Weekend excursion to north east Norfolk

 June 22nd – 24th 2007

Leader: Martin Warren (Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service)

Nowhere in the UK can Pleistocene glacial geology be better appreciated than north east Norfolk, and a visit to the spectacular cliff and coast localities in that part of the world is a must for every self-respecting geologist. Thus, a weekend excursion by the Geology Section was, if anything, overdue. We were very fortunate to secure the services of Martin Warren of the Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service, one of the foremost experts on the succession, and he ensured that we saw some classic geology, and learnt much about it too. We were most conveniently based in the Sandcliff Hotel, Cromer, in the heart of the ‘glacial belt’ and generally we were well served by that establishment. However, your leader and scribe was somewhat taken aback when checking in on Friday before the main party to discover that ownership of the hotel had changed within the last few days and the new regime seemed largely unaware of the arrangements I had made with the previous one! Keeping the increasingly bewildered chatelain placated and ensuring that everyone got a room roughly equivalent to that which they expected required much diplomatic skill. But at last we were settled and our minds could turn to the traditional pleasures of being ‘by the seaside’ and away from the routines of home. Thus it was that advance parties had already explored the public establishments of the alcohol-dispensing variety and other groups soon joined the trend. Cromer is a most congenial and traditional English resort and there are few more rewarding, yet simple, delights than sitting in a seafront café or pub to observe the play of the waves and the sweep of the gulls.

Clockwise from top left: On windswept Trimingham beach; happy revellers at the Saturday dinner; everyone on West Runton beach; hearing about the West Runton Freshwater Bed. All photos © Andrew Swift

The real business of the weekend began at 8.00pm in the bar of the Sandcliff, hastily rehabilitated for our use, when the party convened formally. After a brief welcome the leader was introduced and he proceeded to give a summary of the geology we would see and the places we would visit. Then it was back to more socialising and catching up of news for the rest of Friday evening.

Naturally, with any outdoor activity the weather is of paramount importance, and we nervously watched the skies for signs of rain as Saturday dawned. But it remained dry, if rather dull, as we set off for our first stop of the day, at Trimingham. This stretch of coast is bleak and windswept, and very quiet, but the geology is superb. After a somewhat testing descent onto the beach we set off westwards towards Overstrand observing the many changes of facies in the glacial succession. Contrary to common belief  the variety of rock types is considerable, its not simply a question of successive tills, there are outwash gravels and sands, lake and other water-lain beds, rafts of detached chalk and many other variations on those themes. In addition, glacio-tectonics have folded and thrust the succession into myriad contortions, making an understanding of the succession very difficult. What was also difficult was the terrain once we left the level of the beach, and one unfortunate member who shall remain cloaked in anonymity, found themselves enmired in a sticky expanse of mud and had to be rescued. The leader’s initial plan was to push on to Overstrand, but time constraints and fatigue resulted in us returning from whence we came, and ascending the steep and slippery ramp to regain the cars. Then we returned along the coast road to Overstrand to forage for lunch.

There were a few choices as to what and where to eat, but most people opted for the Cliff Top Café. At that point, the weather had given us no cause for concern and after lunch we set off eastwards along the sea edge and under the cliffs with light hearts. However, we were in for trouble as ominous dark clouds built up and the light levels fell alarmingly. It could only mean a storm, and within minutes we were engulfed in it. Several of us had no wet weather gear at all and umbrellas were at a premium. Only those who experienced the storm know exactly how fierce and tumultuous it was, but in a word it was horrendous. The clay underfoot rapidly assumed the characteristics of ice and the already rough ground became almost impassable, especially for the less nimble amongst the party. A small scale version of the retreat from Moscow ensued and by the time we regained the Cliff Top Café we were a sorry looking, bedraggled crowd. But top marks to all for getting back under such trying conditions. And it says an enormous amount for the keenness of the members of the Geology Section that the majority of the party voted unhesitatingly to carry on, despite being completely soaked, to the next locality.

That locality was, arguably, the main attraction of the weekend for most of us. It was the site at Happisburgh where recently a hand axe was discovered which indicated the presence of man in this area 700,000 years ago. It is one of the oldest human artifacts yet recorded from Europe, and as well as this spectacular find, cut bone and flakes have also been found as well as ‘loose’ hand axes from the beach. Sadly, no-one in the party was able to add to the tally of finds on this occasion.

The climax of the weekend was scheduled for the Saturday evening at the neighbouring Cliftonville Hotel, when we enjoyed the Geology Section dinner. As hoped, the venue was suitably imposing and ‘posh’ and we were excellently catered for and received a first class meal. Everything went like clockwork and it was pleasing that the leader was able to join us on our celebratory occasion. It was a small way we could pay him back for his time and knowledge. Chairman Joanne Norris said a few words and thanked the leader, and then we toasted the Section in time-honoured style.

The elements were kinder to us on the Sunday, although again it wasn’t exactly tropical. After checking out of the Sandcliff, we visited just the one locality, the section at West Runton. Again, the sheer variety of rocks and the environments they represented, was most impressive. We were still in the midst of ice age deposits, but here there were tantalising glimpses of the pre-glacial beds of the earlier Pleistocene, and even the Chalk is revealed in foreshore exposures, overlain by pockets of the Quaternary Wroxham Crag Formation. These sequences give extremely important information on the environments and fauna and flora just before the onset of the ice. The most famous of these horizons is the Cromer Forest Bed, a pre-glacial sequence of freshwater beds here at West Runton around 600,000 to 700,000 years old, which yielded the famous West Runton elephant. We spent some time examining and searching the Cromer Forest Bed (here known as the West Runton Freshwater Bed), but despite the presence of abundant fossil material, little could be extracted due to its fragile nature.

The wide horizons of the north Norfolk coast © Andrew Swift

At last the time arrived that we all least liked, the end of the excursion, and time to turn homewards. Again we gave our thanks to Martin Warren, and I suspect most people, like myself, left vowing to return soon to see more of this fascinating sequence, a jewel in Britain’s geological crown.

Andrew Swift