UC4 River Field Trip

On Wednesday 13th May, the Geography Department took GCSE Geography students on an exciting fieldwork trip to complete our river studies. With rain forecast for much of the day, spirits were kept high from the very beginning after the bus driver kindly lent someone his coat in preparation for the weather!

During the trip, we visited two sites along the Blackpool Brook river, one close to the source in the upper course and another further downstream in the middle course. At each site, we worked in small groups to collect data, calculate averages, and test our geographical hypotheses, helping us deepen our understanding of rivers and fieldwork techniques.

At the lower course site, we were lucky enough to witness channel straightening taking place, an important hard-engineering technique used to reduce flood risk by allowing water to flow through an area more quickly. Seeing this process happen in real life made the experience even more interesting and memorable.

Another highlight of the trip was visiting the River Severn estuary at low tide. The breathtaking landscape showed the huge scale of the estuary, which has the second-highest tidal range in the world, reaching up to 15 metres.

Before arriving at our second fieldwork site, we stopped for lunch beside the river, where a very cute family of ducks quickly became a favourite part of the day for many students.

Overall, the trip was an engaging and valuable experience that allowed us to apply our classroom learning in a real-world environment. A huge thank you to all the teachers who organised the excursion, as well as to the bus driver for his kindness and support throughout the day.

Tanvee, UC4 Geographer