Day 1

We travelled to the Lake District early to begin fieldwork on the Water and Carbon Cycles, meeting our course tutor, Barry Cullimore from GeoFieldwork Ltd. After spending time in the classroom learning how to structure the NEA (Non-Examined Assessment) and what makes a strong investigation, we walked to a local park in Grasmere to complete carbon assessments of trees using tape measures and clinometers. Although the weather was soggy, spirits remained high as students enjoyed trying out this new fieldwork technique, which many are now considering for their own NEA investigations. The evening was spent analysing the data and calculating how much carbon each tree stores.

Day 2

After an early breakfast, we walked to Easedale Tarn, a glacial lake. Along the route, students carried out a range of fieldwork techniques linked to the Water and Carbon Cycles, including infiltration rates, soil moisture, vegetation cover, and surface runoff measurements. We also investigated glacial landscapes and features, including glacial sediment alignment. This gave students experience of a wider range of physical geography methods that could be used in their own NEA projects. In the evening, students followed up the day’s work with statistical analysis and explored different sampling strategies.

Day 3

Day 3 involved a bus journey to the nearby town of Ambleside to carry out human geography fieldwork. Students investigated the impacts of tourism, deprivation levels, and environmental quality, alongside gathering public opinion through questionnaires. Many of these methods could be applied to their NEA investigations, giving students valuable first-hand experience. Despite it being our wettest day, students remained fully engaged and were inspired to begin planning proposals for their own studies and summer data collection.

A huge thank you to Barry for leading another excellent trip, and to Mrs Shiels for organising it. Appreciation also goes to Mr Sharp for supporting the visit.