Geology Holidays

Geowalks Geology Holidays

Geowalks Geology Holidays give you the opportunity to visit Scotland’s finest rocks and landscapes. We explore an area in a series of day walks. Small groups of 10-15 people. A relaxed pace with lots of flexibility. We frequently pause to enjoy the views, the wildlife and flowers and to explore the human stories.

I really enjoy leading these trips, and they are highly regarded – a recent participant said “Many thanks for this year’s geology trips. I enjoyed them all. You do a great job in the organisation, the accommodation, the weather, the people and the geology but most of all it is the courteous and friendly way you treat us that makes a geowalk special. Thank you.”

I’ve been organising these holidays for 20 years. In that time I’ve led more than 80 trips to 17 different locations including the islands of Arran, Cumbrae and Bute, the Cairngorms, Northwest Highlands, Fife Coast, Torridon, Orkney, Shetland and the islands of Eigg and Rum.

Please get in touch if you would like further information about any of these holidays, or you have any questions.

Angus Miller, Geowalks

Tuesday 31 March to Saturday 4 April 2020

Isle of Eigg

The small Hebridean island of Eigg is an enchanting mix: beautiful scenery, a surprising variety of rocks, and a friendly and innovative local community. There are many geological riches to explore, including important fossil-rich sedimentary rocks and the singing sands, fringed by sandstone cliffs cut by basalt dykes. The famous Sgùrr forms the high point of the island.
Eigg is mostly formed from basalt lava flows and intrusions, the remains of extensive volcanic activity 60 million years ago. These are underlain by sedimentary rocks from the Jurassic Period. The rocks of An Sgùrr were formed by a final, violent volcanic eruption, the last known volcanic activity in this area.
This trip will explore Eigg’s geological variety, including the west coast, the south of the island and An Sgùrr. The itinerary will include short walks over rough and sometimes boggy ground.

Download information sheet (pdf file)

Friday 22 to Friday 29 May 2020

Shetland Islands

The wild and remote Shetland archipelago is renowned for its scenery, wildlife, archaeology and rocks, a must-visit for anyone who loves Scottish islands. The geology is extremely varied across the island group: dominated by a wide range of different metamorphic rocks, linked to the main rock areas of the Scottish Highlands, but compressed and juxtaposed in narrow slices and accompanied by granite, sandstone and volcanic rocks formed in the Devo

nian period. We will visit the northern islands of Unst and Fetlar, a unique assemblage from the Iapetus Ocean floor.
A huge variety of rocks that is reflected in the different character of every island and every view. These rocks and scenery would be enough to entertain and delight on their own, but are accompanied by many other features of interest, including rich archaeology and culture, and world-famous bird life.
This trip will be led by Angus Miller of Geowalks and local tour guide Robina Barton. Robina is based in Lerwick and has in-depth experience of Shetland’s culture, geology, nature and archaeology.

Download information sheet (pdf file)

Thursday 11 to Tuesday 23 June 2020

Scotland Rocks! Geology Field Trip with Williams GeoAdventures

Travel through Northern and Central Scotland studying fundamental geological concepts and exploring the landscapes and geology of the Scottish Highlands in this unique 12-day field trip. Scotland boasts spectacular scenery and the most varied geological landscapes of any country of its size in the world. Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and has two volcanoes to boot! The trip includes multiple night stays in Edinburgh, Inverness, Ullapool, and the Isle of Skye.

Day trips will study fundamental concepts that were important in the development of geology as a science. Participants gain first-hand experience in relative dating principles and interpreting geologic history. Four days will be spent exploring the area around Edinburgh and will include Edinburgh’s volcanoes, the area around Dunbar, St. Andrews, and Siccar Point, the location of Hutton’s Unconformity. The next eight days will explore the Scottish Highlands, including a three-night stay on the enchanting Isle of Skye, whisky-tasting, castles and more! Trips to the north and northwest will study geological processes, structural geology, and landscape development, expanding on the tools learned in Edinburgh.

Further information – Williams GeoAdventures website

Sunday 21 to Friday 26 June 2020

Geosailing with Selkie Explorers

Reaching the places that normal geology trips don’t reach… travelling with the wind, seeing the Hebrides from a different perspective, taking our time to soak up the atmosphere, get in close to the coast to view the geology of inaccessible places and if conditions allow, land occasionally for a wild walk. We can’t plan the detailed itinerary in advance, but there are a myriad of possibilities sailing from Lochboisdale, South Uist, to Eigg in the Small Isles with a range of geology ahead of us (with rocks dating from 3000 million to just 55 million years old.) We may sail north or south in the Sea of the Hebrides and Minch, steadily heading East.

I’m delighted to be working with Celia Bull of Selkie Explorers, based on the island of Eigg and Selkie, her amazing high-latitude yacht, aluminium hulled with a lifting keel. I’ve sailed with Celia quite a few of times now, and she is a fine skipper: very experienced, knowledgeable and with a fascinating life story that has taken her all over the world. So, these are unforgettable experiences for a small group.

Our June 2020 voyage sets out from Lochboisdale on Sunday evening, midsummer, and we aim to return to anchor off Eigg on Thursday afternoon. Lochboisdale can be reached from Mallaig on the 3pm sailing on Sunday 21st. There may be time on Eigg on the Friday morning, and there are a couple of options for departing Eigg for Mallaig or Arisaig that day. Book direct with Selkie Explorers – further information.

Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September 2020 (dates to be confirmed)

Arran Geology Weekend

Welcome to the best geology in Scotland! Arran’s rocks tell a story stretching over hundreds of millions of years. There are igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, representing periods of mountain building, equatorial seas, hot deserts, volcanoes and underground cauldrons of magma – it’s all here, and Arran is justly famous as an ideal introduction to the study of rocks, and a place to appreciate the link between the rocks and the shape of the land at different scales.

Details to be confirmed, but I’m hoping to tie in with the Arran Geofest, so there will be a range of walks, talks and activities on offer.

How to Book

Phone: 0131 555 5488
Mobile: 0797 997 1310
Email: angus@geowalks.co.uk

Get in touch to see if there are places available, and then send a £50 deposit to secure your place (cheques payable to ‘Geowalks’ or ask for bank transfer details).

The final information about each holiday is sent out about 6 weeks in advance, but please ask if you need details to make travel arrangements, etc. Some holidays are organised with partners including Williams Geoadventures and Selkie Explorers, and you book through them – but please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Isle of Eigg - Geowalks Geology Walking Holidays