Conservation volunteering in the UK
| country: | Scotland, England, Wales |
| departures: | Departs approx once a week throughout the year, mid-week and weekends |
| price: | From £60 - £90 (3 days) or £130 - £180 (8 days) excluding flights. Projects of up to 28 days are available in Scotland |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Our variety holidays are a mixture of at least two different types of conservation work and are designed for those who either are new to conservation work or those who want to try a variety of different conservation tasks during the holiday. Don't worry if you've never tried any conservation work or done these tasks before - full tuition will be provided on site.
Our conservation variety holidays may include a mixture of the following: Access, Habitat Management, Woodland Management or Waterway’s and Wetlands. Our holidays take place in some of the most peaceful and spectacular locations in the UK and last between 2 and 7 days in England and Wales or 10 days in Scotland. We even have a 28 day holiday based in the Shetland Isles in Scotland which takes places either in July or August.
Our holidays often take place on land owned or managed by other countryside conservation organisations such as the National Trust, National Park Authorities and Wildlife Trusts, and our volunteers' work thus contributes to their management objectives for these sites.
Accommodation
Accommodation varies enormously but falls into three main categories as follows:
Superior - can include field studies centres, cottages or holiday parks. Showers and beds are available and full catering may be provided.
Standard - youth hostel or similar, usually with bunk-bed dormitories, a separate eating area, and showers where indicated.
Simple - village hall, caravan etc, usually consisting of communal area for eating, sleeping and living. Air beds or sleeping mats are usually provided but cooking and washing up facilities are basic and showers may not be available every day.
Leisure activities in your free time
Although your daytime activities will be taken up with conservation tasks, your evenings are free. After dinner, you can either do your own thing or enjoy the company of the other members of your group. On all holidays of one week or longer, you'll have a day off when you can explore the surrounding area. Activities are not organised but there will be plenty of information to help you and the group decide on your activities, which could include visits to local tourist attractions, shopping trips, a day at the seaside, walks, or other outdoor activities e.g. canoeing.
Although practical conservation work is very rewarding, it can be quite physically demanding, so a reasonable level of fitness is required for all our holidays. During the day, however, you will be encouraged to work at your own pace, taking breaks whenever you need them. At the end of the day, you will return to your accommodation for dinner and relaxation. Most holidays are self-catering and everyone is asked to help out with the cooking, cleaning and washing up. Mucking in with these activities is part of the holiday experience!
Our conservation variety holidays may include a mixture of the following: Access, Habitat Management, Woodland Management or Waterway’s and Wetlands. Our holidays take place in some of the most peaceful and spectacular locations in the UK and last between 2 and 7 days in England and Wales or 10 days in Scotland. We even have a 28 day holiday based in the Shetland Isles in Scotland which takes places either in July or August.
Our holidays often take place on land owned or managed by other countryside conservation organisations such as the National Trust, National Park Authorities and Wildlife Trusts, and our volunteers' work thus contributes to their management objectives for these sites.
Accommodation
Accommodation varies enormously but falls into three main categories as follows:
Superior - can include field studies centres, cottages or holiday parks. Showers and beds are available and full catering may be provided.
Standard - youth hostel or similar, usually with bunk-bed dormitories, a separate eating area, and showers where indicated.
Simple - village hall, caravan etc, usually consisting of communal area for eating, sleeping and living. Air beds or sleeping mats are usually provided but cooking and washing up facilities are basic and showers may not be available every day.
Leisure activities in your free time
Although your daytime activities will be taken up with conservation tasks, your evenings are free. After dinner, you can either do your own thing or enjoy the company of the other members of your group. On all holidays of one week or longer, you'll have a day off when you can explore the surrounding area. Activities are not organised but there will be plenty of information to help you and the group decide on your activities, which could include visits to local tourist attractions, shopping trips, a day at the seaside, walks, or other outdoor activities e.g. canoeing.
a day in a life of a volunteer
The normal working day lasts from approximately 9am to 5pm, depending on the weather and how everyone feels. Tea breaks and a picnic lunch are an important part of the day. The day will normally start with a tools talk from the Project Leader and an explanation of what the project entails and why it is being done. You will be shown how to use all tools correctly and safely, and will be briefed on any safety issues specific to the site. Although practical conservation work is very rewarding, it can be quite physically demanding, so a reasonable level of fitness is required for all our holidays. During the day, however, you will be encouraged to work at your own pace, taking breaks whenever you need them. At the end of the day, you will return to your accommodation for dinner and relaxation. Most holidays are self-catering and everyone is asked to help out with the cooking, cleaning and washing up. Mucking in with these activities is part of the holiday experience!
travellers' tales
I had loads of fun – enjoyed myself much more than I ever expected, and, as an extra bonus, came away with muscles I never had (even after a week of almost constant cake-eating) I’ve already recommended it to lots of friends. (more)
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Conservation variety holidays give volunteers a chance to undertake a variety of conservation projects, which will help to conserve valuable wildlife habitats and protect special landscapes. Whatever the activity you choose, you can be sure that your hard work will be contributing to a sustainable future for our planet.
Our conservation holidays often take place on land owned or managed by other countryside conservation organisations such as the National Trust, National Park Authorities and Wildlife Trusts, and our volunteers' work thus contributes to their management objectives for these sites. Our UK Conservation Holidays offer you a unique opportunity to take part in activities which improve the environment and protect the beautiful landscapes of the UK and their associated wildlife habitats and natural heritage and also leave a worthwhile legacy for future generations. Working with like-minded people in small groups (max: 12) you will share a common goal of ‘getting the job done’ and have fun in the process. Our trained leaders are there to ensure you have a good time, but also to make sure that health and safety rules are followed. In the evenings talks are sometimes held about the site and its importance to the flora and fauna of the area or you could visit a local pub and mix with the locals. If there is a day off, you can visit local attractions thus making sure that local people are benefitting from your visit. We encourage the use of public transport to get to the pick-up point (usually a train station) where a minibus is waiting to take you to the accommodation. Our accommodation is where possible locally owned and run and can vary from a local village hall to youth hostels or barn conversions on working farms. Working closely with local partners and other countryside organisations our work contributes to both local and national objectives for these sites. We work to create a more sustainable future by inspiring people to improve places. We were established in 1959, and have a successful history of environmental conservation volunteering throughout the UK. Through our goals and values we aim to enhance and enrich people’s lives, the communities in which they live and the quality of their environment. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |