Just wanted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the Babbacombe and Oddicombe geological walk yesterday evening. I learnt a lot, as we all did, from your hands on approach, and will look at my surroundings differently from now on as a result.
I feel there is a real need for geological enlightenment in the bay; we have a duty and an honour to really ensure the locals understand the concept and its implications as we move into a sustainable future.
Liza, Geowalk attendee
We are delighted to be official associate partners of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark, and we are committed to supporting the UNESCO designation by offering educational walks, talks and workshops for schools and the general public.
Geowalks
From March to October, we run a monthly programme of guided geowalks visiting key geological sites across Torbay. We visit key geological sites and explain the we see in front of us. No geological knowledge is assumed on any of our walks and they are suitable for beginners who just want to know more about the rocks that make up Torbay and the geology that underpins the UNESCO Geopark status.
Our programme visits a number of sites around Torbay, from Babbacombe, Hopes Nose and Meadfoot Beach to Shoalstone Beach and Berry Head (and most places in between!) The walks have been very popular and show the level of interest in the geology of the ERGG.
For a full programme, please see our Events page or contact us for more information. We also offer a personal guiding service if you would like something more bespoke or for your own group.
Geology Short Courses
Complementing our geowalks programme is our winter geology course. We run a short course of geology workshops, exploring the English Riviera Global Geopark on the second Saturday morning o every month from November to February. We will explore geological concepts on a different theme each month – Rocks, Time, Life and Structures – linking back to the geology of the Geopark at the end of each week. The course is aimed at beginners so don’t worry if you don’t know the first thing about geology! The workshops will be run in a fun, informal and hands-on way, and to allow high-quality learning and resources, numbers on this course will be strictly limited to a maximum of ten attendees.
The workshops will be run in the Learning Lab at Torre Abbey from 9.30-12.00 on the following Saturdays:
- 12th November 2022
- 10th December 2022
- 14th January 2023
- 11th February 2023
The course costs £120 for the four dates and can be booked either via Eventbrite (where a booking fee is taken) or directly with us via email (with no booking fees). To sign up, please complete this form and we will send you details of how to pay for the course.
Educational Services
We also run Geopark-themed sessions which can be run in your school or in the field, for more information please see our Workshops page.
If you have an educational group coming to Torbay then please feel free to contact us for advice and suggestions on appropriate sites. We can also provide educational support on field trips.