This course provides an opportunity for schools with low student numbers to undertake the necessery fieldwork for their qualification.
Blencathra Field Centre is situated 300m up, on the south facing slopes of Blencathra in the Lake District National Park. It sits just one mile outside the Lakeland village of Threlkeld, with panoramic views of the Lake District fells. This impressive setting has a true sense of space, giving the site a unique quality, which many visitors enjoy year after year.
Blencathra is a residential environmental education centre in the heart of the Lake District that runs mainly off renewable energy. The centre’s award-winning eco-friendly accommodation uses electricity which is generated by the Centre’s own hydro scheme and its heating which is powered by
Cumbrian-sourced biomass.
Due to safeguarding reasons we are unable to let adult learners attend these courses. To ensure safety all U18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult on residential courses, eg teacher or parent.
- The cost of this course is VAT exempt, including in-course transport to field sites.
- Lunch on the first day is not included, but is on the final day.
- Staff are charged at half the student rate plus VAT, 1 staff member per school.
- Adults (students who have turned 18 or mature students) can join either Day or Residential Small Groups courses, as long as the Centre has available residential rooming. They cannot share a dormitory room with U18s.
This course will take place on 16/03/2025 – 19/03/2025
- Students £339
- Teacher £170+VAT
Example Timetable
Arrive at the centre for 1pm
Day 1
Changing Place
Aim: To investigate perceptions of the Lake District as Adventure Capital UK.
Students will start the day by conducting research into the topic and planning the fieldwork for a mini-investigation in Keswick. In Keswick Students will collect data to evaluate the success of the Adventure Capital UK branding strategy and see whether it has changed people’s perceptions of the area.
The second half of the fieldwork will focus on developing fieldwork methods for student’s own NEAs. They will look at fieldwork methods that could be used to investigate inequalities, perceptions of place, lived experience, globalisation amongst others.
Follow up session
To answer the key questions set in the morning students will present the data collected from their questionnaire. They will also use text coding and content analysis to analyse secondary data to help conclude the investigation.
Location Keswick (10 mins – transport required)
Day 2
Glaciation
Aim: To investigate glacial process and landforms in the Lake District National Park.
Students will take the classic walk from Grasmere to the corrie at Easedale Tarn. Along the way they will interpret classic erosional and depositional landforms including, roches moutonnées, striations, hanging valleys, moraines, corries amongst others.
During the walk students will collect orientation data from landforms indicating ice flow direction which will be mapped using GIS back at the centre.
Follow up session
Students will use ArcGIS online to map the ice flow direction using the orientations measured in the field.
The follow up can also include statistical analysis of glacial data or activities designed to cement student’s glacial knowledge.
Location Grasmere (25mins – transport required)
Day 3
Water cycle (half day)
Aim: To investigate how land use changes affect infiltration rates.
Students will start the day by conducting secondary data research into the topic and planning the fieldwork for a mini-investigation. Students will take measurements of infiltration in an area of woodland and an adjacent area of grazed grassland.
Follow up session
To answer the key questions set in the morning students will present their infiltration data and carry out appropriate statistical analysis of the data.
Location Blencathra centre grounds
Opportunities to attend this course
This course is not currently available to book. Dates will follow soon.
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