By Grace Gill, Sophie Murgatroyd and Ameilia Knowles (Lower Sixth)

We embarked on our field trip to North Yorkshire last Friday (2nd October) and arrived at the beautiful Cranedale Centre in Kirby Grindalythe, which would be our home for the weekend. 

We spent the three days investigating population change, the characteristics of rivers and the effects of flooding. 

Friday afternoon was spent exploring the idyllic village of Kilham, completing environmental quality surveys and recording information on the residential areas. 

Saturday was slightly chillier as we spent it wading within the waters of the River Derwent, investigating the characteristics which included velocity, load size and gradient. The data and skills we learnt will prepare us for our examination in June. 

Emily Duchenne (Lower Sixth) said: “The weekend was so helpful and has already given me confidence for the exam.”

Our final day was spent, firstly, walking along the river bank and then in the town of Malton itself, to see the effects on building and businesses in that area after they suffered from floods. They responded by building defences to reduce the impacts if it were to happen again. 

The weekend overall was both educational and enjoyable, and it was a great start to both the IB and AS Geography courses. Thank you to Mrs McPhail and Mrs Page for their support and help alongside the staff at the Cranedale Centre.