Available courses

In the steps of the pioneers (6-weeks)

In the steps of the pioneers (6-weeks)

The history of geology is closely linked to a few individuals, many of whom were British. They each made their indelible mark on our subject in a unique way. In this course we’ll take a look at the life and achievements of ‘six of the best’.

We’ll be studying these pioneers: Adam Sedgwick, Roderick Murchison, Charles Lapworth, Mary Anning, Henry de la Beche and George Barrow.

Course dates: Starts Thursday November 12 and runs through to December 17

Time Travellers Coastal

An 8-week course taking in some of the finest coastal geology of the British Isles with examples from all four home nations.

Thursdays from January 22nd. Price from £65.00.

One very wet, windy, dry cold day... Sedimentary Rocks and Processes

One very wet, windy, dry cold day... Sedimentary Rocks and Processes - a 10-week course beginning in November.

We’ve not offered this as a fully tutored course since 2020 so we guess that there will be a number of you looking forward to this examination of all things sedimentary!

Course dates: Starts Monday November 10 - December 8 and then restarts January 19 for a further 5 weeks.

Cost: Ten hour-long Zoom sessions with electronic background papers £80.00 for one person or £100.00 for 2-people studying together. Printed background papers cost an additional £25.00.

Zoom sessions on Mondays at 2.00 and 7.00 pm (you choose)

Simply Minerals

Simply Minerals! does what it says in the title - it gives you all the essential lowdown on all the major groups: rock forming minerals, metallic ores, gangue minerals and even evaporites. The course begins with the major elements found in the Earth’s crust - our cupboard of chemicals!

We don’t pretend that this is your complete guide to minerals, but it lays the foundations for further study and will help you to sort your calcite from your quartz, your barite from your fluorite! To help you with your practical hands on experience, the cost of this course includes a complimentary set of essential specimens covering all the major mineral types.

Wednesday Club Nov / Dec 2026

We started this eclectic mix of subjects on Wednesday afternoons and evenings two years ago and they are now a firm favourite with many of you. We hope that you like our new selection - they are all designed to bring you up to speed on some of the very latest ideas on a variety of very different subjects.

You can take individual sessions or why not dive in for them all and make a significant saving into the bargain!

November 11 Geological riches of the Yorkshire Coast

November 18 Alfred Harker - an extraordinary geologist

November 25 Anorthosite - a rock that’s out of this world!

December 2 The unique geology of Islay, Jura & Colonsay

December 9 Extremes & extinctions in the Tertiary

December 16 Tyrannosaurus Rex from bones to Hollywood

Simply Rocks

Wednesday Club Winter 2026

Wednesday Club Autumn 2025

Heart of Wales NWGS Sept 6th to 14th

Trip to Heart of Wales in 2027

SPECIAL Geology of Oman & the Strait of Hormuz

The country of Oman and Strait of Hormuz have hardly been out of the news for the past few months, ever since the start of hostilities between the US and Iran. 

But aside from oil and gas, what else is in the geological story? Explore with us in this extended Zoom session all about the geology of the region. You’ll learn why this is such an important and interesting area - prepare for some surprises!

Life on Earth - the ups and downs of the fossil record

Greenland - top of the world geology

Greenland is one of those countries that almost everyone has heard of, but few know anything about it. To start with it doesn’t qualify as a country on many quiz shows. It’s not a country in its own right and doesn’t belong to the United Nations. It’s actually a territory owned by Denmark - even though the United States offered to buy it!

Around 80-90% of its surface area is pretty well permanently covered by ice, so most of our knowledge is limited to the coastal areas, particularly on the eastern side. It has a very long geological history with parts dating back to more than 4 Ga. Remarkably it has a tectonic history that mirrors that of Scotland, particularly that of the Northwest Highlands. Not surprising when you consider that it was joined to the same landmass until around 60 Ma, when the North Atlantic Ocean started to open.