SCOTLAND IN MINIATURE
AIPG 2027 International Field Trip: Isle of Arran
Join us in the "Geologist Mecca" image source:
https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/isle-of-arran-announced-as-unesco-global-geopark/ Dawn Garcia, CPG-08313 Once again, AIPG will have
Down to Earth organize an international field excursion for us in 2027. Down to Earth previously organized trips to the Scottish Highlands in 2024 and Cornwall in 2025; these trips were greatly enjoyed by those in attendance. The company arranges fantastic geologic trips with a reason- able budget. The March or April 2027 excursion will head to the Isle of Arran, known as “Scotland in Miniature”. The island offers a blend of rugged highlands, rolling lowlands, ancient history and charming coastal villages. The island was officially designated a UNESCO Global Geopark on April 17, 2025. This designation cele- brates Arran’s exceptional geological heritage, which spans over 600 million years of Earth’s history. The Isle of Arran has been described as “the geologists’ Mecca” on account of the number of university students who have visited the island for fieldwork over the years. Even today, students from the likes of the University of Cambridge carry out their student mapping on the island. It’s also where James Hutton identified one of the first unconformities in the world.
image source: Google Earth 2025.
Arran’s rocks represent all three rock types, and they range in age from lower Paleozoic to Tertiary.
30 TPG •
Jan.Feb.Mar 2026
The island's landscape tells a vivid story of: • The Tectonic plate collisions
• Continental drift from the southern hemisphere
• The opening of the Atlantic Ocean • Glacial sculpting of the alpine mountains
Arran is home to rare and endangered species like the Arran
whitebeam, a tree that has survived since the last Ice Age. The island supports over 156 bird species, more than 1,000 plant species and Scotland’s “Big Five” (golden eagles, red deer, red squirrels, otters, and harbor seals).
We’ll spend eight nights on the island, staying in the Kinloch Hotel
at Blackwaterfoot each night on the island’s west coast within sight and sound of the sea. The hotel offers excellent accommodation and food along with facilities that include a small gym, sauna, and swimming pool.
The trip includes the provision of all meals and daily coach hire.
Travel from the USA would be via a flight to Glasgow, followed by a train and ferry ride to Brodick.
AIPG members are welcome to contact headquarters (aipg@
aipg.org) to be put on an early list. More details will be developed in 2026 with rates and dates of the field trip.
www.aipg.org
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