Barry Cullimore leads this fascinating trip of landscapes, geology, and literature
Exploring the Geology, Landscapes, History, and Literature of the English Lake District and the Scottish Borders
3-11 August 2025
The English Lake District and Scottish Borders are captivating destinations renowned for their geology, stunning landscapes, troubled history, and inspiring literary heritage. This tour aims to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the region, combining locations that are rich in geological significance, three World Heritage Sites, and globally important literary connections.
Our tour starts in the English Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an area that boasts a remarkable geological history telling the story of vanished oceans, volcanic mountain ranges, tropical seas, and hot deserts. These rocks underlie a region of stunning natural beauty, sculpted by glaciers and also shaped by centuries of human activities. Mining, upland sheep farming, and forestry have all left their mark and although some of these traditional livelihoods survive nowadays it is the hill walkers and climbers that keep this area thriving all year round.
Our tour includes 3 days to explore key geological sites that span the past 500 million years and will also allow time for mineral hunting at a number of the old mining locations.
The natural and wild beauty was a magnet for the likes of Wordsworth, Ruskin, and Coleridge and more recently Beatrix Potter and Arthur Ransom. This tour will highlight many of these connections and also visit a number of key sites such as Wordsworth House at Grasmere.
Once we leave the Lake District we head east via the Roman remains of Birdoswald Fort and Hadrians Wall, our second World Heritage Site, to visit the Northumberland Coastline. A boat trip to the Farne Islands and a visit to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne are part of our journey toward Siccar Point and Dunbar. Siccar Point is known to every geologist as a place of great significance in the history of geology and Dunbar is the birthplace of John Muir, the famous naturalist and inspiration for the creation of Yosemite National Park.
Our tour finishes in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and our third World Heritage Site. Here we will visit the volcanic crags of Arthurs Seat and have a chance to explore the city centre.
EXCLUSIVE TRIP – limited to just 14 people
CLICK HERE TO GET ON THE INTEREST LIST FOR THIS TRIP
COST: US$3,995 per person (Early bird special).
Early bird ends 1 Dec 2024. GEOetc members get a $100 pp discount.
Price includes all ground transport, all accommodation, breakfasts, 2 dinners, all entries and tours.
(This price is in shared rooms. Single supplement is available. Price does NOT include flights to and from Edinburgh UK)
Registration is now open, Click the button below to register for this trip.
Registration requires the payment of a refundable deposit of US$500 (see refund policy below for details.)
Trip payment (including deposit) is fully refundable minus a US$50 administration fee up till COB on December 31, 2024. Cancellations between January 1, 2025 and February 28, 2025, will forfeit the deposit (US$500). Full payment is due before March 1, 2025. There are no refunds after March 1, 2025, unless GEOetc cancels the trip. We strongly suggest you take out travel insurance to cover cancellations due to health or other circumstances.
Current Trip Plan
Sunday 3rd – Meet group at Edinburgh airport AM / drive to New Lanark World Heritage Site –
Connection to Robert Owen, New Harmony, Indiana, and David Dale Owen – US geologist.
Arrive Lake District
Monday 4th – take the public bus from Keswick to Rosthwaite
Walk to Brandlehow Bay along River Derwent – glacial landforms, slates, Ordovician Borrowdale volcanics (andesitic lavas and tuffs) mineral hunting at Brandlehow Bay spoil tips
Option for some to return to Keswick via ferry boat and others to continue walk along lakeshore back to Keswick or even to climb Catbells then continue back to Keswick.
Tuesday 5th –
Walk along Glenderaterra Valley – mineral hunting in spoil tips and metamorphic minerals in zones leading up to contact between Ordovician Skiddaw Slates with Devonian Skiddaw Granite in Sinen Gill.
Visit the Threlkeld Mining Museum.
PM drive to Grasmere and visit Dove Cottage (Wordsworth).
Wednesday 6th
A tour of some lesser-known Lake District geological sites. All are very short walks, and Lacys Caves, but
The Old Crown Inn, Hesket Newmarket – a brilliant local pub with it’s own brewery – a must-stop lunch spot –
Faulds Brow Quarry – Carboniferous Limestone
Long Hill Esker – great for a wide range of rock samples from the whole of N Lake District –
Thursday 7th
Hadrians Wall, Cawfield Quarry / Hadrians Wall – walk a section of the wall.
Drive to Alston in N Pennines – arrange a special underground tour of Nenthead Lead mines (if possible)
Friday 8th
AM free time in Alnwick – castle, poison garden, book shop
Seahouses – boat tour to Farne Islands
Saturday 9th
Siccar Point and then onto Dunbar, John Muir Museum.
Drive to Edinburgh 2 overnights in Edinburgh
Sunday 10th exploring Edinburgh – geology and history TBC
Monday 11th
Depart from airport AM