Summer Walk 6, Greenleighton Quarry - Thursday 10th August 2023.
The Morpeth Camera Club summer programme continued on Thursday 10th August 2023 with a visit to the
Greenleighton Quarry, near Rothley. After recent cancellations due to the appalling weather, members that
attended were rewarded with a warm sunny evening in which to have a walk and practice our photography.
Not previously visited as a club, the quarry is now in the ownership of the National Trust and is a recognised
SSSI (site of special scientific interest) for Geology, containing sections of limestone rock holding rare fossils
of marine shell faunas. At different times of the year, rare plants and wildflowers can also be found on the
calcareous limestone floor.
Tucked away in a quiet and peaceful location the disused quarry is split into two sections. The older part was
quarried from around 1777 until the 1800s, whilst the newer area was in use until 1982 and yielded over two
million tons of limestone before closure.
The group gathered at the south end and entered the quarry to view the great limestone succession, where
layers of thin mudstones separate the limestone beds with interesting fault and fold structures. With some
outcrops up to twenty meters in height, together with fallen rocks and quarried stone below, there were
numerous photographic opportunities to record something different.
Walking through the quarry, we explored each rockface and found quite a variation in the colour of the rock,
changing from light grey to a pinkish appearance and in some parts, dark grey with small patches of quartz.
On reaching the north end we climbed a grass bank out of the quarry to see fine views of Fontburn Reservoir
and the distant Simonside Hills.
As the evening light began to fade, we followed the clifftop footpath on the east side of the quarry to return
to our start point and complete an interesting and enjoyable wander. Thank you to everyone who attended.
Davy Bolam.
Greenleighton Quarry, near Rothley. After recent cancellations due to the appalling weather, members that
attended were rewarded with a warm sunny evening in which to have a walk and practice our photography.
Not previously visited as a club, the quarry is now in the ownership of the National Trust and is a recognised
SSSI (site of special scientific interest) for Geology, containing sections of limestone rock holding rare fossils
of marine shell faunas. At different times of the year, rare plants and wildflowers can also be found on the
calcareous limestone floor.
Tucked away in a quiet and peaceful location the disused quarry is split into two sections. The older part was
quarried from around 1777 until the 1800s, whilst the newer area was in use until 1982 and yielded over two
million tons of limestone before closure.
The group gathered at the south end and entered the quarry to view the great limestone succession, where
layers of thin mudstones separate the limestone beds with interesting fault and fold structures. With some
outcrops up to twenty meters in height, together with fallen rocks and quarried stone below, there were
numerous photographic opportunities to record something different.
Walking through the quarry, we explored each rockface and found quite a variation in the colour of the rock,
changing from light grey to a pinkish appearance and in some parts, dark grey with small patches of quartz.
On reaching the north end we climbed a grass bank out of the quarry to see fine views of Fontburn Reservoir
and the distant Simonside Hills.
As the evening light began to fade, we followed the clifftop footpath on the east side of the quarry to return
to our start point and complete an interesting and enjoyable wander. Thank you to everyone who attended.
Davy Bolam.