Burrington Combe is a fine example of a typical Mendip gorge, and provides a well exposed, easily accessible, section through the Carboniferous Limestone sequence. The oldest rocks are exposed in the East and West Twin valleys draining Blackdown, and show the transition from the older Devonian sandstones of the Portishead Formation through the limestone and mudstone of the Avon Group to the younger marine Carboniferous Black Rock Limestone, which are very well exposed in the upper part of Burrington Combe. The rest of the Carboniferous Limestone sequence is exposed in the Combe.
The overlying Burrington Oolite forms the prominent crag known as the Rock of Ages. This is the site of the apocryphal story of the Reverend Augustus Toplady who supposedly sought shelter during a storm here, inspiring the hymn of the same name.
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