Highlands and islands feature in first Geoheritage Festival
SCOTLAND’S incredible geological heritage is celebrated this month with the first national Geoheritage Festival running until October 31 with events taking place throughout the country.
Scotland has experienced explosive volcanic eruptions, vast desert expanses, the disappearance of oceans and even our very own dinosaurs.
It’s no coincidence that Scotland is where the science of geology was born as people began to tease evidence of these fascinating stories from the rocks and landscapes around them.
Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Scottish Geodiversity Forum has been working on ‘Revealing the stories in the rocks: raising awareness of Scotland’s outstanding geoheritage’ – a project to highlight and promote the 51 best places to see Scotland’s geology as part of the Visit Scotland Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. The Geoheritage Festival is a culmination of this project, taking in many of our most famous and unique geological sites, as well as hidden gems.
The events on offer throughout the month are as diverse as the geology, with something for everyone.
Edinburgh and Glasgow are well served, with guided tours of Fossil Grove and Linn Park in Glasgow, ‘pavement palaeontology’, earth-caching and a volcano fun day in Edinburgh, not to mention the official launch of the 51 best places at Dynamic Earth on Saturday October 14.
Chairman of the Scottish Geodiversity Forum Angus Miller said: ‘Scotland’s geology is world class and our project is a celebration of that. Members of the Scottish Geodiversity Forum have been aware of this potential for a long time and we are very excited to be launching the very first Scotland-wide geoheritage festival to help people enjoy Scotland’s rocks and landscapes in new ways.
‘Most events are organised by enthusiastic volunteers whose extensive knowledge of Scotland’s geology is equalled by their passion and enthusiasm for sharing it with others.’
There will be chances to explore areas of great natural beauty across the country, including walks in Eigg, Faraid and Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve, and canoeing on Loch Lurgainn. There will be a guided walk to Siccar Point, arguably the most important geological site in the world, which inspired James Hutton with the concept of deep time.
There will be evidence of ‘snowball earth’ in Islay, and ‘Scotland’s Rock Story’ at Aberdeen Science Centre. Find out more about the relationship we have with rocks, like the limestone of Charlestown and the granite of Kemnay or discover more about how we study rocks and minerals in Lochaber Geopark.
The three Scottish geoparks, are well represented, with a geology course in Shetland UNESCO Global Geopark, Reiff Climbing Festival in North West Highlands UNESCO Global Geopark and visits to Glencoe and Glen Roy in Lochaber Geopark.
Following the launch of the 51 best places to see Scotland’s geology on October 14, resources will be available online and in leaflet form so that people can get out and explore further for themselves.
More information about the festival, along with the full programme can be found at http://www.scottishgeology. com /geoheritage-festival/