Fieldwork in Geography, Environmental Science and Marine Science

The week-long field trip to the Isles of Scilly is a free field course taken by all first-year students studying for Geography, Environmental Science and Marine Science degrees at the end of the first year of study. It is also an option for students studying BA Politics and Geography. Students take the ferry from Penzance and camp at Garrison Farm on the edge of Hugh Town, St Mary’s.

The module is designed to provide you with background information about the islands, including physical geography, environmental change, economic, political, social and cultural history, as well as the contemporary challenges to be faced by those living on the islands today.

You will also practise a range of research skills so that students develop the skills needed to complete independent research activity later on. The Isles of Scilly are an ideal place to try out a range of methodologies used in geomorphological research, climate science and sustainable development.

Students always have a great time spending time in a beautiful location, and building a stronger community through working together in the field.

Example itinerary:

Please note this is an example itinerary and has been taken from a past field course. Field course itineraries are subject to change.

Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that contains some of Britain's finest coastal scenery, the West Penwith Field Course module provides students studying Geography with the opportunity to explore key ideas in their disciplines.

Cornwall is a natural laboratory with an incredible diversity of cultural, ecological and physical landscapes that each have a fascinating and intertwined story to tell. This short-fat module provides training in fieldwork techniques that are fundamental to degrees in geography.

Field course aims:

This module has two main aims: 

• to provide students with an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained through lecture-based modules to 'real-world' situations
• to give students preparatory training in fieldwork techniques.

You will be guided by academic staff throughout the field trip. Specifically, you receive instruction in science and social science techniques including, but not limited to: participant observation, sampling strategies and experimental design, which are essential for your future learning in the department.

Example itinerary:

This is a free field course for Geography students.

Environmental and Marine Science have a first-year fieldtrip ‘Marine and Environmental Science Field Course’ which goes to Cot Valley and Falmouth Harbour.

Example itinerary:

This field course explores geographical, environmental science and social issues through hands-on fieldwork. You will have the opportunity to develop specialised skills in field techniques for a research project, while exploring the links between social and natural environment through interdisciplinary and group work. During the field course you will gain hands-on experience of field work in iconic landscapes and carry out guided field exercises and research projects to investigate these environments.

Example itinerary:

Students select one of two groups, which will determine the itinerary for the trip.

Group 1 (focusing on cultural landscapes) will spend two nights in Edinburgh, then head north for two nights in Tomintoul, on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park. In this part of the trip we will trace ideas, people and things through history and space, thinking about how cultural landscapes have been – and continue to be - formed and reformed in Scotland. Starting in Edinburgh, we will look at the influence of the Enlightenment on the development of the city, and visit the National Gallery to explore how landscapes, lairds and wildlife have been represented in art. Leaving the city, we will visit both the National Trust owned Mar Lodge Estate and the crown estate of Glenlivet to see how ideas and ideals from the Enlightenment, Victorian Romanticism, and contemporary environmentalism are reflected and enacted in place, focusing on different ways of managing forests and moorlands.

Group 2 (focusing on physical landscapes and ecology) will spend four nights at Inchree, near Fort William. In this part of the trip we will be looking at the physical and ecological processes that shape the landscapes of the Scottish Highlands. You will learn a series of techniques for environmental field measurements and consider how management of the landscape – for agriculture, forestry, deer stalking, grouse shooting, conservation and recreation – shape ecosystem processes.

The whole group will then spend three nights at the Cairngorm Outdoor Centre at Badaguish, near Aviemore.

For Marine Science students, the field course in Oban offers a unique and immersive experience. Set against the stunning backdrop of Scotland's west coast, this course combines hands-on research with real-world applications, delving into diverse marine ecosystems and their conservation. You'll develop critical skills in marine fieldwork, including sampling, data analysis, and ecological assessments, all while exploring one of the most ecologically rich and dynamic coastal regions in the UK.

Compulsory for students on BSc Marine Science; taken at end of second-year as third-year module.

Example itinerary:

Week 1:

Week 2: