Geofest reaches into Arran’s ancient past
This weekend the third annual Arran Geofest is being held, so there is no better time to find out more about what shaped Arran’s spectacular landscape.
Dr Simon Cuthbert, from the University of the West of Scotland, gives this year’s main talk on Saturday night in Corrie Hall. Simon is a very well known geologist, and entertaining speaker who will take the audience on a journey, describing the seismic events which shaped the mountains and valleys. His talk, entitled Arran’s Journey through Deep Time, will trace the island’s early beginnings and explain why Arran has become world famous for its rocks and features. From the ice age to volcanoes, Arran’s geological history has plenty of drama.
The festival opens tonight (Friday) with a talk at the Arran Heritage Museum by Stuart Blake from Lochranza CIC. Stuart runs courses throughout the year for students who travel here from all over Britain to learn about the varied geology on show. He will explain why Arran really does live up to the boast of being Scotland in miniature.
For those who want to see real rock while you learn, there are a number of walks over the weekend, each one on a different geological theme. If you’re not quite sure precisely where Hutton’s Unconformity is, or why it changed the course of science, then there’s a walk for you. Similarly, if you’d like to hear more about how Arran’s spectacular mountains formed and how the ice age then cut them down to size, then the Glen Rosa walk is for you. Or you can follow the North Coast and visit the fossilised footprints of a giant millipede-like creature that lived millions of years ago, made famous more recently by Sir David Attenborough.
This is all brought to you by the Arran Geopark Project. Funded primarily by the Coastal Communities Fund, the aim is to showcase, explain and protect many of the best geological sites on the island. The first year and a half of the project is about building the interpretation facilities and paths so that in April next year the Geopark can officially open.
A number of exciting events will then run through the summer. As an example of the work being done, the new Lochranza Geology Interpretation Centre will be open for everyone to preview this Saturday.
Nial Moffat, Arran Geopark coordinator, said: ‘We really look forward to your support this weekend and over the coming year.’