For many students, fieldwork outside the classroom is a compulsory part of the GCSE and A-Level geography curriculum, with locations ranging from deciduous woodlands to river landscapes.
But, from the 9th to the 11th of October, Year 11 geography students at Parmiter’s were lucky enough to embark on a field trip to Swanage; a picturesque coastal town in the heart of Dorset.
After being warmly welcomed by the staff at Cumulus Outdoors Centre, we immediately began our urban fieldwork, getting into groups to carry out surveys and questionnaires in various areas of Swanage.
While we studied numerous features such as land use, pedestrian count and environmental quality, we were able to walk around the popular tourist town and catch a glimpse of some stunning coastal views.
There were a variety of souvenir shops and many people also chose to eat some classic fish and chips as a reward for their hard work.
On the second day, we started the physical fieldwork by visiting three beaches along Chesil Beach: West Bay; Abbotsbury; and Portland.
At each location, we reassembled into our groups and carried out various activities: from using callipers to measure the size of sediment; to determining the distance and angle of the beach gradient using ranging poles, a tape measure and a clinometer; and even throwing an orange into the sea to analyse the distance it has moved by longshore drift (the movement of material along the coast).
This was a fascinating opportunity to witness physical geography in action, allowing us to see first-hand how coastal processes further, and to see even more coastal landscapes!
On the final day, the fieldwork activities were complete and we were fortunate enough to walk up to the cliffs overlooking the Jurassic Coast, passing Lulworth Cove and observing a view of the incredible arch of Durdle Door.
This gave ample opportunity to capture some memorable photos before climbing down and admiring the remarkable views one more time.
With a quick visit to the gift shop (alongside some ice cream), we got back on the coaches, setting off on the journey home.
We safely arrived back at school and, despite feeling rather exhausted, a new perspective of geography was seen and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.
Reflecting on the past three days, Ava (a GCSE geography student) said “I learnt a lot from going to Swanage and seeing the different sceneries first-hand. Durdle Door in particular was very beautiful!”
Many thanks to the geography department and all the teachers that volunteered on this trip!
