Category 1: Landscape

The UK and Ireland’s stunning landscapes are shaped by the geology that underlies them, and its interaction with controls such as weathering and erosion.
These sites illustrate the extraordinary range of interesting, unusual and spectacular environments and geomorphological features created by these processes.
Click on the links below to find out about each Geosite:
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Upper TeesdaleNorth Pennines, England Upper Teesdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest which incorporates several important geological locations as well as the spectacular High Force waterfall! ![]() ![]() |
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The foreland mountains, AssyntSutherland, Scotland Shaped by glaciation, Assynt is famous for its landscape and remarkable mountains. ![]() |
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The BurrenCounty Clare, Ireland Formed from Visean limestone, the Burren is one of the finest examples of a glacio-karst landscape in the world. ![]() |
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Pen y FanBrecon Beacons, Wales The highest peak in South Wales, Pen y Fan is formed from various units of the Old Red Sandstone, laid down during the Devonian period. ![]() |
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Loughareemanear Ballycastle, Northern Ireland Loughareema, in Co. Antrim, translates from the Irish as ‘vanishing lake’. It’s not surprising to find out that it is an ephemeral lake that fills and empties with relative rapidness. One day it could be empty, and the next, completely full. |
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The WrekinShropshire, England The Wrekin features some of the oldest volcanic rocks in England, and a huge variety of geology, from Pre-Cambrian to Quaternary. |
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Malham CoveYorkshire Dales, England The spectacular natural limestone formation at Malham Cove was formed after the last Ice Age by meltwater. |
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Ardnamurchan Ring ComplexLochaber, Highlands, Scotland Ardnamurchan’s spectacular landscape has been shaped by volcanic activity and Ice Age erosion. The rings of the volcanic complex can be easily seen in satellite photographs, but are much harder to spot on the ground! |
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Raised Beach at Loch TarbertJura, Inner Hebrides, Scotland The raised beaches of the west coast of Jura reflect changes in relative sea level associated with the growth and decay of ice sheets during the Quaternary Ice Age. |
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LundyBristol Channel, Devon, England Formed largely from granite, Lundy Island has intrigued geologists since the nineteenth century, with fascinating features such as the ‘Earthquake’ and the ‘Devil’s Slide’, and stunning scenery. ![]() |