Walking Tours and Workshops

Try out some hands-on learning with our walking tours and workshops!

In the ultimate science ‘show and tell’, our walking tours and workshops invite visitors to witness research brought to life, delve into important discoveries, and visit inspiring places where vital work happens. You can find details of our 2025 events and book your free tickets below!

Walking Tour: Sensing Exeter's Air Quality: A Bird's View

Join us in thinking about Exeter’s air, as we get insights into local pollution levels using air quality monitors while spotting birds drawn by local artist, Steven McCracken, on this trail through the city centre.

Walking tour: Honey Bees, Hornets, and Deep Learning

Learn about pioneering approaches to improving biodiversity, whether that's monitoring the health of honey bees, or surveillance of invasive Asian hornets, in this walking tour with Dr Thomas O'Shea Wheller!

Walking Tour: Out in Nature: A queer nature trail of Streatham campus

Explore the queerness of nature with members of the Out in Nature team! Please note that this tour is based at the University of Exeter's Streatham campus, meeting at the Queen's Building.

Visual Revelations: Drawing Comics for Fun and Wellbeing

Discover the basics of making your own comics, while exploring the wellbeing benefits of creativity in this workshop with Dr Caitlin Kight. Absolutely no prior drawing experience required!

Workshop: Exeter Seed Bank Seed-Packing Sessions

Mix and pack your own seed packet with Exeter Seed Bank! Open to all ages, this workshop will explore how you can help improve soil health, and share a range of local community growing projects.

Stories and Songs: Wills as Windows onto Past Lives

Musician Chris Hoban and historian Dr Laura Sangha invite you to join them for a unique performance of history and original music inspired by Tudor, Stuart, and Georgian wills!

Talismans, Kit Lists, and Recipes for Survival: Creative Writing Workshop

A renaissance of poetry is happening in Ukraine now among soldiers and civilians of a kind unparalleled in Europe since the First World War. What can we learn from Ukrainian wartime poetry about what truly matters?

'System Update: Reboot Our Future' Free Screening

Join producers Paul Maple and Professor James Dyke for an exclusive screening of System Update: a bold new documentary film exploring how we can transform our politics, economics and society to meet the climate crisis head-on.

FUTURES 2024: Walking Tours

Our 2024 walking tours offered a wealth of topics to jump into on these excursions, including how to monitor Asian Hornet invasions using AI; how French formed part of everyday life in medieval Exeter; shining a light on the power of harnessing the sun; an exploration of multicultural Exeter; and the wonderful world of fungi.

Thomas O'Shea Wheller welcoming attendees of his walkie-talkie

Dr Thomas O'Shea Wheller discussed how researchers can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address the spread of the invasive Asian hornet, and how the public can get involved. Image credit: Ben Knight

Dr Thomas Hinton's tour brought familiar Exeter locations to life in unexpected ways, tracing the history of medieval French across the city. Image credit: Ben Knight

Dr Anurag Roy's walk shone a light on how sunlight can help us achieve net-zero targets! Perfect for science buffs, or just those curious about harnessing the sun, this was a chance to learn from leading environmental research.

Professor Mark Ramsdale invited attendees to consider how fungi affect our daily lives and environment, and provided an exploration of the interconnectedness between fungi and humanity.

Dr Ghee Bowman explored Exeter's rich multicultural history, guiding visitors through the hidden aspects of the city's 2000 year past.

Pop Up Shops

Find out more about our Pop Up Shop Curiosity Events.

FUTURES hosts researchers from five of the region’s world-class universities at a wealth of brilliant events and activities where you can explore the past, create the present, and imagine the future.