A lovely day in July saw our group in Lofthouse, in Nidderdale. Once again we were there to look at the limestones and mudstones of the Yoredale Group together with the Millstone Grit in the old quarries at the moorland edge above Scar House Reservoir. We began by the River Nidd at Lofthouse, though access to the bank was difficult, before moving a few miles upstream to the area of potholes and caves around Manchester Hole looking at the fossils (Gigantoproductus giganteus).

A party of school children were kitted out and waiting to go underground. We then made our way up to Scar House and Angram Reservoirs. We were fortunate that a low water level in Scar House Reservoir made access to the shale and sandstone cliffs just below Angram Dam relatively straighforward. These shale beds contain siderite nodules, or concretions. Siderite is an iron carbonate and a valuable iron mineral since it is 48% iron.