Science is the star of the show in our STEM: London & the West Country tour. This is an incredible opportunity for any teacher who wants to get students excited about the STEM world. From natural wonders, to engineering and architecture, to archaeology and more, this tour has it all.
Read on to learn more about our STEM: London & the West Country tour.
Day 1: Hello, London!
Day 2-3: London Bridge is NOT falling down
Explore great feats of engineering and get a taste of British culture on your first day in England. Tour the bridges that span the river Thames, including Tower Bridge and London Bridge, and learn the science behind constructing them. And with both seawater and freshwater fish and the occasional bottlenose dolphin, the famous Thames is anything but just water under the bridge.
The next day, learn how the massive bell was built in Big Ben Tower, take a closer look at St. Paul’s Cathedral’s dome that towers at 85 metres, and learn how Westminster Abbey is still standing after almost 800 years. Get some exercise when you walk through some of London’s most famous squares and take a stroll through the National Gallery before sitting down for a fish and chips dinner.
Day 3: Synchronize your watches
On day three, travel to the centre of the map to Greenwich, the site of the Prime Meridian and the place where time was standardized for the rest of the world. Tour the Royal Observatory, and learn about the role it played in the development of early astronomy.
Take a look at British maritime history and engineering with trips to the Old Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum. The largest maritime museum in the world, it features Miss Britain III, the 175 kilometre-per-hour racing boat, and Cutty Sark, one of the fastest ever tea clipper boats. Then, take both out for a spin (just kidding).
Day 4: Can you give me a hand with this 25-tonne stone?
Take a special trip to one of the world’s most famous archaeological mysteries. Carbon dated to 2400 BC and with bone deposits from as early as 3000 BC, scientists still debate the purpose of the monument and how it was constructed. Come up with your own theories when you visit the site with your tour director.
Then, head to Salisbury to see what makes the world’s oldest working clock tick at Salisbury Cathedral. Dating from the 14th century, the faceless clock still strikes every hour. And you can’t miss the spire – at 123 metres, the cathedral’s famous spire adds 6,397 tonnes of weight to the cathedral, and had to be carefully constructed to avoid collapse.
Day 5: If you can’t stand the heat…get out of the Bath
Tour ruins of Roman baths in this World Heritage Site. The bathing house was constructed as early as 70 AD, capitalizing on the warm water that begins at the Mendip hills and is heated by the earth to up to 96 °C. Imagine Romans gathering for a bath almost two thousand years ago in what would become one of England’s most fashionable resort towns.
Head over to Bath Abbey to learn how its enormous ceiling stays up (hint: it’s not magic), and then check out Pulteney Bridge, one of Bath’s prized landmarks and one of only a few bridges in the world to be lined by shops on both sides.
Day 6: Life finds a way at the Eden Project
Welcome to the Eden Project, where you’ll have to remind yourself that you’re not in a science fiction movie. Home to two biomes made of hexagonal plastic cells that simulate Mediterranean and tropical climates, the Eden Project boasts the largest indoor rain forest in the world. The biomes, which are located in a Kaolinite pit, provide homes to a thousands of plant species.
Then, get another taste for British maritime life with a visit to Plymouth. Walk down The Hoe – a public space to view the coast–to catch a glimpse of British naval ships, and check out Plymouth Rock, which commemorates the pilgrims who left from that spot on the Mayflower in search of religious freedom.
Day 7: Go Indiana Jonesing in Lyme Regis
Head to this coastal town for an exciting day of hunting for fossils. The Lyme Regis coast, a World Heritage Site, is home to a plethora of fossil remains of sea creatures on the beach and in the cliffs. Some dating back to 180 million years ago, these pet rocks make for fun keepsakes to show your friends at home.
Day 8: Say hello to London’s largest resident
Spend your last day touring London’s Science Museum, home to the oldest-surviving steam locomotive, a 10,000-year clock, the first jet engine, and an Apollo spacecraft. Then, head to the London Natural History Museum to see incredible specimens collected by Charles Darwin, a full skeleton of a blue whale found stranded in 1891, a triceratops skull, and much more.
Day 9: Cheerio, London! Or, start extension to Paris.
Can’t get enough of Europe? Tack on an extra two days in Paris, including a Math and Science treasure hunt and a visit to the Cite des Sciences et de L’Industrie. See the full itinerary for STEM: London & the West Country and contact us to start planning.