Recently, members of the LVI went to Dorset for their A Level Geography fieldtrip. Here, LVI Geographers, Felicity J., Claire D., Libby G-C., Georgie B., report on their experience:

Our first stop was Lulworth Cove where we had to see if there was any relationship between the geomorphology and the local lithology. We first visited Stair Hole and learnt about its geology, and how it was formed by erosion in a weakness of Portland limestone. We then studied Lulworth Cove itself, specifically, how it has changed over time, what geomorphic processes were dominant, and how wave refraction occurs. Delving into the more human side of geography, we investigated the impact of visitors to Lulworth Cove where we used mood mapping in different locations to see how the more touristic areas was linked to mental health.

Due to some land shifts, we had a slight change of plans and had to conduct the rest of our fieldwork at the picturesque Durdle Door where we measured cliff stability and profile using a clinometer.

The next day, we drove to the seaside town of Weymouth, the third largest urban area in Dorset, after Poole and Bournemouth. We learnt about the town’s previous status as the holiday home of King George III, as well as the economic prosperity provided to Weymouth by the harbour and the growth of sea-borne trade throughout the 19th century. We carried out land use surveys and environmental quality indexes to analyse spatial differences within Weymouth, from the sea front, ‘tourist’ areas, to streets further into the town, and discussed ideas of uneven investment. We finished the morning with a quick lunch before travelling to Chesil Beach where we carried out more physical investigations studying the characteristics of raised beaches.

On the third day of the trip, we had the very entertaining and long anticipated paddleboarding! We paddled round Poole Harbour getting to see all the places we had learnt about and actually get to experience the vast amount of silt that the area retains. We paddled from island to island attempting to stay standing and ended the activity with paddleboard wars and attempting to run across all the boards in a row. In the afternoon, we were collecting data to determine if there was a relationship between the house price and quality of environment, and the distance from the seafront. This included conducting environmental quality surveys, researching on Rightmove, and a short walk through the densely populated Sandbanks spit. 

The next day, we had a short trip to Knoll Beach where we met a guide who took us along the beach to do sand dune succession fieldwork. He explained how the sand dunes formed as well as how the vegetation behind the sand dunes formed and why this posed issues in some areas, including Studland. We collected data on the plant species found in the dunes as well as the abiotic factors influencing their environment, such as wind speeds.

On the final day, we set out to Boscombe where we focused on the Human Geography side of the course. We were comparing two areas of Boscombe, one that had been recently regenerated and one that had not. We collected data to analyse the key social, environmental, and economic differences between the two areas, using questionnaires, retail mapping and environmental and building quality surveys. It was the perfect day to end such an amazing week!

Thank you especially to Mr Curran and Ms Mathias-Williams from the whole of LVI Geography, for organising such an enjoyable and eventful trip!

Felicity J., Claire D., Libby G-C., Georgie B., LVI Geographers