From the Friends of the Lyme Regis Museum Development Appeal, here is an information leaflet on what they are doing, which may interest you:

Martin J. S. Rudwick and Peter Worsley have organized two historical field meetings, re: Darwin’s post-Beagle fieldwork. Both meetings have the backing of the Geological Society of London and its History of Geology Group. If you are interested, please see the information below:

First circular

Charles Darwin bicentenary, 2009

THE PARALLEL ROADS OF GLEN ROY
Lochaber, Scotland, 26-29 June 2009
organised and led by
Martin Rudwick (University of Cambridge), and
Adrian Palmer (Royal Holloway, University of London)

Darwin returned from the Beagle voyage identifying himself as a geologist, and he was accepted as such by the leaders of the Geological Society in London. His papers to the Society interpreted what he had seen in terms of a global tectonic theory modelled on that of his older mentor Charles Lyell. The most substantial piece of fieldwork that Darwin undertook (in 1838) after his return was designed to strengthen this theory by harnessing in its support a well-known but extremely puzzling geological feature, the "Parallel Roads" or horizontal terraces high up in Glen Roy and adjacent valleys in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands. This fieldwork led to Darwin's first substantial published scientific paper (1839) and earned him his FRS. But soon afterwards Louis Agassiz (1840) proposed an alternative explanation of the "Roads", in terms of vanished glaciers, which implied that Darwin's might be radically mistaken. Yet Darwin clung to his interpretation for about twenty years, in the face of mounting evidence in favour of the glacial alternative, and only abandoned it with extreme reluctance, calling it in retrospect "a great failure" and even "one long gigantic blunder". However, even a "blunder" by such an outstanding scientist can throw instructive light on the relation between observations and scientific reasoning, and also - in Darwin's case - between his public theorising about global tectonics and his concurrent private theorising about speciation.

This field meeting in Lochaber, which has been endorsed by the Geological Society of London and its History of Geology Group, will be strictly historical (like the meeting on the Isle of Wight during the Society's bicentenary in 2007). It will focus not on current modern interpretations but on what Darwin and his 19th-century predecessors and successors saw, or thought they saw, on the spot, and how they reasoned about their observations. It will be based on Martin Rudwick's detailed study (1974/2005) of Darwin's (and others') work on Glen Roy, updated and related to Sandra Herbert's important book (2005) on Darwin's geology as a whole.

The meeting will be based at Spean Bridge (9mi/15km NE of Fort William), which can be reached by a scenic rail journey from Glasgow, or by road. It will begin on the evening of Friday 26 June and end after breakfast on Monday 29 June. The two full days in the field will be spent (1) in Glen Roy itself, and (2) in Glens Spean, Treig and Gloy. Even around midsummer Highland weather on the hills can be harsh, and there will be some steep climbing and rough walking, so the meeting is not suitable for those who are not reasonably fit. Transport in the field will be by minibus or equivalent; the roads up some of the valleys are very narrow and parking is limited, so independent transport by private cars will not be possible. For the same reason, the number of participants will be strictly limited.

References:

Martin Rudwick, "Darwin and Glen Roy: A ‘great failure’ in scientific method?", Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, vol. 5, pp. 97-185, 1974; reprinted in Rudwick, Lyell and Darwin, Geologists, Aldershot (Ashgate), 2005, art. X.

The History of Geology Student Award was established in 2004 and is made possible by a bequest from the estate of Mary C. Rabbitt. The award:

The proposed paper may be: (1) in the history of geology; (2) a literature review of ideas for a technical work or thesis/dissertation; or (3) some imaginative aspect of the history of geology not previously considered. The award is open to all students, provided the proposed paper is related to the historical development of a particular geological idea or concept in the geological sciences.

The winner will present his or her paper at the History of Geology Division disciplinary session at the GSA 2009 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon. The $500 award will be given at the time the paper is presented, and the student will also be recognized at the History of Geology annual luncheon, for which a complimentary ticket is provided. If there are multiple authors, the cash award will be presented to the senior author, and further distribution is up to that person.