Geological Sites | Leeds
| Bradford | Calderdale
| Kirklees | Wakefield
 STATUS: RIGS
OTHER DESIGNATIONS: Chevin Forest Park
COUNTY: West Yorkshire
DISTRICT: Leeds
OS GRID REF. SE 1944, SE 2044, SE 2144, SE 2244
OS 1:50,000 Landranger 104 Leeds and Bradford
OS 1:25,000 EXPLORER 287 Lower Wharfedale and Washburn Valley
BGS 1:50,000 SHEET 69 Bradford
FIRST DESIGNATED West Yorkshire RIGS Group in 1997
DATE OF MOST RECENT SURVEY February 2008 by West Yorkshire Geology Trust
SITE DESCRIPTION:
Otley Chevin is an escarpment which faces north over the Wharfe Valley
and is composed of alternating sandstones and shales of Upper Carboniferous
Kinderscoutian age. The steep north face is composed of shales and
thin sandstones which are exposed in crags and eroded footpaths.
Extensive exposures of Addingham Edge Grit cap the top of the escarpment
which includes Otley Chevin and Caley Crags and have been quarried in
several places.
These exposures display a wealth of information about their environment
of deposition. Large scale cross bedding, ripple marks, graded bedding,
shale bands, soft sediment deformation and bark impressions can all be
found in sandstones. Near Danefield Quarry (East Chevin Quarry) fossil
grazing trails can be seen in fine sandstone.
Yorkgate Quarry shows High Moor Sandstone at the top of the quarry, overlying
shale, which includes 30cm of fireclay and a very thin coal seam, which
lies directly above dipping bedding planes of the Doubler Stones Sandstone/Lower
Kinderscout Grit.
Below the escarpment the hillside displays a close relationship to the
underlying geology with marked step and bench features as the sandstones
and shales alternate.
The north facing slope has been subject to landslipping and has hummocky
topography, largely wooded. At Caley Crags large blocks of the Addingham
Edge Grit have moved down the hillside due to mass wasting processes.
Further to the east, one block is balanced on the top of a crag and is
called the Rocking Stone.
From the top of the escarpment extensive views of Wharfedale and Airedale
can be seen to the north. These reveal a variety of geomorphological
features which can be linked to the underlying geology as well as the
work of ice and glacial meltwater.
HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS:
The Chevin has a rich history of human settlement stretching back into
Palaeolithic times. Flint tools, Bronze Age rock carvings and Iron
Age earthworks have been found. In medieval times the forest park was
used as common pasture land, as a source of wood and sandstones for
buildings and walls.
The high ground near Surprise View had a beacon which was part of a national
chain of beacons used for celebrations or to give warnings.
EDUCATIONAL VALUE:
The extensive rock exposures can be used for education at all levels.
This is a good area in which to demonstrate bedding, rock types, textures
and structures, as well as the relationships between geology and scenery.
AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS:
There are excellent views to the north over the Wharfe valley and the
Pennines. J.M.W. Turner often painted in the Otley area.
The diverse soils which derive from sandstones and shale support many
different plants and trees. There is a variety of types of woodlands
with rocky exposures which are very attractive.
ACCESS AND SAFETY:
There is good access from top or bottom of the hillsides, with plenty
of parking places in five car parks on the adjacent roads. Traffic
is very fast moving on the roads, so care should be taken when crossing
from one part of the Forest to the other. Footpaths are steep in places
but generally clear and safe. The area is suitable for large groups,
though care is needed on high rock faces.
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