Environmental Science at Aberystwyth University

Hampshire Outdoors is excited to be working in partnership with Aberystwyth University to offer a bespoke residential experience tailored to Duke Of Edinburgh participants with an interest in the ecology, geology and physical geography. 

Located in Ceredigion Bay, Aberystwyth provides easy access to beautiful coastlines, mountains, and valleys. Field trips led by subject experts will explore the natural landscape, from ancient glacial and volcanic activities to modern land management practices. Thriving marine wildlife can often be spotted from the town, giving a fantastic opportunity to survey local bottlenose dolphin populations, and observe other species on the rocky shore.

In this five day residential, you will stay in accommodation on campus, near the seaside town, with day trips and studies supervised by experts from the universities world-leading research departments.

What's involved

During your stay you will have the opportunity to experience the following activities. Note that these are dependent on weather and other nature-driven factors and are therefore subject to change:

• marine surveys including dolphin watching, run together with Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre
• hike in Snowdonia to look at glacial geology
• visit to peatland restoration area Pwllpeiran, a research centre located in the heart of the Cambrian mountains
• demonstration of the use of drones in survey work
• rocky shore field trip – explore habitats and ecosystems on the rocky shore, animals and plants
• lab work to explore rocky shore animal behaviour (do crabs have personalities?) and dolphin diets (including human factors like microplastics)
• visit to Ynyslas sand dunes and Cors Fochno site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
• plenty of opportunities to talk to leading experts in the fields of environmental science about pathways and careers

What's included

• accommodation and food; accommodation for the summer residential will provide the full student experience in shared facilities on campus
• all activities for the duration of the residential, including evening activities such as sunset walks along the beach
• a written assessor report for your award, or for college and university
• transport to and from Winchester (if required)