Day 4: Coastal Management @ Minehead & Rocky Shore @ Porlock

Day 4: Coastal Management @ Minehead & Rocky Shore @ Porlock

The morning started off well! WE TRAPPED ONE WOOD MOUSE!!!!!! We were also amazed with the different species of moths that we trapped. According to our tutors, we contributed to the collection of data with regard to the biodiversity of moths in this area.

Then, we headed off to Minehead to look at the various coastal management strategies where our main aim was to assess the effectiveness of these strategies through bi-polar surveys.  However,  through discussions we learnt that the bi-polar survey is not an accurate method to assess the effectiveness of coastal management strategies as it may be biased. In addition, we looked at how the various coastal management strategies complement each other. For example, a revetment was built in front of the curved seawall to break the energy of the waves. This reduces the impact of the waves on the base of the seawall and thus reducing the risk of it collasping. From our discussions, we found out that tourism plays a big part in Minehead. Hence, heavy investments on management strategies were made to protect the coastal area.

After Minehead, we headed back to Portlock Bay to do a study on the inter-tidal ecology of a rocky shore.  We collected many samples of sea shells and even some CRABS AND FISHES! We learnt how to identify the various marine life forms and how they adapted to the environment for survival. Sadly, time and tide waits for no man, we had to leave the rocky shore and head back for dinner!

Looking forward to tomorrow’s study on sand dune succession at Braunton Burrows. GOOD NIGHT :D

Day 3 2nd June 2014 (Coastal Processes @ Porlock Bay)

Day 3:  2nd June 2014 (Coastal Processes @ Porlock Bay)




Hello everyone! This is Sayali and Sindhuja and we are going to share with you our exciting field work today.

Our first stop was Porlock Bay where we tested our hypothesis:
1. The size of the pebbles get smaller from Gore Point to Hurlstone Point
2. There is a greater amount of beach materials at Hurstone Point

To test our hypothesis, we did beach profiling and pebble measurements. We are still in the midst of collating and doing detailed analysis our data. However, our preliminary findings showed that our hypothesis are true.

Then, in the evening we set up mammal and moth traps. We were told that the purpose to trap the mammals was for education and research. As cruel as the term "trap" may sound, the traps were structured to provide the optimum conditions for the trapped mammals to survive. Our tutor, Anelma, described it as a "hotel" for them to stay for the night. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we will yield results tomorrow morning! In addition, we tried to detect bats around Nettlecombe. Unfortunately, we could not detect any bats as it was too early in the night.  

Today was yet another exhausting but fruitful day. In general, we found the fieldwork interesting and it has deepened our knowledge in geographical investigations. We look forward to another great day tomorrow!:)

 

Day 02: 1 June 20

 Day 02: 1 June 2014

We started the day with a hearty breakfast at McDonalds. Not the healthiest choice, but something warm for our stomachs was definitely comforting on a chilly morning.

Yummy!

We took about an hour before reaching Nettlecombe Court FSC. A rustic building and a church greeted us. As our tutors, Harry and Anelma, showed us around and briefed us on the routines and safety procedures. We found out that this was previously a boarding school built in 1967!

Nettlecombe Field Studies Centre

With Anelma

With Harry

Lunch in the open!

After lunch, we headed to Dunster, to start our field study on Tourism. Dunster was a Medieval Village, similar to Stratford.  The focus of the study was to examine what the role of tourism in Dunster was and how tourism has influenced the place.  This was done by examining the environmental impact through conducting bi-polar surveys, counting pedestrians and vehicles in the area and interviewing the locals and tourists on site.

At Dunster

Making sure we are on the right track before heading out to investigate!

Interviewing a tourist

Using Google Earth and GE Graph to Collate our Data

Once we were done with the collection of data, we headed back to FSC to collate and analyse our findings.  We learnt how to use GE Graph to represent our collected data on Google Earth. After which, we had to account for how tourism has impacted Dunster, linking to the concept of Change.

So what was our conclusion? Similar to Stratford, there are both positive and negative impacts of Tourism in Dunster. Tourism has influenced Dunster to change over time as seen from the function and architecture of the place. Majority of the buildings are well-preserved to maintain the quality as a medieval village, and many businesses are able to flourish from the amount of tourists visiting. However, most of the shops available around the village are mainly for tourists’ enjoyment, and not so much to cater to the locals of Dunster. For example, a local said that there was only one grocer in the whole village.

It was a tiring but enriching day for all of us! We look forward to another exciting day of fieldwork! J

Day 0 & Day 1: 30 May & 31 May 2014

Day 0 & Day 1: 30 May & 31 May 2014

Hello everyone! This is Corrie and Sherlyn and we are going to share with you our exciting Day 0 & Day 1 in UK. We would like to apologise for the delay of this post as we had difficulties connecting to the internet here at Nettlecombe Court FSC.

Many thanks to Ns Ng, Ms Kek and our parents for seeing us off and for everyone’s prayers. Shortly after we checked in, we were given some free time before we eventually boarded SQ332 to London. These are some photos we took before boarding and every photograph shows much joy and excitement. It is indeed a privilege to be on this trip and we are most grateful for the school for this learning opportunity.

The flight itself was draining because many of us needed to move and stretch. Some even went to stand outside the toilet just to do their ‘morning exercise’. Nevertheless, we felt refreshed and exhilarated when we landed at Heathrow Airport at 5.30 am and we made our way to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of the famous poet and writer of plays, William Shakespeare, soon after.  We started with a visit to William Shakespeare’s house where we learnt about his life and times. We were shown the room that William Shakespeare was born in. Through the tour of the house, we also learnt about how people adapted to their environment in the past and the many ingenious ideas they had in the design of their furniture.  

Here we were watched a short film on Shakespeare’s life

We were then given some free time to walk along the main street just outside Shakespeare’s house to be immersed in this quaint town which was the centre of the wool trade in Elizabethan times.

Lunch Time! We arrived at a park for a picnic – very much the culture here There was just so much life on a Saturday with families having picnics, people walking their pets, cycling, taking boat rides and there were even street acts! Our tour leader, Ms Riley, bought us pasties for lunch. We all loved it!

Soon we finished the sumptuous lunch and we had a guided tour round the town to understand how it established itself as a market town in 1196 to the many changes that had transformed it into a place that is highly valued for heritage tourism. Geoff and Jill, our tour guides gave us very vivid and clear accounts on the history of the town and even explained the history behind some English phrases. For example, the phrase “a frog in your throat” came about because past doctors believed that if you put a frog down your throat, your sore throat would heal. J

Through the tour, we understood how history gives a place meanings and how change can bring about positive and negative effects to a place. For example, we were surprised that when tourism started to flourish in the 1700s and hence with more visitors and external influences, a street was turned into a red light district!

As the day progressed, we were slowly drained and we were overjoyed when it was dinnertime!

When our stomachs were full, we travelled to the Travelodge at Taunton for our good night’s rest, hoping that tomorrow will be as good as today. J