The science of deep time: England

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Vibrant Milky Way composite image over landscape of mountains in distance, Brecon Beacons

September 2025 - 3 days

Register now at tours@newscientist.com and we will contact you when we have confirmed the itinerary, dates and prices of this tour.

Join a gentle walking-and-talking short break. Witness the cosmic, geological and human forces that have shaped our lives, understand humankind’s place in the story of Earth.

Stargaze back through time, journey deep underground in caves and explore the stunning landscapes. Learn about the science of deep time, the formation and geology of Earth and explore the timeline involved in the creation of our world and the wider cosmos.

One of the highlights of this short break is a 4.6-kilometre Deep Time Walk. You will explore the stunning landscape while experiencing an account of 4.6 billion years of Earth’s history. Each metre walked will represent 1 million years of time.

This tour is hosted by journalist and author Richard Fisher. He will be joined by an array of leading deep time, geology and astronomy experts including Martin Griffiths, Thomas Moynihan and Alan Bowring. They will offer a range of fascinating talks and walking seminars over the three days, enabling you to gain an appreciation and understanding of the timelines and processes involved, and the small amount of space and time we occupy in it.

This short break is perfect for those that are fascinated by landscapes, cosmology, geology and astronomy. You will leave asking: are we entering the Anthropocene?

DAY 1: ARRIVE, WELCOME LECTURE AND EXPLORE THE COSMOS

Arrive at the unique Craig Y Nos Castle, a hotel housed in a Grade II* listed 1840s gothic castle, that was owned by 19th-Century opera singer Adelina Patti.

In the late afternoon, make your way to the opera house within the castle grounds, where author, journalist and event host Richard Fisher will talk you through the development of deep time and how it can be used to understand the timelines of our planet and the universe.

After dinner in the castle's grand dining hall, you will venture to the country park next door to explore the cosmos with astronomer Martin Griffiths and a selection of telescopes. This will help you place cosmic processes and timelines into context by seeing star creation in action. Should the weather not comply, we can rearrange the stargazing for the second night.

DAY 2: DAN YR OGOF CAVE TOUR, GEOLOGY, PALAEONTOLOGY AND THE ANTHROPOCENE

Enjoy breakfast on a morning that is 4.6 billion years in the making. As your journey through deep time continues, you will spend today exploring the geological processes and timelines of Earth once created.

After a 30-minute walk along the river Tawe, you will visit the National Showcaves Centre for Wales. Enjoy a private guided tour of the three main cave systems there: the Dan yr Ogof, Bone cave and Cathedral cave. You will learn from local geologists how these intricate network and impressive structures were created over 300 million years ago (the last 6 per cent of the earth’s history) and about the geological forces grinding away to shape our world.

Walk back to the castle and lunch. Afterwards, enjoy a fascinating afternoon of talks in the opera house from Alan Bowring (Geopark Officer at Bannau Brycheiniog) and Dr Joseph Botting. Alan will take you on a deep dive of the geology of the Brecon Beacons then Joseph will share with you his discovery Castle Bank in central Wales. One of the most global finds of soft-bodied fossils in recent times where everything seems to have been fossilized, revealing a vast array of tiny animals that thrived around 460 million years ago.

After a drink break (tea and coffee will be available throughout the event), Robert will give a brief talk on the potential new epoch we find ourselves in, the Anthropocene, marked by the impact of human activity on Earth, which some argue began with the industrial revolution.

To finish, there will be a talk from Lauren Holt on the Medea hypothesis, which explores the inevitable self-destruction of complex life.

You have explored nearly 300 million years of deep time today, so enjoy a good rest.

DAY 3: GUIDED DEEP TIME WALK AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

After breakfast, you will journey to another part of the Brecon Beacons with the Deep Time Walk Project to explore the landscape while listening to an account of the 4.6 billion years of Earth’s history. Each metre walked will represent 1 million years of time and you will hear about the different milestones of Earth’s creation. With human history being represented by the length of your finger on this 4.6-kilometre walk, our impact on Earth is put into stark contrast.

After returning to the castle for lunch, there will be two more talks exploring deep time issues. Cambridge University's Thomas Moynihan, will discuss how humanity's perception of life's greatest possibilities and gravest threats has evolved throughout history. Then Richard will close on a couple of topics: Longtermism and what archaeologists will find of us in 100,000 years.

The event officially finishes late in the afternoon, but you are welcome to stay another night and use the castle as a base to further explore the Brecon Beacons. For those of you arriving a day early or a day later, we will endeavour to arrange a historical tour of the castle. It is an amazing structure with a fascinating history.

As well as being a thoroughly enjoyable and mind-expanding event, we hope you depart with a more informed understanding of deep time, reading our landscapes and our place within the world.

Highlights

Gain an understanding of deep time and the geological timelines of Earth.
Talks and walking seminars from geologists, astronomers, palaeontologists and deeptime experts.
Learn about our place in the cosmos through expert-led stargazing.
Immerse yourself in the landscapes of the Brecon Beacons with a Deep Time guided walk.

Meet the expert

Richard Fisher

Richard is the event host, he is currently a senior journalist with the BBC and is an honorary research associate at University College London. Richard worked at New Scientist for eight years, most recently as features editor. He is the author of a well-received book about long-term thinking called The Long View: Why we need to transform how the world sees time.

Lauren Holt

Martin Griffiths

Martin is a senior lecturer in space science at the University of South Wales. He has been an astronomer for over 40 years and is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Martin previously worked for NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, which looked at the origins, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. He is currently the director of the Brecon Beacons Observatory and has written six books and published more than 100 papers.

Dr. Joseph Botting

Joseph studied palaeontology at Cambridge and Birmingham universities, and has worked in the Natural History Museum (London) and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (China), where he remains a Guest Scientist. He has since become an independent researcher living in Llandrindod, and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the National Museum Wales. He conducts research on sponges, problematic groups, and early animal ecosystems, with a particular focus on exceptional preservation, while making a living primarily as an entomologist and musician. During the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 he discovered the remarkable Castle Bank fossil assemblage, and is likely to carry on working on this for the next several decades.

Alan Bowring

Alan is the Geopark Officer at Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park. An earth scientist by training, he worked in countryside conservation and access in northern England for many years before a move to South Wales to indulge his passion for geology helping develop Fforest Fawr UNESCO Global Geopark within which landscape the short break takes place. Describing this protected area as a rich timescape, he has interpreted for varied audiences, the natural and cultural forces at play here through innumerable walks and talks over the last 17 years.

Robert Woodford

Robert is the co-founder and executive director of the non-profit Deep Time Walk Project, the originator of Deep Time Cards as well as the co-author of the Deep Time Walk facilitator training resources including Earth Stations, Holding Space and Bedrock. He previously worked in senior roles at Qualcomm Inc. and Adobe/Macromedia, and now works on a range of creative initiatives bridging the areas of climate change, ecology and technology through his consultancy Opus Earth. He has a Masters in Management (Durham Business School), a Masters in Regenerative Economics (Schumacher College), MSc in Science/Theology (University of Edinburgh) and BA Music (Durham University). He is a classically trained singer and enjoys running, kayaking and wild swimming. Born at 330.43 CO2e ppm.

The Deep Time Walk organisation was created by an experienced team of playwrights, scientists, professional actors, radio producers and designers. Grounded in the latest evidence from science, the Ted Hughes Award-recommended script is written by Stephan Harding and Peter Oswald. Originally an app to accompany your walk, it has now expanded to become a global network of experienced Deep Time guides, who can enlighten you using this truly immersive experience.

Thomas Moynihan

Thomas is a UK-based writer and author of X-Risk: How humanity discovered its own extinction. Holding a DPhil from Oriel College, Oxford University, he is currently a research affiliate at Cambridge University's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. Through his writing, Thomas aims to tell compelling stories about how changing ideas about the ways and workings of the wider universe have time and again transformed our deepest sense of ourselves and our greatest priorities as beings who think, act and – often – make mistakes. Thomas's writing – on everything from the climate crisis to dolphin and insect intelligence – has been featured in places like BBC Future, The Guardian, New Scientist, Aeon and Noema Magazine. He has keynoted at institutions ranging from Stanford University in California to Hong Kong's Tai Kwun Contemporary and he has appeared on BBC Radio 4.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Two nights accommodation
Two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners
All entrance fees and activities as stated
Guest lectures and walking seminars with New Scientist staff and expert guide
Onsite parking
24-hour onsite support

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Travel insurance
Single supplement
Room upgrades
Additional nights at Craig Y Nos Castle. Available for a supplement.

START AND END TIMES

The event will begin at around 5.30pm on Monday and finish at around 3pm on Wednesday.

We will send full instructions including directions to the hotel a few weeks prior to the event.

PACE AND PHYSICALITY

To experience this event in full, participants will need to be able to undertake a 4.6-kilometre walk of gentle elevation. Other activities involve walking across slippery surfaces, small rocks and boulders. Durable footwear and weatherproof clothing are recommended. Should anyone feel unable to take part in these specific elements of the short break, you are able to skip individual activities and no activity is mandatory.

CAPACITY

For this short break, there will be a maximum capacity of 100 guests. Discovery group tours generally operate at much smaller capacities, between 14 - 22 guests. However, this short break will work slightly differently as it is based in one location. Over the 3 days, there will be a series of highly engaging talks from a number of distinguished speakers at the castle. In addition, the group will visit the National Showcaves Centre for Wales and enjoy a walk on day 3, during these 2 offsite activities the group will be split into smaller groups.

SOLO TRAVELLERS

Our group tours are perfect for solo travellers, as travelling as part of an organised group provides security and peace of mind in faraway places.

AGE RESTRICTIONS

Children are welcome, but must be aged 12 or over. Please bear in mind that the level of the talks and activities are aimed at adults.

Accommodation

To be confirmed.

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