THE third Mendip Rocks! has loads of events to fill your school summer holidays up in August and September.
Ruth Worsley, festival co-ordinator, said: "We aim to explore this geological diversity throughout our festival events. These include talks, walks, picnics, quarry tours, and workshops.
"No prior in-depth knowledge of geology required, all will be revealed as we explore together."
Admission charges – unless otherwise stated events are free but a donation of £3/adult, £1/child is welcome towards the Mendip Rocks! Project. Thursday, August 1, 11am – 4pm: Rocky Roadshow, Longleat Conference Room, Gough's Cave, Cheddar Gorge.
Fun for all ages with drop-in workshops from the Somerset Earth Science Centre team joined by the Bristol Dinosaur Project, Mendip Hills AONB Young Rangers, and Somerset Wildlife Trust.
Contact: Dr Gill Odolphie, 01749 840156 or gill@earthsciencecentre.org.uk.Thursday, August 8, 10.30am – 2.30pm: Living Seas Brean Beach Walk.
Explore the coastal wildlife of this rocky beach below the Carboniferous cliffs of Brean Down with Nigel Phillips. Learn how these cliffs were formed and how the sea has shaped this landscape during the last 6,000 years. Bring food for beach picnic.
ST 296 584. National Trust Car park closest to Brean Down.
Contact Nigel Phillips 01278 732266 or nigelphillips@thesomersetcoast.co.uk.Sunday, August 11, 10.30am – 4pm: Vallis Vale's hidden geological gems.
Exploration of the De la Beche Unconformity followed by a fossil foray at the ancient sea bed at Tedbury Camp in the beautiful Vallis Vale near Frome with Elizabeth Devon. Bring picnic lunch.
ST 749492 Mells River Bridge at Great Elm village.
Contact elizabeth@earthlearningidea.com.Wednesday, August 14, 10am – 2pm: Discover Black Down and Burrington Ham.
Explore the dramatic limestone and sandstone landscape of Black Down and Burrington Ham and reach Beacon Batch, the highest point on the Mendip Hills. Suitable for 11 yrs and over. A 6-mile circular walk with Andy Mallender, Mendip Hills AONB.
Meet in the car park at the bottom of Burrington Combe (next to Ham Link Lane). ST 477591 BS40 7AT.
Booking essential, Andy Mallender (AONB) 01761 462338 or amallender@somerset.gov.uk.Thursday, August 15, 10.30am – 4pm: Under The Sea with RockWatch.
Travel on a journey of over 400 million years through time, starting in an era of volcanoes, through to swampy seas and finishing in clear blue tropical sea. Explore Mendip rocks through hands-on experiments, and visits to old and operating quarries.
Somerset Earth Science Centre, near Stoke St Michael £5/family.
Booking essential Dr Gill Odolphie 01749 840156 or gill@earthsciencecentre.org.uk.Saturday, August 17, 2pm – 5pm: Wild Westbury Quarry.
A tour of this former limestone quarry where cave bears once lived and now a haven for wildlife. Enjoy limestone rich meadows alongside striking geological features.
Westbury Quarry, Stancombe Lane, Westbury-sub-Mendip, Wells BA1 1HT. Suitable for 11 yrs and over.
Booking essential, Nigel Taylor, quarry manager 01749 871289 or nigel.taylor@explosives.net.Sunday, August 18, 11am – 4pm: Blackmoor Nature Reserve Family Fun Day.
Find out more about the lead mining with the Mendip Society. Pond dipping and nature walks for all the family. Bring your own picnic.
Contact Odette Stevens 01749 342081 or familyfunday@mendipsociety.org.uk.Wednesday, August 21, 2pm – 4pm: Explore Ebbor Gorge.
Join Bob Corns from Natural England for a walk around Ebbor Gorge to explore its geology and geomorphology. With its prominent position on the southern escarpment of the Mendips, this reserve commands breathtaking views across Somerset.
ST 520484 Ebbor Gorge car park on Wookey to Priddy road. Suitable for adults and children 11 years and over.
Booking essential,Simon Clarke 01458 860120 or simon.clarke@naturalengland.org.uk.Saturday, August 31, 10am – 2pm: Explore Black Rock.
Come and enjoy a fun day at Black Rock. Follow a trail around this exciting site, with lots of activities along the way. Families can come and join in the fun anytime between 10am until 3pm.
Booking essential, Somerset Wildlife Trust 01823 652400 or enquiries@somersetwildlife.org.Monday, September 2, 2pm: Wells – A History in Stone.
A journey through time to the ancient landscapes of the Wells area, by looking at the rock types used in and around the Cathedral Green on a guided walk with David Rowley.
Meet at Wells and Mendip Museum. £3/person.
Booking essential,01749 673477 or admin@wellsmuseum.org.Friday, September 6, 7.30pm: The Rushing Waters and The Frozen Deep.
Illustrated talk from Peter Glanvill, about the fascinating world of the caves beneath the Cheddar Catchment, including photographs of the largest cave chamber so far found.
Wells and Mendip Museum, Cathedral Green, Wells, BA5 2EU. Saturday, September 7, 11am – 3pm: Explore Shute Shelve Tunnel.
Come to Slader's Leigh Local Nature Reserve, near Winscombe, for activities for families and short tours of the former railway tunnel cut through the rocks of the Mendip Hills.
ST 421 562. Slader's Leigh can be accessed via an easy access ramp from the Strawberry Line Heritage Trail. Car parking in Winscombe, half-a-mile on foot or by bicycle along the Strawberry Line Heritage Trail.
Contact Andy Mallender (AONB) 01761 462338 or amallender@somerset.gov.uk. Part of a day of events along the Strawberry Line to mark the passing of the last train 50 years ago. Sunday, September 8, 2pm – 4pm: Cooks Wood Quarry Walk.
View impressive geological exposures at Cooks Wood, Stoke St Michael, a large, disused limestone quarry.Also examine another geological feature, a 'slocker' on a 'Quarry Faces community heritage' project walk with Robin Thornes.
Booking essential, Dr Gill Odolphie 01749 840156 or gill@earthsciencecentre.org.uk.Wednesday, September 11, 11am – 3pm: Doulting Quarry Tour.
A 'Quarry Faces community heritage' talk with Robin Thornes, about the history of quarrying Doulting Stone. To be followed by a visit to the Doulting Stone Quarry, Chelynch Road, Doulting, where this widely used building stone has been quarried for over a thousand years.
Meet at the Somerset Earth Science Centre.
Booking essential, Dr Gill Odolphie 01749 840156 or gill@earthsciencecentre.org.uk.
Full programme available at www.somersetwildlife.org
