Revision of Wallace Trails from Mon, 2022-01-24 18:15

Several trails have been set up around the world so that visitors to the area can do their own self-guided tour of the local Wallace-related sites. So far they are as follows:

1) Hertford, England: Wallace moved with his family to the town in 1828/9 when he was 5 or 6 and lived there until early 1837 when he was 14. They lived in 5 houses, at least 4 of which survive - the other one might also, but it hasn't been located yet. It was in Hertford that Wallace received his only formal education at Hertford Grammar School. This school became the Richard Hale School and although it has moved site the original old building survives. Two Wallace tours have been devised - the first is featured on page 11 of the following publication - http://www.hertfordcivicsociety.org.uk/newsletter/autumn_2013.pdf A more comprehensive trail can be obtained as a leaflet from Hertford Museum.

2) Neath, Wales: Wallace lived in or near Neath at various times between late autumn 1841 and early 1848. It was there that his interest in natural history developed and where he first became interested in transmutation (i.e. evolution).  To download a leaflet showing the excellent Wallace trail in Neath and the surrounding area click on: https://wallacefund.myspecies.info/files/FINAL_leaflet_web.pdf . There is also a special version formatted for printing: https://wallacefund.myspecies.info/files/FINAL_leaflet_print.pdf

3) Singapore: The Wallace trail here doesn't take you to Wallace-related sites, but instead it is a nature trail on which you will see some of the species of plants and animals that Wallace would have seen when he collected at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. The trail starts and ends outside the Wallace Discovery Centre - see http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/eguide_Wallace%20Trail.pdf

4) Sarawak, Borneo: The Wallace trail here is up the hill called Bukit Peninjau (Gunung Serumbu), near the top of which used to be a small cottage owned by Rajah Brooke, the ruler of Sarawak, who was a friend of Wallace's. Wallace famously collected hundreds of species of moths there, most of which were new to science. Wallace visited the cottage from 13–20 December 1855 and between 31 December 1855 and 19 January 1856. Information about the trail can be found here: http://k0ks3nw4i.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/retracing-wallaces-trail-at-bukit.html

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith