Town and Coast Field Trip for Year 12 Geographers

Published by Edgbaston High School for Girls on Friday 7th of March 2025

Year 12 Geography students recently embarked on a memorable three-day field trip, designed to provide a hands-on introduction to data collection for their NEA coursework. 

On the first day, they visited Shrewsbury town centre to complete some human fieldwork, focusing on the town's ongoing regeneration efforts. They carried out a variety of surveys, including environmental quality assessments, pedestrian counts, and re-imaging exercises, to explore how the town has evolved and assess whether further regeneration is needed. The students also conducted questionnaires to gain insight into how the locals, business owners and visitors feel about the town, providing them with valuable insights into the community. They then continued their journey to Porthmadog, in North Wales, where they settled into their accommodation and enjoyed a delicious dinner of classic fish and chips. 

Day two started early, with Georgia, their FSC tutor, guiding them through a physical coastal fieldwork session at Criccieth Beach. They learnt various methods of evaluating the sea's defences such as groynes and sea walls, through making a cost benefit analysis, as well as collecting and comparing sediment samples, rock armour and beach profiles. After a productive day, they had a fun evening filled with pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, an easter egg hunt around the accommodation, and some very enthusiastic games of ‘Articulate’.  

On the final day, they set off to Betws-y-coed, where they explored the beautiful ‘Swallow Falls’ waterfall before heading into the town centre for lunch.  

Overall, the trip was both educational and enjoyable, providing students with valuable real-world experience to support their coursework.