There is so much to explore in Bristol and beyond, and we have created a menu of field trips and activities to help you get to know our exciting city and its surrounding region. Some of the trips and activities are more academic, and others are purely social. We have divided them up into academic and social – but they are open to everyone and, we hope, will all be fun!
The academic trips are scheduled into the conference programme, and most require sign-up and payment via the webshop. Details on how to sign up for other trips are listed below.
The trips featured on this page are fee-paying and require pre-booking. If you are looking for free things to do at your own pace, we have designed some walking routes exploring the historic environment of the city. Check those out on our dedicated page here.
For questions about the academic trips, please contact John Morgan, for the social trips please contact James Watts and Joan Passey.
Please note: all our full-day Saturday field trips are ‘brown bag’ (i.e. bring your own lunch), and will involve spending time in outdoor, often rural and former industrial environments. Travel to, from and around full day field trips will be via private coach.
Academic
Monday 4 July
Tuesday 5 July
- Free walking tour: Environment, health and the legacies of transatlantic slavery
- Steps in Stone: Bristol from the Bridge Deep Time Walk
Wednesday 6 July
- Wild Heritage: Captivity and Conservation at Bristol Zoo (SOLD OUT)
- Free walking tour: Environment, health and the legacies of transatlantic slavery
- Steps in Stone: Bristol from the Bridge Deep Time Walk
Thursday 7 July
Saturday 9 July
- Blaenavon (REGISTRATIONS NOW CLOSED)
- Forest of Dean (REGISTRATIONS NOW CLOSED)
- Somerset Levels (REGISTRATIONS NOW CLOSED)
- Tyntesfield (REGISTRATIONS NOW CLOSED)
Social
Tuesday 5 July
Wednesday 6 July
Thursday 7 July
Free walking tour: Environment, health and the legacies of transatlantic slavery
Monday 4 July, 5pm to 6pm
Meet at the University of Bristol sign at the corner of Woodland Road and Tyndall Avenue (link to location).
This free walking tour offers an introduction to the Bristol’s history as part of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. The tours take place every evening, meeting at the University of Bristol sign at the junction of Woodland Road and Tyndall Avenue. Led by University of Bristol students, the tours take in some of the locations connected to the trade in enslaved people, highlighting how this history intersects with histories of health and environment. Tours are on foot, covering approximately 1.5 miles/2.5km, including some steps, last around one hour, and end at Queen Square.
These free tours are possible thanks to support from the MedEnv Network: Intersections of Medical and Environmental Humanities.
Free walking tour: Environment, health and the legacies of transatlantic slavery
Tuesday 5 July, 5pm to 6pm
Meet at the University of Bristol sign at the corner of Woodland Road and Tyndall Avenue (link to location).
This free walking tour offers an introduction to the Bristol’s history as part of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. The tours take place every evening, meeting at the University of Bristol sign at the junction of Woodland Road and Tyndall Avenue. Led by University of Bristol students, the tours take in some of the locations connected to the trade in enslaved people, highlighting how this history intersects with histories of health and environment. Tours are on foot, covering approximately 1.5 miles/2.5km, including some steps, last around one hour, and end at Queen Square.
These free tours are possible thanks to support from the MedEnv Network: Intersections of Medical and Environmental Humanities.
Steps in Stone: Bristol from the Bridge Deep Time Walk
Tuesday 6 July, 6pm to 8pm
On this journey, we will explore the variety of Bristol’s deep time history, walking up through the layers of its geological past and connecting the land we walk on with what lies beneath. Starting at the Clifton Suspension Bridge, we take in fabulous views of the Avon Gorge and the Bridge and learn about what these tell us about the geological foundations of the city. The route continues down to Hotwells, the Docks and back up through Clifton, investigating the links between the human history of the city and its geology. Read more on the Steps in Stone website here.
Register via Eventbrite here by 4 July.
Wild Heritage: Captivity and Conservation at Bristol Zoo
Wednesday 6 July, afternoon
[Fully booked]
Explore the past, present and future of conservation at Bristol Zoo, one of the world’s oldest provincial zoos. Opened in 1836 in the Bristol suburb of Clifton, Bristol Zoo will soon be entering a new phase as it moves out of the city. This field trip is a last chance to visit this historic nineteenth century zoo and to learn about how conservation and human-animal relations have changed over the past 185 years.
Free walking tour: Environment, health and the legacies of transatlantic slavery
Wednesday 6 July, 5pm to 6pm
Meet at the University of Bristol sign at the corner of Woodland Road and Tyndall Avenue (link to location).
This free walking tour offers an introduction to the Bristol’s history as part of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. The tours take place every evening, meeting at the University of Bristol sign at the junction of Woodland Road and Tyndall Avenue. Led by University of Bristol students, the tours take in some of the locations connected to the trade in enslaved people, highlighting how this history intersects with histories of health and environment. Tours are on foot, covering approximately 1.5 miles/2.5km, including some steps, last around one hour, and end at Queen Square.
These free tours are possible thanks to support from the MedEnv Network: Intersections of Medical and Environmental Humanities.
Steps in Stone: Bristol from the Bridge Deep Time Walk
Wednesday 6 July, 2.30pm to 5pm
On this journey, we will explore the variety of Bristol’s deep time history, walking up through the layers of its geological past and connecting the land we walk on with what lies beneath. Starting at the Clifton Suspension Bridge, we take in fabulous views of the Avon Gorge and the Bridge and learn about what these tell us about the geological foundations of the city. The route continues down to Hotwells, the Docks and back up through Clifton, investigating the links between the human history of the city and its geology. Read more on the Steps in Stone website here.
Register via Eventbrite here by 4 July
Free walking tour: Environment, health and the legacies of transatlantic slavery
Thursday 7 July, 5pm to 6pm
Meet at the University of Bristol sign at the corner of Woodland Road and Tyndall Avenue (link to location).
This free walking tour offers an introduction to the Bristol’s history as part of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. The tours take place every evening, meeting at the University of Bristol sign at the junction of Woodland Road and Tyndall Avenue. Led by University of Bristol students, the tours take in some of the locations connected to the trade in enslaved people, highlighting how this history intersects with histories of health and environment. Tours are on foot, covering approximately 1.5 miles/2.5km, including some steps, last around one hour, and end at Queen Square.
These free tours are possible thanks to support from the MedEnv Network: Intersections of Medical and Environmental Humanities.
Blaenavon
Saturday 9 July, all day
[Registration closed]
Come face-to-face with the history and legacies of the fossil fuel economy at Blaenavon World Heritage Site. The Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, in the south Wales valleys, was listed by UNESCO in 2000 due to its global significance as a producer of iron and coal in the nineteenth century. This tour takes in the Big Pit National Coal Museum and the historic Blaenavon Ironworks.
Forest of Dean
Saturday 9 July, all day
[Registration closed]
Explore the patchwork of natural resources that has made the Forest of Dean a site of industry, independence and contest for hundreds of years. This tour takes in the unique ‘scowle’ iron workings of the Forest, sites of historic and contemporary protest over access to forest resources, and an exploration of a working ‘freemine’.
Somerset Levels
Saturday 9 July, all day
[Registration closed]
Encounter the work of successive centuries of drainage and water management on this important working landscape and internationally significant Ramsar Wetland site. This tour includes a visit to sites of drainage and land reclamation from the Middle Ages to the present day, including visits to a historic steam-powered pumping station museum, a wetland nature reserve and a medieval fish house.
Tyntesfield
Saturday 9 July, all day
[Registration closed]
Investigate the tangled histories of the global guano trade and local agricultural innovation at the ornate Victorian Gothic Revival house and parklands at Tyntesfield. This tour explores the house and grounds at Tyntesfield, linking the international business interests of the Gibbs family in the south American guano trade with the landscape they designed and inhabited in the nineteenth century.
Social
We are also running a range of fee-paying social activities, which you can sign up for via a dedicated web shop here. These are listed below:
Bristol Beer Factory tour and tasting
Tuesday 5th July , 7pm-9pm
15 places @ £20 per head
This tour includes a brewery tour and 3 pints per person.
ESEH City Run
Tuesday 5th July, meet at 5.45pm
A fun run over Bristol’s Suspension Bridge and through Ashton Court park. We’ll begin from outside #7 Woodland Road at around 5:45pm on Tuesday, July 5th (this is the main entrance to the Humanities Building). We run through Clifton Village, over the Bridge and through Ashton Court. On our return we’ll stop at the White Lion in Clifton (probably by around 6:45) for a pint overlooking the Avon Gorge. Please bring a debit card, or some cash with you on the run for drinks afterwards.
Bristol Pub Crawl with NEXTGATe
Tuesday 5th July, meet at Zerodegrees* in time to start at 8pm
The University of Bristol Centre for Environmental Humanities’ lovely and welcoming PGR team are organising an informal crawl-style pub trip to coincide with and lead on from the NEXTGATe event on Tuesday 5th.
We will meet at Zerodegrees (on Park Row) for the NEXTGATe networking from 6:45-8 before then moving on through Kingstown (likely via the Kingstown Vaults or Hillgrove Porter Stores) and then down-hill (a novelty!) into Stokes Croft (a must visit nightlife area). There are no set timings for our movements, so do try to join at Zerodegrees before 8pm. If you’d prefer to join later, contact Lena (lena.ferriday@bristol.ac.uk) who can keep you posted on our whereabouts. Or who knows, maybe we’ll move to live-tweeting our journey as the night goes on.
*an earlier version of the webpage said Beerd, on St Michael’s Hill, but we are now meeting at Zerodegrees.
Brunch at Cosy Club
Wednesday 6th July, 12pm-2pm
18 places
£5 deposit per head that is then taken from the bill’s total
Delegates choose their own/pay for their own order, great vegan and gluten free options available
Sample menu
Chance and Counters Boardgame Cafe
Wednesday 6th July, 6pm-9pm
18 places
£21.50 per person
Includes:
- Chef’s selection of delicious food.
- 9 x bar snacks (any combination of mixed smoked nuts, olives and wasabi peas)
- One / two drinks per person
- Games guru to help with your gaming needs, rule clarifications and squabble-sorting
Private walking tour of Bristol, from Blackbeard to Banksy with AFT Bristol
Thursday 7th July , 6pm-8pm
25 places
£6 per person
Polar Bear Swim Club at Clevedon Marine Pool
Wednesday 6th July, 3pm
If you have any questions that aren’t addressed via the info below, please contact Chief Polar Bear, Peter Coates: p.a.coates@bristol.ac.uk
When to meet?: 15.00
Where are you going? Clevedon Marine Pool
Where to meet? AT Clevedon Marine Pool (northeast [narrow] end)
Method of transport:
- Bus (X7) at 13.30 from Bristol Bus Station/Anchor Road (Harbourside) [13.33]/Gasferry Road [13.34]. Arrives Clevedon (Six Ways, Albert Road, end of the line) at 14.41; then 10-minute walk to marine lake. X7 service is hourly.
- Uber/taxi (30 minutes)
- With Peter (room for 4 in car) – contact Peter
https://clevedonmarinelake.co.uk/
Post-swim (optional): coastal walk, followed by fish and chips and pub. Last bus to Bristol: 20.20.