Undergraduate students from all programs and years of study at Brock University are invited to apply. Additionally, students studying at other Canadian universities are welcome to apply to take this course on Letter of Permission (LOP).

Please note that limited spots are available for this course. Priority will be given to Geography and Tourism majors in their third and fourth year of studies.

Course duration: August 3 to 23, 2027 in England

(departure from Pearson Airport on night of August 2nd)

To minimize disruption to summer employment, our two online predeparture orientation meetings will be scheduled at optimal times for course participants in July. Exact dates to be determinded.

*EXACT SCHEDULE STILL TO BE DETERMINED*

Day 1 (August 3): Arrival at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex

Day 2 – 15: Herstmonceux Castle and East Sussex activities

Herstmonceux Castle activities may include:

• Castle tour
• Estate tour and explorations
• Observatory Science Centre tour
• Visit to rewilding initiatives
• Herstmonceux Church tour
• Lectures and presentations
• Digital interpretive project workshops

East Sussex activities and heritage destinations will be chosen from among the following:

• Battle Abbey / Battle of Hastings site (English Heritage): grounds of the famous 1066 Norman Conquest site where King Harold fought William the Conqueror, which completely changed England by replacing its ruling class, restructuring society, and shifting the nation’s culture and language.
• Birling Gap / Seven Sisters coastal zone (National Trust): famous coastal ecosystem in East Sussex featuring a pebbly beach set beneath the dramatic chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters.
• South Downs National Park: a range of rolling coastal chalk hills and UK’s most visited national park, with ~39 million visitor-days per year.
• Village of East Dean: a postcard-pretty downland village in East Sussex near the Seven Sisters featuring a blue plaque commemorating Sherlock Holmes.
• Brighton: Royal Pavilion / Royal Palace Pier / The Lanes / Brighton Beach.
• Village of Alfriston: quintessential English village that combines early architectural conservation, medieval religion, and South Downs hiking.
• Pevensey Levels: a wetland area that has undergone extensive change since Roman times, which is managed by the Sussex wildlife Trust, including a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Ramsar Site.
• Bateman’s / Park Mill: Grade I listed Jacobean Wealden mansion that was Rudyard Kipling’s residence and estate (National Trust).
• Pevensey Castle: a key invasion landing site in 1066, a massive Roman coastal defense, and a multi-century military stronghold spanning 1,700 years (English Heritage).
• Scotney Castle: a Tudor Revival masterwork of the Picturesque landscape movement, blending 14th-century ruins, a reflective moat, and Victorian architecture (National Trust).
• 1066 Trail Walk: a 50 km walking trail that turns geography into a physical timeline of the Norman Conquest.
• Bexhill – De La Warr Pavilion: a Grade I-listed 1935 modernist landmark on the Bexhill waterfront celebrated as a pioneering International Style public building and regional cultural hub.
• Bexhill Museum / British Motor Racing Museum: regional museum that also houses the technology collection celebrating Bexhill-on-Sea as the official birthplace of British motor racing.
• Ashdowne Forest: internationally rare lowland heathland ecosystem, Southeast England’s largest public open space, and the inspiration behind A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books.
• Rye: a historic fortified hilltop port, a medieval Cinque Port naval base, and a rare, well-preserved survival of medieval English town planning.
• Alfriston: archetypal quaint South Downs village known for its historic tea rooms and independent bookshop.
• East Sussex Folly Walk: a 7.5 km country ramble tour of the follies created by Mad Jack Fuller, a wealthy English eccentric who built non-functional decorative architectural monuments throughout the East Sussex countryside.

Day 16 – 21: London

• Walking tours of heritage neighbourhoods: Westminster, Soho, Mayfair, Marylebone, Belgravia, Little Venice.
• Blue Badge program overview.
• Blue Plaque tour.
• Boat tour of the River Thames from Westminster to Greenwich.

Our natural and cultural heritage destinations in London will be chosen from among the following:

• British Museum*
• National Gallery*
• National Portrait Gallery*
• Tate Modern*
• Tate Britain*
• Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) *
• Natural History Museum*
• Science Museum*
• Wellcome Collection*
• Imperial War Museum*
• Saatchi Gallery*
• Royal Greenwich Observatory
• Handel and Hendrix Museum

*free admission

Day 21: Return travel day or optional extended stay / additional destinations

This is an OSAP eligible course for tuition. To address the realities of high cost in the United Kingdom, students will be staying in the most affordable accommodations available – the Bader Hall student residence at Herstmonceux Castle Estate, and in catered YMCA facilities in Fitzrovia with breakfast and dinner included during the London portion of the stay.

The overall cost of the program is estimated at approximately CDN $3570 without airfare, or $4970 including airfare, plus course tuition fees.

All prices are approximate. We are currently advising students to budget approximately:

• Flights: ~ $1400 per person round trip (based on Air Transat direct economy flights from Toronto to London Gatwick)
• Ground transportation: ~ Train: $50 per person from Gatwick to Herstmonceux; $50 from Herstmonceux to London Victoria; $50 from London to Gatwick on Gatwick Express.
• Tube and bus transportation in London: ~ $50 per person total.
• Van transportation to various destinations in East Sussex: ~ $300 per person total.
• Lodging at Bader Hall, Herstmonceux Castle: Average $91/night shared accommodation – $840 total
• Meal preparation at Bader Hall is self-catering, where you are provided with access to communal kitchen facilities and food storage. Provisioning visits to grocery stores will be made regularly. Light meals are also available or purchase at the Nuthatch Tea Room (daily) and at the Headless Drummer Pub (weekends).
• Lodging in Central London (YMCA, Fitzrovia): Average $150/night with breakfast and dinner included – $600 total
• Tuition: For one full credit (more info here)
• Additional costs include all meals, snacks, transportation, attraction entry fees, entertainment, and personal items.

Applications for the Summer 2027 Tourism Field Course (GEOG/TOUR 3F97) are due by March 1, 2027. Please complete and submit the form below.

Please contact Dr. David Brown at [email protected] with any questions related to the Herstmonceux / East Sussex / London Field Course.