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South West England School Day Trips

Our educational travel experts have selected their top day trip picks for schools in the South West. Explore ancient limestone rock formations in Somerset, discover Britain's colonial past in Bristol, uncover Roman culture in Bath, see where US troops prepared for D-Day in Devon or learn ancient skills in Dorset - the South West offers so many opportunities to learn outside the classroom.

Overview

Be inspired with these school day trips located in South West England

Our educational travel specialists have selected their top recommendations for school day trips in South West England.

Your next school trip could be closer than you think with these educational visits, attractions and experiences located in Devon, Dorset and Somerset.  We’ve selected our favourite day trips in South West England to support your teaching of Geography, History, Science as well as some fun visits to incorporate into Activity Week. Each excursion has been chosen because it delivers a specialist school programme so that you can be sure that your students will get the best learning experience outside the classroom. For more school trip ideas based in the far South West, also see our Cornish pages.

When organising a day trip it is essential that your coach is punctual and reliable. Voyager School Travel owns a specialist coach company called Pegasus Coaches based in Hampshire. Wherever possible our school groups are transported by Pegasus coach, driven by our own professional driver, so you can be sure of a safe and reliable service.

With expertly designed itineraries, free planning visits, door to door coach transport and the financial security of an ABTA backed service we will help you create a unique and memorable learning experience for your class.

Excursions

Explore these top day trip ideas in South West England

When organising a day trip it is essential that your coach is punctual and reliable and that's why, wherever possible, all our day trips include transport with Pegasus Coaches, our very own specialist school coach company based in Hampshire. 

With expertly designed itineraries, free planning visits, door to door coach transport and the financial security of an ABTA backed service we will help you create a unique and memorable learning experience for your class.

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Cheddar Gorge - award winning school experience, Somerset
Normandy Adventure
Learn to Surf at The Wave Bristol
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Stonehenge, Wiltshire
We the Curious Bristol Planetarium Bristol
We The Curious - Science Museum, Bristol
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Roman Baths, Bath
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Meet the dinosaurs of the Jurassic Coast
M Shed Bristol
M Shed Bristol - discover Bristol's vibrant history & culture
D Day from the boat
The secret tragedy behind Devon's D-Day training beaches, South Devon
Ancient Technology Centre Dorset
Ancient Technology Centre, Dorset
boscastle
Boscastle Geography Field Trip, Cornwall
Eden Project Cornwall
Eden Project
cornish tin mine
Going underground - Cornish Tin Mines, Cornwall
Trebah Garden Cornwall
Unearth the science & history of Trebah Gardens, Cornwall
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Cheddar Gorge - award winning school experience, Somerset

Set in a in a beautiful limestone ravine, the caves of Cheddar Gorge have attracted visitors since 1837. Go underground to discover how the caves were formed in the Ice Age and marvel at the stunning stalagmite and stalactite formations before a multi-media experience that explains how Stone Age people once occupied the caves. At the Museum of Prehistory students will learn about Cheddar Man – Britain’s oldest skeleton which was found here. Specialist talks, demonstrations and tours available for school groups.

Normandy Adventure

Learn to Surf at The Wave Bristol

The Wave is a unique inland surfing lagoon and artificial wave pool offering a safe environment for active learning adventures. Unlike many days out, a trip to the Wave combines a healthy dose of exercise with a memorable learning experience, contributing to students’ mental and physical well being. The experienced Wavemaker coaches provide high quality surf lessons tailored to the needs of the group including special educational needs and adaptive surfing. No experience required (though students must be able to swim at least 25 metres). Free preparatory surf for teachers and organisers plus full risk assessment for your trip, making the paperwork easy to complete.

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Stonehenge, Wiltshire

Stonehenge’s iconic ring of standing stones has to be one of the most well-known and outstanding prehistoric monuments in Britain. The site offers a fascinating backdrop to History, Geography and Science lessons covering topics such as the Bronze Age, hunter-gatherers of the Neolithic period, physical and human geography, and the science behind how our ancestors might have moved and raised the stones. Free teacher resources available.

We the Curious Bristol Planetarium Bristol

© James Clark, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

We The Curious - Science Museum, Bristol

One of the country’s best hands-on science centres with a changing programme of events such as the Invention Lab, where they can make their own light-up badge, Good Vibrations, a stage show that explores the science of sound, and the exciting 3D planetarium show. The passionate Live Science team will and help students get the most from the exhibits, and there are loads of experiments to take part in, from building with giant blocks to examining your own veins.

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Roman Baths, Bath

Take your students back in time to discover Roman life at the world-famous Roman Baths, a well preserved site set on a sacred mineral spring which includes a Roman Temple, Roman Bath House and fascinating museum. We can organise interactive sessions for students (Key Stages 1 to 4) where students work with original Roman materials while overlooking the Great Bath.

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Meet the dinosaurs of the Jurassic Coast

Follow in the footsteps of Mary Anning, the pioneering palaeontologist who found her first fossil here in 1823 when she was just 12 years old. Dorset's Jurassic Coast (from Lyme Regis, Chesil Beach, Isle of Portland & Lulworth Cove, Studland Bay) is home to England’s first Natural World Heritage site where students can study the coastal landforms and processes which make this part of the south coast so unique and significant.

M Shed Bristol

© Heather Cowper https://www.flickr.com/photos/heatheronhertravels/

M Shed Bristol - discover Bristol's vibrant history & culture

Explore the rich history of Bristol through the stories and objects of the inhabitants who have worked, lived and shaped this interesting and vibrant city. Learn about Bristol Places, Life and People, such as famous Bristolians Banksy and Aardman, while also tackling Bristol’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade - there’s plenty for your students to explore and discuss.

D Day from the boat

© Herman V. Wall, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The secret tragedy behind Devon's D-Day training beaches, South Devon

Exercise Tiger was a large scale training operation where US troops rehearsed their amphibious landings on Slapton Sands in readiness for the D-day landings on Utah Beach. But the exercise ended in disaster with the tragic loss of 749 American servicemen and almost delaying the D-day landing operation. Your students will visit the memorial and hear the story of Exercise Tiger which was under the strictest secrecy at the time and hardly reported afterwards.

Ancient Technology Centre Dorset

© Clive Perrin / Viking Longhouse, Ancient Technology Centre, Cranborne, Dorset

Ancient Technology Centre, Dorset

Students step back in time to experience the realities of life of their predecessors from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Anglo Saxon and Viking eras. This outdoor education centre provides curriculum-based historical experiences where students learn ancient skills from blacksmithing, rope-making and fire-making in an authentic setting of reconstructed ancient structures including a Viking longhouse, Roman forge, Saxon workshop and Iron Age earthouse. Day trips, field trips and residentials available for school and college groups.

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Boscastle Geography Field Trip, Cornwall

This beautiful village was hit by a freak flash flood in August 2004, washing cars and buildings into the sea and putting lives in danger. At Boscastle, geography students can study how the topography of the land funnelled vast volumes of water into the village and learn about the £4.5m flood defence scheme designed to prevent the village being flooded in the future. Boscastle makes a fascinating KS3 Rivers and Flooding case study.

Eden Project Cornwall

Eden Project

The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall located in a reclaimed Kaolinite pit. The complex is dominated by two huge enclosures consisting of adjoining domes that house thousands of plant species, and each enclosure emulates a natural biome. The largest of the two biomes simulates a Rainforest environment and the second, a Mediterranean environment. The 35-acre site is filled with sculptures, play areas, vegetable gardens, restaurants and even a zip wire, all with environmental conservation, education and sustainability as their core message. The result is the world’s most exotic, scent-filled, fun, interactive, imaginative and sheer mind-blowing classroom on the planet!

cornish tin mine

Going underground - Cornish Tin Mines, Cornwall

Explore the geography and history of Cornwall’s tin industry with guided visits to heritage tin mining sites such as the amazingly preserved Geevor Tin Mine, Bottallack Mines, an iconic landmark in Cornwall’s historic tin mining industry and location for BBC’s Poldark, and the fascinating Heartlands World Heritage Mining Centre.

Trebah Garden Cornwall

© Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Unearth the science & history of Trebah Gardens, Cornwall

With its stunning coastal backdrop and sub-tropical planting Trebah Gardend is one of the most finest gardens of Cornwall and is the perfect complement to a visit to the Eden Project. History students will learn about how, in 1944, 7,500 US Infantrymen boarded ten landing craft from Trebah beach to take part in the assault on Omaha Beach.

Included

All our UK school day trip packages include:

  • A detailed itinerary with pre-booked excursions
  • Door to door transport on a Voyager-owned Pegasus coach (Pegasus coach subject to availability)
  • Free teacher place for every 8 students on the trip
  • Dedicated person to support you before, during and after your trip
  • 24-hour emergency back-up – we won’t leave you stranded
  • No quibble cancellation policy – full refund if we have to cancel your trip
  • The security of an ABTA-backed financial guarantee
  • Comprehensive travel insurance
  • Assistance with inspection visits

Voyager School Travel owns a specialist coach company called Pegasus Coaches, and wherever possible our school groups are transported by Pegasus coach, driven by our own professional driver, so you can be sure of a safe and reliable service.

Benefits for schools

The benefits of using Voyager to organise your day trip

One stop shop – from transport to excursions we take care of every detail. We make it easier to organise a day trip with just one point of contact, a single invoice and help with risk assessments, leaving you more time to deal with students and parents.

Get the most from a short trip – as educational travel specialists we have the expertise to recommend an inspirational day trip which is packed full of learning. You’ll be surprised by what can be achieved in just one day. 

Travel safely – we are one of the only school travel companies with our own specialist school coach company which means you benefit from preferential rates, door to door service and drivers who are experienced in looking after school groups (indeed other school travel companies use our coaches too!).

We’ve got your back – book your trip as a package so if you encounter a problem you can rely on our experienced team to sort it out. And with our own coach fleet, we can guarantee that we’ll never leave you stranded.

Peace of mind if plans change – if we have to cancel your trip because of COVID or any other reason, your group is eligible for a full no-quibble refund.

Financial protection - by booking your day trip as a package with us, your trip is completely protected by the ABTA financial guarantee.

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