Sliding Stones!

Dorset's Jurassic coast is famous for its rapidly-eroding coastline and active landslides. Less well known, but equally impressive in their own way, are the large landslide systems that cover many of the slopes on the inland valleys. These are much less active than their coastal counterparts, but can be subject to slow, creeping movement and occasional more rapid slope failure.

Whilst carrying out a geomorphological assessment for a proposed development site on one such landslide system, Ruddlesden geotechnical's Geoff Davis was interested to find a large boulder of sandstone with its lamination back-tilted upslope at 45˚. This would appear to have been formed in the rotational part of a large compound failure in historical times.

Local folklore, however, has it that the stone (as well as being able to grant wishes) slides to the bottom of the hill each Midsummer's Eve, only to return to its position the following day, thereby preserving a folk memory that the stone was once seen to slide.