Wanting to make geology a family hobby? Then here are some ideas and destinations to help make your holiday a geology themed affair!
Going Undergound!
- Cumbrian Threlkeld Quarry & Mining Museum – above ground this is home to an unique collection of vintage excavators and old quarry machinery, as well as a 2ft gauge mineral railway used for rides to the quarry faces; underground tours
- In Derbyshire you can try your hand at panning for ‘gold’ at The Peak District Lead Mining Museum as visting the Temple Mine a working 1920s lead and fluorspar mine
- Find out about coal mining by visiting the National Mining Museum in the South Wales Coalfield
- Evocative of the Cornish landscape why not visit a tin mine. Geevor is the largest preserved mine site in the country and offers a trip underground albeit only seeing fraction of the mine which in its hay day extended beneath the sea.
UNESCO UK Geoparks
“All of the UK’s UNESCO Global Geoparks have internationally significant geology but what makes them special is that they are community-led partnerships that promote an appreciation of natural and cultural heritage while supporting sustainable economic development of the area, primarily through geological and eco-tourism.” UK National Comission for UNESCO
There are seven Global Geoparks in the UK:
- Geopark Shetland
- North West Highlands
- Marble Arch Caves
- North Pennines
- GeoMôn
- Fforest Fawr
- English Riviera
If you have visited any of these holiday destinations and would be happy to share you photographs and experience then please do get in touch through our enquiry form.
British Geological Survey Resources
- How about downloading the BGS award wining igeology App, a free smartphone app that lets you take over 500 geological maps of Britain wherever you go to discover what is beneath your feet! you can find out more at http://www.bgs.ac.uk/iGeology/
- Find out about the geology beneath our feet and/or in our buildings for eight popular holiday destinations on the BGS Holiday Geology Guide webpages