Tuesday 30 August 2005 |
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Location: |
Dale Abbey, Derbyshire |
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Leader: |
Gerry Shaw |
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Author: |
Glynis Sanderson |
On a glorious evening a small group gathered at The carpenters Arms in Dale Abbey village to take a walk around the area with Gerry Shaw. We started by looking at the sub- arkose Crawshaw Sandstone in the ruins of the Abbey, then proceeded to the minute All Saints Church to look at the graveyard where Welsh and Swithland slate were identified.
Our next stop was part way up the Triassic scarp slope at the Hermit’s cave where we studied the sandstone and noted it was not the same as that used to build the Abbey. We discussed the environment it would have been formed in, desert conditions but occasional water. Over the top of the Sherwood Sandstone escarpment we walked down the dip slope where a large hole had been very conveniently dug that allowed us to see the red and yellow clay of the area. We looked across at Stanton Ironworks, where when it originally started, ironstone nodules, sandstone and coal were all abundant close by. We strolled back around Furnace pond and through a cornfield with eight feet corn high and headed into the sunset to enjoy a refreshing drink back at The Carpenters Arms.
Sunset.
Photo © Barry Sanderson