Chevin Forest Park GeoTrail #1: Intro & Info
This 4.5km trail has a series of 18 caches, including 8 EarthCaches, which highlight some key features of the fascinating geology, history and wildlife of The Chevin*. It can be comfortably done in under 3 hours, allowing time for making any required observations, admiring the view, taking refreshment and photos and, of course, logging your finds. *The name is thought to come from the Celtic cefn (ridge), which is still in use.
All caches have been placed with the kind permission of the owners, Leeds City Council.
Cache terrain ratings and attributes are based on the nearest access point and will be different if doing the whole trail in sequence.
It follows the route of the Geology Trail prepared by Leeds City Council, Friends of Chevin Forest, West Yorkshire Geology Trust and Leeds Geological Association. This is available online as richly illustrated and informative leaflets and an accompanying audio trail explaining each of the 8 geological features highlighted and located with carved and numbered marker stones. These were made by local sculptor Shane Green and are made of Midgely Grit from the Blackhill Quarry in Bramhope.
The walk ‘is designed to explain how the rocks & fossils of The Chevin were formed and show how the landscape of the area is related to the rock types and geological processes that have taken place in the last 300 years’.
From the East Chevin Quarry car park, the trail first contours west from the parking, climbing gradually through lovely mixed woodland with periodic panoramic views down to Otley and the Wharfe valley. After passing a fascinating ancient wall, it heads up through the woods to an area of interesting boulders before heading back east into the open and across to Surprise View (282m) with more superb vistas in all directions.
After traversing the ridge, it heads down a flagged path, then back onto woodland trails to rejoin the outward route and return to the start.
Entrance is free and parking is available at the East Chevin Quarry @ N 53 53.764 W 1 40.752.
Alternative starting points are accessed from:
a) the Pay & Display car park near Surprise View N 53 53.591 W 1 41.417 (depending on how busy it is, you may find space in the free off-roadside parking of a few cars on York Gate road @ N 53 53.517 W 1 41.396)
b) the Yorkgate Quarry Pay & Display car park @ N 53 53.555 W 1 41.891)
To Find the Cache:
Go to the information board at the start of the trail. From this you will find that:
- The Chevin Forest Park area is 1A0 hectares
- The alphanumeric value (A=1 B=2 C=3 etc) of the 1st letter of the family who gifted the park to the public = B
- The view from Surprise View can be up to C0 miles
- Towards the foot of the text block on the Info Board is a telephone number, the last digit of which = D
- The 3rd of the 4 photos (L to R) shows an orchid. The alphanumeric value of the 1st letter of its name = E
- The number of bus stops shown on the map = F
The cache, a camo-taped 35mm film pot, is hidden at:
N 53 53.(C+D)(F-1)(E+5) W 1 40.(B+E)(A-2)(F+2)
One of the earliest mentions of Otley Chevin was in the prophecies of Old Mother Shipton (c1488-1561), where she predicted a catastrophic landslide would take place there, with landslide debris covering parts of the town of Otley. The Chevin was designated as one of the chain of beacons established as a nationwide communication system around the end of the C18 when invasion by the French was threatened. A landscape history of Otley Chevin is provided by Laurence (2016).
In the 1800s, The Chevin was used as a quarry, and sandstone from here was used for the foundations of the Houses of Parliament in the 1840s. See GCB7RC1 for details of York Quarry, which is passed along the trail.
It has been under various owners. In 1946, the area to the east of East Chevin Road was given to the people of Otley by landowner Major Legender GW Horton-Fawkes of Farnley Hall, following large-scale tree felling for the war effort and replanting after the Second World War. This was done to honour people from the Wharfe Valley who had died in the war. This eastern area of around 128 ha was known locally as the Danefield Estate and is now referred to as the Danefield side. In 1973, it was passed to Leeds City Council from Otley Unitary Authority.
In 1977, the area to the west of the road was purchased by LCC from the Sam Chippendale* Trust during the 1970s and is subsequently referred to as the White House side (due to the presence of a group of buildings including one known locally as The White House which is used as office space for the Parks & Countryside service). *Sam Chippendale was a successful estate agent and property developer well known for establishing Arndale Centres in the 1960s.
See here for the comprehensive 10-year Leeds City Council Management Plan for the Chevin Forest Park (‘The Chevin'), a wonderful 170 ha recreational facility, natural history resource and geological treasure trove. This includes info on geological, archaeological, historical and biodiversity features, and identifies key plant and animal species for conservation attention.
Brief Summary of The Chevin Geology
The story of The Chevin begins 100s of millions of years ago, in the Carboniferous period. The land here is composed mainly of Millstone Grit, a coarse, gritty sandstone interbedded with shale formations deposited by ancient river systems. Over time, tectonic activity and glacial movements carved the landscape into what we see today: steep slopes, rocky outcrops, and plateau-like ridges.
The glacial history of the region is particularly evident. As the ice sheets of the last Ice Age receded, they sculpted the Wharfe Valley, leaving behind moraines and other glacial features. The resulting terrain supports a diverse range of habitats and creates the dramatic topography that gives The Chevin its character.
This geology not only shaped the natural world but also influenced human activity, including quarrying, agriculture, and even the routes taken by early settlers.
