The geology of the Westcountry

Geologically speaking it’s only been a very short time since our hairy ancestors were walking around continental Europe looking for their next meal, when they came across a wide area of open plains and forests full of rhino, mammoths and elk.

Having continued to explore further north they came across a region of land made up of a number of high, wooded areas with excellent views of the surrounding area. They also discovered fast flowing rivers full of fish and fertile red soil. To the east was a vast open expanse of high ground made of a curious, soft, white soil and a climate that was not too unpleasant: it was not as warm as further south, but the rains that fell in this area made it a great place for growing crops.

Over the following centuries the sea-level rose and the fertile land was cut-off from the rest of the continent. Our visitors were now living in the south-western corner of what would later be known as the British Isles.

The south-west is made up of a mixture of volcanic rock (created by volcanoes) from 295 million years ago and sedimentary rock (created by rivers and seas). Devon and Cornwall are mostly granite, created by volcanoes, with the famous tors of Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin moor being the remains of huge masses of solidified volcanic rock. To the east of the region in Wiltshire and Dorset you can find the famous chalk and limestone regions of Salisbury Plain, the Dorset Downs and Somerset Levels.

One of the unexpected benefits of the rising sea-levels was the creation of 702 miles (1,130 km) of coastline around the huge finger of land sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean. Archaeologists have not managed to discover any prehistoric surfboards or buckets and spades, but there’s no doubt that early man would go fishing and hunt for food on the shore.

As the population increased and began to farm, many of the forests and woods that covered the westcountry were cut down, leaving the bare, windswept moors that we can see today. Farming thrived on the more fertile soils in the east and these areas are still the home of most of the region’s dairy farms.

In 2001 a 95-mile (155 km) length of the south coast (from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in Devon to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset) was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site. This Jurassic Coast is made up of rocks from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous time periods which have been twisted by powerful forces in the earth so that they are exposed vertically not horizontally. This means that as you walk along the coast you pass back through time without having to dig down to great depths. [AT]

The highest point is Devon is High Willhays on Dartmoor (621m – 2,039ft above sea level). The highest point in Cornwall is Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor (417m – 1,368ft).