Norse-talgia trip!

My friend Cal headed home to Norfolk this afternoon but not before we'd had a jaunt over to Thurstaston for a walk on the common. A particular high point (literally!) was scrambling up Thor's Stone, a sandstone outcrop about the size of a house.

The Wirral peninsula was something of a Viking stronghold from 902 AD and local legend has it that blood-sacrifices to Thor were made at the stone's summit (although there is absolutely no evidence for this) and even that it is Thor's hammer, Mjollnir (unfortunately there's no evidence for this either!).

More likely theories are that the stone is the remains of a quarry or that glacial or post-glacial erosion has removed softer rocks which may once have surrounded it, leaving it standing alone. Geologists agree that it's possible to see the outline of 230 million year old sand dunes in the layers of rock.

Cal spent her childhood in this neck of the woods and reckons that she last scaled the stone when she was about 10. So, not that long ago at all!