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

The final activities will be finalised closer to the time of your residential, depending on tides, weather and other factors – we want to bring you as much of the outdoors as possible, but have a range of options to explore and understand the local environment. All of the activities will be run by current experts in the field of environmental science – geologists, glaciologists, marine biologists and/or ecologists. Thanks to this partnership with the university, real breadth of environmental activities can be offered. Although finalized timetable is subject to change activities will include some of the following:

• hike in Snowdonia to look at glacial geology
• visit to Ynyslas sand dunes and Cors Fochno site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
• exploration of Cwmystywth, a river valley on the abandoned site of a metal mine - this is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
• trip to Nant yr Arian to learn about the protection of welsh populations of red kites
• visit to peatland restoration area Pwllpeiran
• rocky shore field trip – explore habitats and ecosystems on the rocky shore, animals and plants
• lab work to explore samples from local sites
• university tour including aquaria and tropical glasshouses
• talks from local wildlife experts (could include bat, bird or marine surveys)
• 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)