Sunday 6 July 10.00 – 4.30
BCGS 50th Anniversary Field Excursion

The second day of our celebration weekend will recreate parts of the first BCGS field trip as far as we can. The first two trips provided a basic introduction to Black Country geology in roughly stratigraphic order. This trip will include: Lickey Hills and Rubery Cutting, Wren's Nest NNR, Saltwells NNR, and Portway Hill (Blue Rock Quarry), Rowley. Led by Malcolm Coghill (Lickey Hills Geo-Champions, Graham Worton and Andy Harrison (BCGS).

Meet at the Lickey Hills Country Park Visitor Centre, Warren Lane, Birmingham B45 8ER for a 10.00 o'clock start. Park in the public car park uphill a bit beyond the VC: GR: SO 9986 7537. Wear strong shoes or boots and appropriate outdoor clothes. We will begin with an introduction to the day and take a look at the oldest (Ordovician) rocks in the Birmingham/Black Country stratigraphic sequence.

Proceed (by car) to Wren's Nest NNR. Park in Fossil View, off Wren's Hill Road (GR: SO 937 922). We will look at the mid-Silurian Wenlock limestone with an opportunity for some fossil hunting.

Continuing on to Saltwells NNR for lunch we park and meet in the Nature Reserve car park on Saltwells Lane, DY2 0AP (GR: SO 934 869). Lunch at the Saltwells Inn or bring your own. After lunch we will look at the Coal Measures sedimentation in Doulton's Clay Pit.

The excursion will finish at the Wildlife Trust's Blue Rock Quarry site on Portway Hill, Rowley. Park in St. Brades Close, off Tower Road, nearest PC: B69 1NH, GR: SO 975 893. Here we will look at the Carboniferous dolerite intrusions and summarise the day's excursion. We will aim to finish about 4.30.

Click here for a Google map for Lickey Hills Visitor Centre.
Click here for a Google map for Wren's Nest.
Click here for a Google map for Saltwells.
Click here for a Google map for Blue Rock Quarry, Rowley.