Field Trips

Field trips are required as part of any Earth Sciences degree at the University of Bristol. They are hard work, fun, and an incredible learning experience! Here is a list of those I have been on throughout my years as an undergraduate studying Geology at Bristol.

Year 1

• Ogmore-on-Sea: One of our first field trips. Getting to grips with the field equipment and note taking (and weather!).
• Ashton Court: A simple trip over the Clifton Suspension Bridge, understanding orienteering, compasses, and teamwork.
• Isle of Arran: A week-long residential trip in Scotland, understanding the basics of a breadth of fieldwork skills necessary for our future work.
• Clifton Suspension Bridge: A short day trip understanding the geophysics of stress and strain over time along the River Avon.

Year 2

• The Mendip Hills: Where we mapped the rock units in a section of the limestone hills with a partner over 5 days.
• Portishead Beach: A day trip at the beginning of the year to familiarise ourselves with skills again. We produced a sedimentary log, rock descriptions and more.
• Pembrokeshire: A short residential trip of a few days looking at the structural geology of beaches in Pembrokeshire.
• Devon & Cornwall: A residential trip of nearly 10 days where we investigated the Lizard Ophiolite and rocks along beaches. It was a culmination of a lot of knowledge at the end of the year.

Year 3

• Kilve & Watchet: Two beaches in Somerset. We investigated structural geology, hydraulic cracks, and implemented our teaching of hydrogeology and basins.
• Kinlochleven: A week-long trip for the Geology cohort to train for their independent field project.
• Kinloch Rannoch: A massive, four week-long residential field trip where me and my mapping partner independently mapped the rock units of 12km^2 of the Scottish Highlands as our independent field project. It formed the basis of my dissertation in year 3.
• Naxos (& Santorini), Greece: This trip was the final trip of year 3, and a culmination of all years' study into one trip. We arrived in Santorini and later took a ferry to Naxos for the rest of the trip. We mapped, studied, and interpreted the geological history of the beautiful island of Naxos over nearly 10 days.

Year 4

• Santorini, Greece: Our final field trip for our cohort at UoB. Read more about it and see the beautiful landscape here!

Thank you to the University of Bristol for managing and taking us on all of these field trips!