Voyage Locations | GeoExplore Sites

The map shows the location of the Voyages which are currently available to download into the Voyager app. These are also the same locations as GeoExplore sites.

You can download as many Voyages as you like. You can delete a Voyage once you are finished with it and you may download again if required. Like Voyager the Voyages are all free.

Zoom in on the map pins for Voyage names and locations. Note at some sites you will have more than one Voyage available.

Lickey Hills area has two Voyages to choose from.

Lickey Ridge

Start-finish: Lickey Hills Visitor Centre (large free car park)
Distance: 1 km / 0.6 mile
Terrain: Level gravel paths. Wheelchair accessible
Voyage: Carboniferous and Ordovician rocks – over 230 million years
Take / wear: No special footwear. Clothing suitable for the weather.

Lickey Hills

Start-finish: Lickey Hills Visitor Centre (large free car park)
Distance: 6 km / 3.5 miles
Terrain: Gravel, grass & woodland footpaths. Two hills to climb. Two road crossings.
Voyage: Ordovician to Silurian rocks – over 230 million years
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitble for the weather.

Martley

Start-finish: Martley parish church (samll free car park up to 10 cars)
Distance: 13 km / 8 miles
Terrain: Field and woodland paths – may be muddy in places.  One long and several short hills to climb. Three country road crossings.
Voyage: Travel from the Precambrian to Triassic in geological time – around 500 million years.
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitable for the weather. Worth taking a battery booster for phone/tablet.

Wye Valley (Little Doward)

Start-finish: Little Doward Lord’s Wood car park finishing at Ganarew car park, or retrace your steps along the Voyage route or take on of the alternate routes marked on the Voyage map. Free parking at both locations for up to 6 cars.
Distance: 6 km / 3.5 miles
Terrain: Woodland paths – may be muddy in places.  Two hills to climb (three if retracing steps)
Voyage: Travel from Carboniferous to the Devonian – around 100 million years in time
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitable for weather at the time.

Cat’s Back (Olchon Valley)

Start-finish: Cat’s Back (Black Hill) car park (free parking for about 6 cars and may be busy at weekends / holidays)
N.B. – this is a quiet farming area – please respect local residents and follow the Country Code.
Distance: 4 km / 2.5 miles
Terrain: Grassy – stony hill path – may be muddy in places. One steep but moderately short hill to climb and descend. Exposed hill top ridge.
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitable for the weather in an exposed location.

Bredon Hill

Start-finish: St Benet Church in Kemerton. This is a suitable place to park a small number of vehicles at the roadside.
Distance: 6.4 km / 4 miles
Terrain: Grassy paths and tracks normally dry. Steady climb. Exposed on hill top.
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitable for the weather in an exposed location.

Wren’s Nest

Start-finish: Car park in Wren’s Nest Road Dudley DY1 3SB. The car park is free but closes at 4:00pm and is limited to around 10 cars. Alternately park with consideration on nearby nearby residential roads, for example, Fossil View.
Distance: 1.6 km / 1 mile
Terrain: Well marked mainly gravel level paths, with some flights of wooden steps with handrails.
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitable for outdoor. There are no toilet or cafes at the Wren’s Nest, but there are plenty of such facilities within close reach.

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Lickey Hills

Start-finish: Lickey Hills Visitor Centre car park (large free car park)
Distance: 3 km / 1.9 miles
Terrain: Gravel and woodland paths. Two hills to climb. Two dissused quarries.
Explore: Structural features of the Lickey Hills
Take /wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitble for the weather. Hard hat at quarries. Back up geological equipment e.g. hand lens, compass-clinometer, notebook and pen.

Martley

Start-finish: Shelsley Beaauchamp parish church (drop off point only or road parking for 1-2 cars) – Martley village centre (free parking / pick up at the Crown Inn or Village Hall when not in use)
Distance: 8 km / 5 miles
Terrain: Field and woodland footpaths – may be muddy in places. One long and several short hills to climb. Two country road crossings.
Explore: Palaeoenvironments and structural features on a west-east traverse of the Abberley Hills, enabling you to select the correct of three quite complex cross-sections of the traverse at the end.
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitable for the weather. Back up geological equipment e.g. hand lens, compass-climometer, notebook.

Little Doward

This may be completed in one long day, but best done over two days

Start-finish: If completed in one day:
Start and finish at Ganarew (free parking for up to 6 cars)
If completed in two days:
Day 1 – Ganarew – Little Doward Lord’s Wood car park (free parking for up to 6 cars)
Day 2 – Little Doward camp site car park – Ganarew
Distance: 13 km / 8 miles (if done all in one day)
or 8 km / 5 miles per day ( if done over two days)
Terrain: Woodland footpaths – may be muddy in places. Two hills to climb each day.
Explore: Day / part 1 – Palaeoenvironment and lithological descriptions of various rock units
Day / part 2 – mapping the described rock units on Little Doward
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitable for the weather. Back up geological equipment e.g. hand lens, compass, notebook.

Cat’s Back and the Darens (Olchon Valley)

Start-finish: Cat’s Back car park (free parking for about 6 cars and may be busy at weekends / holidays) and Darens car park (free parking for 10 -12 cars and is usually quiet).
N.B – this is a quiet farming area – please respect the local residents and follow the Country Code.
Distance: Two sites to visit on opposite sides of the valley with a 5 km / 3 mile drive in between. Walking distance at the two sites: 4 km / 2.5 miles plus 2 km / 1.5 miles.
Terrain: Grassy – stoney hill paths – may be muddy in places. One steep moderately short hill to climb and descend at each location. Exposed hill top ridge.
Explore: Devonian lithology and palaeoenvironments. Quaternary landforms and interpretation of the landscape.
Take / wear: Comfortable footwear with good soles. Clothing suitable for the weather in an exposed location. Back up geological equipment e.g. hand lens, compass-clinometer, notebook.