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Social Events

We have arranged a number of social events for delegates to enjoy during the conference:

Tuesday 11th September

18.00 - 20.00: Poster session and wine reception with a finger buffet in the Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) at Lancaster University.

Wednesday 12th September

19.30 - late: Conference dinner at Barker House Farm, Cartmel College, Lancaster University (the original building, which is incorporated into the new complex, dates back to 1691).

Friday 14th September

10.00-15.00: Morecambe Bay Exploration

Preliminary itinerary - subject to change

To outsiders, Morecambe Bay is relatively unknown, being overshadowed by the more obvious attractions of the Lake District and Blackpool. But for locals and adopted Lancastrians alike, it is a source of both peace and drama. Our tour will start with a drive to Arnside on the Kent estuary, with a fine view to Cumbria (formerly Lancashire over the Sands) and the railway viaduct over the tidal estuary. We proceed from there to Silverdale, and then on to Morecambe, following the coast road. It is scurrilously said that the best view of Morecambe is with the town behind you - and indeed the Lake District mountains across the bay are a spectacular backdrop to sunsets. But Morecambe is being regenerated, and we can note the newly restored Midland Hotel. Morecambe is a mid-19th century seaside town, but further along the bay we come to Heysham, with its narrow 17th century streets and not one, but two Saxon churches, both situated high on a promontory overlooking the bay. We can inspect the Viking hogback gravestone and the 8th century graves hollowed out from the rock above the sea. From here, we may be able to see the rigs in the Morecambe Bay gas field, but we will certainly be able to see Heysham nuclear power station. Pressing on, we head for Sunderland Point, a hamlet cut off by the tide twice a day, at one time a significant port during the slave trade. We walk past 18th century houses to the beach, where we find Sambo's Grave, where a boy brought from Africa was buried in 1736 shortly after coming ashore from a slave ship. This lonely place of pilgrimage was recently featured in a BBC Radio 4 series on places associated with slavery.

We estimate that this tour will take around 5 hours. There will be short walks at Arnside, Heysham and Sunderland Point - stout footwear recommended. We shall identify local hostelries which will be able to accommodate us.