5 October 2021
Please read all of the below information including the COVID information before registering for this event.
What we will be doing: On this “Unearthing the Wall’s Rocks” walk we will visit Hadrian’s Wall at Planetrees, and two quarries which may have supplied stone to Hadrian’s Wall. The first stop on this walk will be Fallowfield Fell quarry, a large Roman sandstone quarry which covers over 55,000 m2. We will investigate this quarry to find the toolmarks and other traces left behind by the Roman army nearly 2000 years ago. We will also look at the geology of the stone in the quarry and in the surrounding area.
Following this we will move on to an undated quarry beside Crag House. Here we will talk about the difficulties of dating quarries, and discuss how we can compare the stone in the quarry to the stone in nearby structures. One of the goals of WallCAP is to understand where the stone for Hadrian’s Wall was sourced and investigating quarries of unknown date is an essential part of this process.
Finally, we will stop at a stretch of Hadrian’s Wall at Planetrees, which is very close to the quarry at Crag House. Here we will talk about some of the methods used to transport stone from the quarries to the Wall and look at the material of the Wall itself.
Click here to register for this event.
COVID information: COVID-19 is a serious illness which is readily transmitted between people. To minimise the risk of passing on this disease during geo-walks, a process has been put in place. Whilst this gives a structure to manage the risk of transmission, for it to succeed there is a need for us to take individual responsibility to make this work. This is nothing new and I imagine you will already be doing this when you go out for shopping and other activities where you will be meeting people outside your own household. The three things that I would like us to do are:
- to be aware,
- to be considerate, and:
- to communicate.
To be aware of others around you so that you can negotiate how to remain distant from them
To be considerate. This is a difficult time, and we know that some people are more vulnerable than others. This includes the way that we feel about the situation and it is important to be aware of and respect others’ feelings and needs as we proceed.
To communicate. Humans are good at working out where we are physically in relation to others, however, to get the distancing sorted, using your awareness and consideration to communicate and negotiate your way around the walk is vital. Smiling, “you-go-firsts” and “I’ll leave the gate for you” amongst other considerations will oil the wheels of how this works, as well as making the day out more enjoyable.
Participants will be asked to perform a self-assessment of their health on the day of the walk. If they feel generally unwell and especially if they find that they have any of the currently recognised symptoms of COVID19, they will be asked to self-exclude from the walk and to let the leader know that they will not be attending.
The currently recognised symptoms of COVID19 illness can be found here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51048366
If participants find that they develop symptoms within 10 days after the walk please can you get in touch directly so that we can work as required with the government Track and Trace process.
Volunteer information:
- No previous experience required just come along and have a great day investigating Wall stone!
- Please bring your own hand gel and mask if you wish to wear one.
- Please bring appropriate clothing and wear appropriate sturdy footwear. You will need waterproofs if it is raining.
- Volunteers will need to arrange their own transport.
- Please bring your own water and picnic lunch.