As a part of the first year of our BSc Biological Sciences course we will take you to the beautiful FSC (Field Studies Council) field centre at Slapton Ley, close to Dartmouth, a short bus journey from Plymouth. The field course takes place around Easter, towards the end of your first year.
Why do we go there?
The field centre has been in place since the 1960s and is surrounded by some excellent habitats that you will be able to explore including ancient woodlands, Slapton Sands and the reedbeds and lake of Slapton Ley. As an FSC centre, thousands of students from school children to university graduates visit the site every year and it is geared up for studying the surrounding biology and geography.
What do we do?
This depends year on year due to availability of field sites, weather and the particular academics that accompany the trip and their specialist interests. We try to mix the consolidation of theory with the learning of skills to study biology in the field and lab. In particular, you will focus on key field skills like identification, keeping notebooks, designing experiments and surveying techniques.