Slemish walk features in new geology book

The book, published by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) is called ‘Rambling on the Rocks: Walking Northern Ireland’s Natural Landscape’.

It aims to take walkers on an epic geological journey across all of Northern Ireland’s well-known, and a few less well-known, natural landscapes. One of the walks is at Slemish, the remnants of a volcano from 60 million years ago.

Published as part of GSNI’s 70th anniversary celebrations, the walking guide has been written for the general public. It contains 20 walks in total; three in each county and two in Belfast, highlighting the very best of Northern Ireland’s natural landscapes, all of which have been illustrated with exceptional photography from renowned local photographers Esler Crawford, Alistair Hamill and Chris Hill.

The graded walks cater for all abilities, from the serious hill walker to families with young children and/or dogs.

Dr Marie Cowan, Director of the GSNI outlines the main aims and ethos of the book: “The new walking guide from GSNI shares with the public some of the wonderfully diverse natural landscapes of Northern Ireland. We have tried to make the book accessible for everyone so have included walks from all across Northern Ireland and for all abilities, as well as giving practical information such as where to park your car, or get refreshments”.

The book contains walks that feature many famous natural landscapes of Northern Ireland including the Giant’s Causeway. It will take the reader on a geological-time journey that includes violent volcanoes, icy wastelands and searing hot deserts, sometimes all within the same walk. It also includes many lesser-known landscapes and will allow the reader to explore new locations for themselves with all of the information they need to enjoy a day of walking.

The new book is available to purchase with an RRP of £7.99 and is available directly from GSNI, from Tesco and Eason’s as well as other major book stores.