Field Courses
We lead immersive field courses to engage and excite school children about the UK's ecology and natural heritage.
DrumDuan Currach Project
In September 2024 the Wild Rivers team was invited back to Drumduan School to lead a three day field trip. The trip wove social history within the wider tapestry of rewilding and restoring landscapes in Scotland. During the week prior to the field trip, we covered content in the classroom that would provide the foundations for understanding a wilder Scotland in the field. This included a comparison to southwest Norway, geological timelines, and a debate on the reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx. Our students also built two currachs in the first week. A currach is a traditional small oval Scottish boat made from woven willow or hazel and traditionally covered in animal skins or hides. Ours were made from locally collected hazel covered with a cotton canvas in replacement of an animal hide. Over the course of the three field trip days we visited locations of special ecological importance including the ancient Caledonian pine forest, Loch Tay, and Glenfeshie, and had a tour of the Crannog Centre’s Iron Age village. We were fortunate enough to sight one of Scotland's most elusive birds, the Capercaillie, and the reintroduced beavers on Loch Tay. To round off the trip, we enjoyed a sunny afternoon paddling our hand crafted currachs, started a fire with a bow drill, local storytelling from Claire Hewitt, and pitched tents on the water’s edge overlooking the Loch.
Pembrokeshire Field Trip with Acorn School
In February 2026 Wild Rivers teamed up with the Acorn School in Gloucestershire to run a residential field trip in southwest Pembrokeshire with upper school students aged 15-18. Over the course of three days, the students followed the narrative of the landscape’s ecological history, exploring concepts of land use change, rewilding, deep time, cultural history, and the exploitation of the local environments. Led by founders Phoenix and Smiley, the trip covered terrestrial and marine ecosystems, emphasising immersive activities including visiting a 6000 year old temperate rainforest, marine mammal watching near Skomer Island, evening activities of bat monitoring and UV rockpooling. A key focus of the trip was the rare temperate rainforest habitats present in the region. A visit to a patch of rainforest called Ty Canol revealed the incredible abundance of lichens, moss and rare bird species. During the visit the students collected data to investigate the differences in epiphytic diversity between the ancient temperate rainforest of Ty Canol and a nearby sycamore forest. Continuing the theme of changing landscapes and rewilding, the group visited Pembrokeshire Agroforestry, a small regenerative farm which experiments with agricultural practices which enhance biodiversity whilst maintaining effective food production. Incorporating topics of land use change and ecosystem health, students investigated the historic impacts of species that used to roam the British Isles such as aurochs, wild boar, beavers, lynx and wolves and the roles they used to play in keeping our ecosystems resilient and healthy. Through entwining historic landscapes and current regenerative agricultural practices, the group discussed the future of Pembrokeshire’s lands, rivers and sea, and the shift towards creating more biodiverse and resilient habitats.
What's next?
Wild Rivers is expanding its network of ecologists to lead multiple educational river expeditions each year, reaching over 1000 young people annually. We strive to make our projects more inclusive and work with children from underprivileged or disadvantaged backgrounds, who may not have had equal access to nature and the outdoors.
In September 2026, we are excited to be leading an expedition on the River Wye.
Get in touch with us to find out more!