Thank you so much for being wonderful hosts. We have had a lovely time here and have thoroughly enjoyed the talks and activities you did, and of course the food! The BBQ was especially wonderful. We would love to come back in the future. Thanks so much.
MSc student
Manchester Metropolitan University
Thank you for sharing so much knowledge and passion with us! You’re fantastic teachers and I’ve enjoyed every conversation. The stay has been great – very comfortable. This week has definitely piqued my interest in the Mediterranean!
BSc student
University of Nottingham
Such an amazing week and place! Thank you both so much for hosting us so well and for all of the accommodations with dietary needs, was nice to never feel left out 😊 Would love to come back in the future, thank you again!
BSc student
University of Nottingham
I had an amazing time on my course field trip. There were so many species to study, and we learned valuable skills such as camera trapping and GIS. The accommodation was great and the local area was beautiful. I had the opportunity to undertake a research project on the flamingos in the Camargue, which further developed my research skills. Overall, this trip was a great addition to my MSc course
MSc student
University of St Andrews
I recently had the pleasure of being hosted by Sophie and Fabrizio at Merops as part of a University Master’s field course that I was jointly running with other academic colleagues. As a new business, we were the first field course at Merops but their manner, approach, dedication and expertise was already of a very high standard and well beyond expectations. The accommodation, equipment and facilities were fantastic and they went out of their way to cater to everyone’s needs. Sophie and Fabrizio put in a lot of time and effort supporting our students to make sure they got the best out of the field course and their experience, whether that was helping them use the equipment, planning field projects, providing evening lectures, or arranging a superb excursion day for students to further experience the natural history of the region. I would not hesitate to recommend Merops and hope to be back next year
Dr Scott Pedley
Manchester Metropolitan University
Thanks so much to all involved! It was a fascinating and fun trip and I feel I have really developed my scientific skills throughout the week. Thank you!
MSc student
University of St Andrews
We have all had such a wonderful time on this trip, and it is all thanks to you! We are so grateful for all the knowledge you have passed on, we were truly hanging on your every word. Thank you so much
BSc student
University of Cumbria
Just returned from the most wonderful stay at the Merops field centre. Sophie and Fabrizio were excellent hosts - always going above and beyond to look after us and their joint knowledge of the local flora and fauna was second to none. It completely took the stress out of running the field course and the students got to have a go at so many different sampling techniques (bat detecting / thermal imaging / camera trapping) that we wouldn't have had the equipment for otherwise. The food was great and we got to sample an array of different local delicacies. The accommodation was lovely and the site is a real gem. Plenty of biodiversity to keep us occupied. We also got to take a day trip to learn about a local vulture reintroduction scheme which was great. Highly recommend if you're planning a field course!
Dr Laura Dean
University of Nottingham
We had a fantastic Mediterranean ecosystems field course with Sheffield Uni bioscience students at Merops - everyone had a great time, with fascinating projects & fabulous biodiversity. The food was exceptional and Sophie & Fabrizio are wonderful hosts with great knowledge of the area
Dr Luke Dunning
University of Sheffield
Absolutely amazing stay. Nothing to improve! Was great for my field skills and amazing to get to know people on my course. Thank you so much 
BSc student
University of Sheffield
With colleagues, I took 25 undergraduate biology and zoology students from the University of Nottingham to the Cevennes, on a biodiversity field course. We were warmly welcomed and extremely well looked after by Sophie and Fabrizio from Merops. Their combination of ecological skills, substantial teaching experience and high quality field equipment took all of the stress out of running a field course and keeping students busy learning new skills and having fun! They're a great operation and wonderful people. Despite much searching previously, I am not aware of any other operation like this in Europe so appropriate for higher education.
Prof Andrew MacColl
University of Nottingham
Thank you so much for having us. I really enjoyed spending the week here. I especially enjoyed the day trip to the Grand Causse to see the vultures as well as the camera traps, thermal camera and radio tracking. I also really enjoyed the food. Thank you so much for an amazing week.
BSc student
University of Nottingham
Loved everything about our stay – beautiful location, excellent food, interesting wildlife, and Fabrizio and Sophie were great!
BSc student
University of Sheffield
I organise a taught MSc Animal Behaviour course at the University of St Andrews with a small cohort of typically 10-12 students. We were looking for a new location for a week-long fieldtrip for our Research Skills module where the students could get some hands-on skills with particular techniques and equipment, learn a bit about the local ecology and conservation initiatives in the region, and also run small group-based research projects. MEROPS proved to be absolutely fantastic for this. Our masters students come from a variety of backgrounds, and some have quite extensive field experience and others none at all. At MEROPS they were able to learn about GPS, camera trapping, thermal imaging and bat call detection. This was a great first experience for some and a handy refresher for others. Students were able to run their research projects on-site, investigating links between boar damage and insect biodiversity, comparing bat call frequency in different habitat types and ant foraging. We also had day trips to the Camargue, where students were able to work together to collect data, and, the highlight for most of the students, a trip to the Causse Méjean to learn about vulture conservation.
We found MEROPS to be absolutely ideal for this kind of field trip. The setting is great, with excellent accommodation and teaching facilities, access to land suitable for running projects in the immediate vicinity of the centre, and a diversity of different habitats within a few hours drive. Best of all, are the MEROPS team, Sophie and Fabrizio. Both are incredibly knowledgeable about the local ecology and both have extensive teaching experience. We were able to meet online several times before the fieldtrip to plan logistics and they were able to provide all the information that we needed. After we arrived they were incredibly welcoming and ensured that all activities ran smoothly. Our students found them to be very approachable and have fed back to us that they appreciated the help they received. From a module organiser’s perspective, I couldn’t have asked for more - great communication and planning with the team, a smooth and stress-free trip that allowed us to fulfil our teaching objectives and a very positive experience for the students.
Dr Mike Webster
University of St Andrews
