Bredon Hill Voyage in Deeptime

The Bredon Hill Voyage explores Jurassic rocks and associated landforms; it is a landscape on the move. The route gradually ascends to the northern escarpment, dominated by Parson’s Folly, and an Iron Age hillfort.

There are extensive views. From east to west: the Vale of Evesham; the Lickey Hills, and Birmingham; and the north-south aligned chain of the Malvern Hills.

The rocks that form Bredon Hill were laid down in alternating deep and shallow tropical seas that teemed with life, similar to those in the Caribbean today.

Erosion, during and after the Ice Age, separated the hill from the main Jurassic escarpment of the Cotswolds, and contributed to the many landforms you see on the Voyage.

The map shows the Voyage route as a red line with the dark blue numbered boxes indicating ‘task sites’. These are places where one or more images and text (plus other media in some cases)  are available to explain the landscape, rocks and other interesting features. There will also be task questions associated with these sites. You can view the content for the task sites by clicking on their location on the map. or using the links below the map. Download a copy of the map.

Links to task sites for the Bredon Hill Voyage

1  Start
2  Limestone Block
3  Cotswold Landscape
4  Dry Valley
5  Sundial Barn
6  Lalu Barn
7  Kemperton Camp
8  Summit
9  Marlstone Rock bed
10  Landslips
11  King and Queen Stones

 Jurassic Earth – arrangement of continents and oceans around the time the rocks of Bredon Hill were forming

The following links are to environmental reconstructions, life forms, atmospheric composition, day length, top predators, climate and other facts relating to the  times when the various rock units of Bredon Hill were forming.

Birdlip Limestone
Around 172 million years ago – time Birdlip Limestone forming
View North |  View South | Lifeforms | Weather forecast | Other information

Whitby Mudstone
Around 179 million years ago – time when Whitby Mudstone was  forming
View North | Other information

Marlstone Rock Formation
Around 183 million years ago – time when Marlstone Rock Formation was forming
View North | View South | Other information

Dyrham Mudstone
Around 187 million years ago – time when Dyrham Mudstone was forming
View North | Other information

Charmouth Mudstone
Around 191 million years ago – time when Charmouth Mudstone was forming
View North | View South | Plan View | Lifeforms | Other information