Upper Fifth Geographers in Action – Cranedale Trip
Mr D Parkes – Head of Geography
On the 20th and 21st of October the Upper Fifth Geographers travelled in a minibus to North Yorkshire, to the Cranedale Centre, in order to carry out some primary data collection fieldwork techniques. After quite a long journey on congested motorways, we arrived at the field study centre in the hamlet of Kirby Grindalythe, eager to get started. Students were issued with worksheets, clipboards and packed lunches, and we had a brief tour of the Centre’s facilities and an explanation of how things work. Then, we were driven to the nearby coastal town of Bridlington, ready to collect data for the Human Geography fieldwork investigation into regeneration of parts of the town. Working in groups, students headed off to different locations to collect data on footfall and carry out Good Public Place surveys based on the work of William H Whyte, a notable American sociologist and urbanist. The focus of students’ investigation was to quantify the level of success of recent urban regeneration. Students took photographs to capture typical characteristics of regenerated and non-regenerated areas, and, using GPS, geolocated them to support their data collection. The town seemed relatively busy for a Monday in October, especially as the weather was overcast and a bit chilly. Thankfully, the rain that was forecast did not materialise, and purchases of chocolate and other snacks helped make the data collection process enjoyable. The students acquitted themselves very well, working efficiently and accurately, with an excellent spirit, good humour and a great sense of teamwork.
The following day, after some relaxation time in the Centre, the weather was similar but with thicker clouds and light rain. Wrapping up with extra layers of appropriate clothing and bringing our Wellington boots and waterproofs, we headed off to different tributary sites of the River Derwent in the North York Moors to complete Physical Geography fieldwork. This involved wading into the river channels to measure width, depth and dissolved load. Once again, the students worked efficiently in teams, collecting data accurately and without any significant disruption to the beautiful natural landscape around them. There were a few funny occurrences of water getting into Wellington boots (Joel H, Clinton N, Dominic P and Aalikhya V can provide more details) and the occasional unwanted attention from ‘giant’ spiders and other daring creatures that have the sheer audacity to live in the wild, but the students coped well and came away with good sets of results and good memories.
It was Miss Archer-Zeff’s first residential field trip with the College, and she and I were most impressed with the students’ work ethic and commitment. The staff at the Cranedale Centre made a point of commenting on how switched on, engaged and enthusiastic our students were, as well as how impeccable their manners were. A prime example of Inspired, Committed, Grateful if ever there was one!
