Rockwatch

29/05/2026

Sharing for our Scottish Geology friends 👇

Join us to celebrate 300 years of Deep Time at the Scottish Geology Trust's annual Scottish Geology Festival.

We’re hosting three free events that explore Scotland’s geological highlights:
📅 8 June: Guided Arthur's Seat Walk
📅 12 June: Scotland's Fossil Story
📅 17 June: Volcanoes of the Seven Hills

Get your tickets here: https://www.scottishgeologytrust.org/events/

19/05/2026

A windy but wonderful afternoon at Bracklesham Bay!

Rockwatchers joined David Bone and Kate Adler for a fossil hunt along the Sussex coast — and the blustery weather helped reveal some brilliant finds on the beach. Families searched the sands for fossils from the ancient Eocene Sea, with plenty of exciting discoveries along the way. Even Eddie the dog enjoyed it, sporting his warm jacket and Rockwatch badge!

Huge thanks to David for leading another fantastic Bracklesham trip, and thanks to all our Rockwatch families for braving the weather and making it such a fun afternoon!

19/05/2026

We had a fantastic time at Rock & Fossil Day at Discover Bucks Museum over the May Bank Holiday weekend!

Thank you to everyone who came along to explore fossils, make crafts, dig for treasures, bring along mystery rocks and join in all the geology fun with Rockwatch and the Bucks Geology Group.

It was wonderful to meet so many enthusiastic young geologists and families throughout the day.

A huge thank you as well to the brilliant teams at Discover Bucks Museum and the Bucks Geology Group for all their energy, enthusiasm and support in making the day such a success.

We hope to see many of you again at future Rockwatch events and field trips!

14/05/2026

🦖 MORE ROCKWATCH SUMMER EVENTS 2026 ARE HERE! 🦈

From shark teeth on the Essex coast to Jurassic fossils in Yorkshire, we’ve got an exciting summer of geological adventures lined up for Rockwatchers and their families.

Join us this summer for:
🦈 Bracklesham Bay Fossil Hunt
🦕 Lyme Regis Fossil Festival
🪨 Staithes Fossil Hunt
❄️ Skipsea Withow Mere Ice Age Adventure
🦷 Walton-on-the-Naze Fossil Hunt

Some trips are already FULL and others are filling quickly, so don’t miss out!
🎟️ Most trips are just £2.50 for Rockwatch members

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family-friendly geology adventures
🔍 Fossils, sharks’ teeth, Ice Age discoveries and more!
👉 Visit rockwatch.org.uk for details and booking information.

13/05/2026

Always great fun and so inspiring - Rockwatchers join The Rock Showman to learn more about fossils from space!

Fossil Festival PERFORMANCE on the Marine Parade
The Rock Showman – Fossils from Space?!
Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th June

Fossil Festival fans all know that fossils are out of this world, but could we find ACTUAL fossils beyond our planet?

Join festival favourite The Rock Showman, on an epic journey searching for life in space.

A performance lecture with tricks, rocks and rock music, inviting you to explore the solar system, uncover early life and hold a meteorite in your hand.

📅Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th June, 11am/1pm/3pm
📍Marine Parade
🎟️FREE Event (drop-by)
ℹ️For more information see programme:
https://fossilfestival.com/lyme-regis-fossil-festival-programme

13/05/2026

Great for Rockwatchers going to the Fossil Festival in June 👇

Fossil Festival STUDENT TALKS at the Driftwood cafe
Sunday 14th June

10.30-11am ‘At the Feet of Megalosaurus, The Kirtlington Mammal Bed’ Benjamin Cunningham, Palaeontology Student at the University of Bristol

11.30am-12pm ‘Microvertebrates of the Rhaetic Bone Bed at Carrefour, Bristol’ Lavanya Ralhan, Palaeontology Student at the University of Bristol

12.30-1pm ‘Cretaceous Sharks and Climate Change’ Chloe Griffiths, PhD Student at Birkbeck, University of London & Natural History Museum, London

1.30-2pm ‘Corals Past and Present’ Katherine Faulkner, PhD Student at University of Oxford (Department of Earth Sciences)

2.30-3pm ‘Dipteronotus and the Evolution of Middle Triassic Fish’ Emma Ayres, Palaeobiology MSc Student at the University of Bristol

3.30-4pm ‘A Crocodile Before Its Time: Secrets of Duria Antiquior’ Hamzah Imran, Palaeontology PhD Student at the University of Portsmouth

📅Sunday 14th June 10m-5pm
📍Driftwood Cafe (ata the Baptist Church)
🎟️FREE Admission (drop-in, limited spaces)
ℹ️ For more information see programme:
https://fossilfestival.com/lyme-regis-fossil-festival-programme

13/05/2026

A FEW PLACES ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THIS WEEKEND - HURRY NOW TO BOOK!

Rockwatch Fieldtrip: Bracklesham Bay Fossil Hunt – Saturday 16 May 2026
Led by David & Anne Bone, we’ll explore Bracklesham Bay as the tide falls, searching for Eocene fossil shells and sharks’ teeth.

📍 Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex
🕝 2.30–5.00pm
👧 Recommended age: 7+
👥 Max 40 places (Rockwatch Members and accompanying adults only)
No tools needed — just warm clothes, wet-proof footwear, and a sense of adventure. Booking essential via rockwatch.org.uk

09/05/2026

To coincide with the tercentenary of the birth of James Hutton, the founder of modern geology and one of the starts of the Scottish Enlightenment, we are offering a 3-day field trip to visit his home city of Edinburgh to explore two of his most famous localities. The trip is scheduled from Tuesday 7th-Thursday 9th July 2026 and will be led by Robert Gatliff of Edinburgh Geological Society.

Day 1 am: Examining the Charles Lyell notebooks (at the University of Edinburgh); then a visit to ‘Dynamic Earth’. Lunch in Edinburgh.

Day 1 pm- Trip (on public transport) to see Edinburgh’s seaside at Joppa; opportunity to explore Middle-Upper Carboniferous sediments.

Day 2: Trip (by car; participants without their own cars will be offered an arranged car-sharing option for that day) to see Hutton’s Unconformity at Siccar Point; then to White Sands and Dunbar to explore Lower-Middle Carboniferous sediments and volcanics.

Day 3 am: Walk to Arthur’s Seat to explore the anatomy of a volcano, including James Hutton’s section at the base Salisbury Crags. Finish at lunchtime to enable an early departure.

Please note: participants must make their own accommodation and meal arrangements. Participants without their own cars will be offered an arranged car-sharing option for that day.

Registration Fee: £15 GA Members / £45 non-member

GA Members have priority booking on Field Meetings until 4 weeks before the meeting date when any remaining places will open to non members.

For full details and to register, visit our website: https://geologistsassociation.org.uk/ukfield/

Activities to celebrate the tercentenary are taking place across Scotland and beyond: including the Scottish Geology Festival, exhibitions, a new Deep Time Trail at Siccar Point, walks, talks, concerts, bell-ringing, new art works, symposia and commemorative whiskies. Full details are available via a dedicated website: https://james-hutton.org/

09/05/2026

Free priority tickets for the Exhibition 2026 are now available to book. Book now for priority entry to our annual celebration of the best science the UK has to offer, from a microbe zoo to the mysteries of lightning. https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/summer-science-exhibition/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=rs-social-summer-science-2026

08/05/2026

Happy 100th Birthday to the wonderful Sir David Attenborough!

Everyone at Rockwatch sends our warmest wishes as you celebrate this incredible milestone.

Over the years, Sir David has inspired generations of young geologists, fossil hunters and nature lovers through his passion for our planet, its history and the amazing stories hidden within rocks and fossils. His curiosity, kindness and sense of wonder have encouraged countless children to look more closely at the wonders on planet Earth and to treasure the natural world around them.

We are hugely grateful for the support he has shown to Rockwatch over the years and for the inspiration he continues to give to young people everywhere.

We hope Sir David enjoys the many birthday celebrations planned today and wish him many more opportunities to explore, celebrate and share the wonders of our extraordinary planet.

Happy 100th Birthday, Sir David — and thank you for everything. 🌎💚