Fearnhill Geographers Return to the Field!

It was second time lucky for the Year 11 Geographers as they embarked on their recent field trip to Walton on the Naze, Essex.

Twenty five geography students travelled down to the coast at Walton on the Naze to investigate the enquiry question: How successful are the coastal management strategies that are used at Walton on the Naze?

All the students and staff boarded the coach at 8.40 am with all the necessary equipment and questionnaires to answer the enquiry question. We arrived at a very blustery beach at 10.45 am and split into groups of 5 or 6 and quickly got to work.

There were a number of experiments to complete and the students excellently measured and recorded the various coastal processes occurring. The experiments included measuring the heights of four sea groynes on both the north and south sides, measuring the gradient of both the protected and unprotected beaches, measuring the direction and speed of longshore drift plus an infiltrometer experiment to test the permeability of the cliffs.

At 12.30 pm we headed into Walton town centre for a fish and chip lunch before the students set about questioning the people in the town, both local and tourist, asking for their views of the coastal defence strategies.

Although the day was blustery, the sun shone throughout and a sleepy coach journey returned all students and staff back to Fearnhill for 4.45 pm.

A massive thanks goes to Lorraine Cottenden and Alex Williams for supporting the trip.

Mr N Fowler
Head of Humanities