A new Kent Geotrail Walk has been developed by Kent RIGS members as part of a National 'Geological Walks' Project. To celebrate this event a walk along the trail will take place on Sunday 28th March 2010. Details of the walk are given below.

Introduction: Meet at the car park adjacent to the Pavilion Café/Restaurant in West Bay Road, post code CT20 2QY at 10.30am.(OS Grid Reference TR 239 364 - Landranger 179)

Highlights of Walk: The walk, led by David Wray and Gareth George, is planned to start at 10.45am, and finish about 1.00pm. The distance of the round-trip is approximately 8 km. There will be some soft clay terrain and gentle to moderate inclines so walking shoes/boots are recommended).

Geology: The trail starts at East Bay, Folkestone, where the mid-Cretaceous (Lower Albian) Folkestone Sands (shallow marine sands, bioturbated with silica concretions) crop out of the cliff; in the distance the overlying Gault Clay can be observed, coming down to the foreshore at Copt Point.

After returning to the cliff top the route passes close to the National Coastwatch lookout station in order to examine the Glauconitic Marl, exposed in a small cliff face, and to develop an appreciation of the geotechnical problems of road construction on the Gault.

The trail then descends into East Wear Bay to examine the higher part of the Gault succession and possibly, depending on sand/ shingle coverage, the Gault / Glauconitic Marl / Chalk Marl contact. Fossils can usually be collected hereabouts.

Returning back to the top of the cliff the trail then passes a Martello tower and crosses over the top of the Folkestone-Dover railway line before stopping at an exposure of late Cenomanian Chalk where the Plenus Marls are well exposed. This stop also gives the opportunity to study the Folkestone Warren landslip. Continuing up the path it is possible to observe the transition into the overlying Pleistocene deposits by the sudden transition to clastic, iron stained sediments in the floor of the footpath. On reaching the top of the Chalk cliff the trail then continues in a WNW direction along the North Downs Way, giving the opportunity to examine typical Chalk grassland species on Folkestone Down. The walk terminates around 1.00pm at Castle Hill, the site of a Norman castle whose earthworks remain. Walkers then retrace their steps to Copt Point.

Landscape and scenery: Discussions concerning coastal erosion and cliff stability along the Warren and the 1915 landslip. Present-day landslip features. Chalk scenery and geomorphology of the Kent Downs (AONB). Channel Tunnel excavation and the creation of Samphire Hoe from the spoil. Victorian shaft (1880) at Abbots Cliff and the discovery of the Kent Coalfield.

Archaeology etc: Martello towers. Battle of Britain Memorial. Norman castle earthworks

Handouts: Locality map of route. Stratigraphy / Gault Clay fossils. Formation of landslips. Chalk geomorphology.

Important: Those wishing to attend are asked to inform the Kent and Medway Biological Records Centre (KMBRC), using the contact details below, so that the leaders will know how many people to expect (there will be no charge for the walk)