We enjoy between six and twelve field visits each year. Most of our visits are to sites within Essex itself, but from time to time we also organise visits to Kent, Suffolk and even further afield. Usually, our visits involve a small group of us – between 6 and 20, lead by a member of the Society. We take members’ safety very seriously, so please read the safety notices, below.
So why come on an ERMS field visit, when you could just go to the beach and look for fossils by yourself?
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- Some of our field visits are to places which are barred to the general public (e.g. working quarries). Without being part of an ERMS official visit, you will not be allowed in.
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- Even if you visit the beach etc on your own, you will not have access to the level of expertise that ERMS members collectively have. But on an ERMS field visit, if you find something interesting, you can get an expert opinion straight away.
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- Its fun to take part in these visits with other, like-minded, people!
Please Note: all participants must book a place using the on-line booking system (see below).
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Please note that due to insurance requirements, only ERMS members may take part in these Field Visits. If you are an ERMS member, then most the visits are free.
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But if you are not an ERMS member, you can still take part, but you must either:
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Enroll as a temporary ERMS member for the duration of the visit (£5 per person). You can pay by credit/debit card as part of the on-line booking process.
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Join ERMS and become a full member.
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Please note the clothing and footwear requirements, especially for those visits to working quarries.
- To make your booking, click on the link associated with the visit that you want to attend. Then fill out the form which appears. You will then receive confirmation that you have booked a place on the visit.
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If you have a problem, please email our Field Visits Organiser (Jonathan Spencer; fieldvisits@erms.org)
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Please do not just ‘turn up’ at a field visit in the hope that you can take part. Everyone must book a place beforehand.
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If you subsequently decide not to come, or expect to arrive late, please email the Field Visits organiser, at the above address, so that a message may be passed to the leader and participants will not be kept waiting.
How to use ERMS on-line booking process
Step 1
Click on the link associated with the booking form for the particular visit that you want to attend. Each visit has its own booking form – but they all look the same, apart from the title and a brief explanation of what the visit entails. The links are usually advertised between two and three months before the date of the visit, and can be found in:
- Newsletter
- Website (click here to be taken to the links)
Step 2
Fill in all the details requested on the on-line form, including the ‘Payment’ section if you are a non-member (or a member booking for a non-member).
A single form allows either one or two people to book places on the same form, with all combinations of members/non-members being allowed. You must then choose one of the combinations that are displayed as a list of single choice buttons.
Only those combinations which include at least one non-member will be presented with a ‘Payment’ field. Members, of course, don’t need to pay anything.
Step 3
After filling in all required details, and pressing ‘Submit’, several things will happen:
- You will immediately see a ‘Thank You’ page.
- Sometime later, you will receive a confirmation Email from the providers of our booking software (Jotform), sent to the email address that you have filled in on the form. If there are two attendees mentioned on the form, each one will get a confirmation email.
- The visit organiser will receive a ‘notification’ email, which will include all of your contact details.
After that, the organiser will initiate all further email correspondence with the attendees.
What could possibly go wrong?
Actually, two things:
- You are too late. There is a cut-off date and time for each field visit – 48 hours before the visit date. This is to give the organiser enough time to email everyone with the final instructions for the visit.
- The visit may be over-subscribed. For various reasons e.g. safety, space etc., many of our field visits have a limit on the number of people who can attend. If there is a limit, you will see the number of remaining places displayed on the booking form, at the beginning of the process, when you are asked to enter the number of attendees. If, for example, there is only one place left, but you try to book for two people, your attempt will be blocked, and a sad message will pop up and tell you.
Important information, advice and safety notes for field visits
All geological sites are potentially dangerous. Members and guests (‘participants’) are reminded that they attend field visits at their own risk, and that they have a duty of care for their own safety and that of others.
Liability. Neither the Society nor any of its members shall accept any liability whatsoever for any accident or injury to any persons or damage to or loss of property incurred by any persons arising from its activities except in so far as the Society can be held to have been negligent. Except in the case of working quarries (see below), persons under 18 years of age are welcome to attend certain field visits provided that they are accompanied by an adult: please check beforehand.
Participants are responsible for their own personal accident insurance cover and also insurance for their own personal effects used in connection with the Society’s activities.
Participants are recommended to bring their own first aid kit on field visits.
Participants must wear suitable field-work clothing. This includes waterproofs and appropriate footwear and safety goggles. A hard hat is required for visits in the proximity of cliff and scarp sections. Access to working quarries will be permitted only if strong boots, a hard hat and a fluorescent jacket or tabard are worn. Goggles or other eye protection may be required. Except where otherwise stated we regret that persons under the age of 18 years are not permitted in working quarries.
All participants shall follow any reasonable instructions and heed any warnings given by the leader. The leader must be informed if any participant needs to leave the group before the end of the visit. The leader’s attention must be drawn to any participant who is in distress or who is parted from the group.
Participants are expected to make their own travel arrangements and are responsible for locating each field visit meeting point, following location instructions, verbal or otherwise, from the leader.
Recommended field equipment. It is useful to have a notebook, pencil & paper, tissues or newspaper, collecting bags & pots, and a marker pen. Tools, such as a trowel and sieve, may be useful at certain locations: please enquire for advice. We recommend that participants also bring sun protection, a packed lunch plus sufficient drink.
New members are urged to record information about their finds, especially where and when they were found (identification can always be done later).