Year 8 Geography and Science Field Trip

On the 14th of September 2015 the Year 8s went  to Dorset for their Geography and Science Field trip.  

Our first activity was navigation and we were sent off with a map. We walked about 6km and passed the other groups on our journey. Along the way we found an all you can eat free blackberry shop (aka a bramble bush) and enjoyed a well-earned break!

When we got back we had a very filling supper and plenty of hot chocolate, then we did some team building in the dome. We were sorted into groups and undertook a series of team building tasks e.g. passing a ball round a circle and shouting our names and Chinese Whispers. The next day after a rather good sleep we got in the minibuses again and went to Studland bay to study how the National Trust manage it. We also did some science on the dunes where you threw a quadrat on the ground and found out:

  1. What plant/s were in that area
  2. Took a soil/sand sample and
  3. Stuck a piece of soil/sand in your book.

After a tasty lunch we were told that we were going coasteering and a large cheer went up from all the coasteering lovers which was all of us. Our first challenge was to put on our gear which consisted of a wetsuit, a pair of gloves, a buoyancy aid, a helmet and a pair of wet socks. When we arrived at the cliffs we slowly picked our way down the steeply sloping coastal path and arrived at a rather stony beach. We then proceeded to get ourselves wet and swam to the main stage; a rocky island that was about 100m across and 3m wide.

My group did the shower first which was where you held onto a rock and when a big wave came over you got an over powered shower and got blown backwards. After that we did a bit of jumping from the rocks into the sea. At the end of the day some very wet and content boys sat in the back of the minibuses on towels or bin bags and went home. In the evening after dinner we went to the beach again and played ultimate Frisbee. It was a great trip.

Our many thanks to: Miss Pinder, Mr Williams and Mrs Watt.

 Luke Compton-Burnett, 8EHL