Exploring the landscape of the National Forest : a walkers' guide to the landscape and natural environment of the National Forest

The National Forest offers a variety of landscape types, from extensive gently undulating clay lowlands dominated by mixed farming, to the hilly sandstone1 region in the central part. The coalfields, in Leicestershire and South Derbyshire, most notably demonstrate the great impact of man’s influence on the landscape. In the east Charnwood Forest, with its rolling hills and craggy knolls, presents us with a unique landscape that has been moulded over 600 million years. The rocks here date back to the Precambrian and contain some of the oldest known fossils. This book and map will help you to explore the region: its geology, landscape, biodiversity, archaeology and industrial and cultural heritage through a series of walks. You will have a fascinating glimpse of past variations in climate that show how England has moved around on the surface of the Earth by plate tectonics.There is evidence of a turbulent geological history that has included volcanoes, mountains, major earthquakes, rainforests, rivers, lakes, seas, deserts and glaciers. The book will also demonstrate how the geology of The National Forest has had a profound influence on the economy of the area, dating back over the centuries, with many industries largely dependent on the natural resources. Some are now no longer viable, such as coal mining, iron ore and lime, but others such as aggregate extraction, gypsum and brick clays, are still very prosperous. The effect of these industries has been to significantly change the landscape in many areas, most notably in the coalfields, but also the extensive aggregate extraction in Charnwood Forest.