Unearthing a little bit of history...

Unearthing a little bit of history...

A few weeks ago, a team of dedicated volunteers were busy pulling up brambles to create a new border near the entrance of Ford Park, when they uncovered a rather large and unusual stone buried beneath the undergrowth.

Curious about their find, the team reached out to Bob, a local geologist, who quickly confirmed that the stone was no ordinary rock. It’s an erratic, a rock transported and deposited by glacial ice, often originating far from where it’s found. In this case, Bob believes our erratic came all the way from the North or Central Lakes, carried here by glaciers around 110,000 years ago!

What makes this stone even more fascinating is its composition. Made of volcanic ash (known as tuff), it’s a tangible reminder of Cumbria’s ancient, dramatic geological past.

Thanks to the help of a park user with a big truck and some serious lifting gear, we’ve now been able to stand the erratic upright, making it a new natural feature at Ford Park for everyone to see. It’s a fantastic conversation starter and a real piece of local history, connecting us to the incredible forces that shaped our landscape long before any of us arrived.

What is a Glacial Erratic?

A glacial erratic is a stone or boulder that was transported by glacial ice, sometimes over hundreds of miles, and left behind when the ice melted. These rocks can often look out of place in their surroundings, having originated from a completely different type of bedrock. If you’d like to learn more, check out this Wikipedia article.

Next time you’re at Ford Park, why not take a moment to visit our new erratic near the entrance? It’s a wonderful reminder of the hidden stories beneath our feet and the power of nature to shape the world around us.

A huge thank you to our volunteers, Bob the geologist, and our helpful park user for bringing a little piece of ancient history into the spotlight at Ford Park!