Our Geography Residential course in the Lake District, Cumbria will give you the opportunity to discover new skills and increase your geographical knowledge surrounded by enthusiastic peers and led by experienced professionals.

Are you considering studying geography at university? Do you want to enrich you field experience and explore some of the possible career pathways?

Geography is all about the question ‘why here?’ This residential is set in the stunning countryside Lake District World Heritage sitewhere you will meet other geography students from around the country and use a range of geographical approaches to explore our complex relationship to this landscape.

Our residentials also give you the chance to develop a range of transferable skills. These types of skills help across many areas of life and are particularly good for including in job or education applications.

Here are some of the transferable skills that are likely to be covered in this residential:

  • Communicating with others
  • Working as a team
  • Managing your time
  • Taking the lead
  • Resilience
  • Reliability
  • Keeping focused
  • Problem solving
  • Decision making

The course is suitable for Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold residential. Always check with your leader before booking.

This course is open to young people aged 16-25. When you book, it is essential that you enter the age and attendees name in the Order Notes at the checkout.  If the attendee is under 18, the booking must be made by a parent/guardian.

Tutor: Field Studies Council Staff

Courses are led by experienced Field Studies Council staff.

  • Happy Geology student in the field
  • group of students in hills
  • rivers fieldwork
  • Children in River study CMV
  • urban geography fieldwork group
  • FSC Blencathra
  • Blencathra Scenery
  • Bunkbeds in FSC Blencathra bedroom
  • Blencathra's games room

Our centres are operated in a fully Covid-secure way and accommodation will be in suitably shared rooms based on the current government guidance.

Example Timetable

Example Timetable

Day 1
PM - A cultural landscape
The ways in which humans have interacted with the Lake District’s physical environment have changed drastically over the past thousand years. We will think about how the Lake District is used by people and why they live in and visit this place.
Evening
Team Games
Get to know your fellow participants with fun team challenges.

Day 2
Investigating glaciated mountain landscapes
How has the Lake District topography been shaped? A full day out in the mountains visiting the stunning Easedale valley, we will look at the glacial history of the Lake District and the landscape that it has left behind.
Evening
A look at technologies available to geographers such as GIS and 3D mapping.

Day 3
Natural Hazards – living with floods in a warming world
One of the biggest issues facing the Lake District is flooding. Walking from the centre along the old railway line to Keswick, we will look at the impact of flooding on Keswick and the current flooding defences and think about how humans have interacted with the landscape to increase the likelihood of flooding. We will interview local first responders to examine the lasting impact of major flooding incidents on Lake District life.
Evening
Geographical problem solving- use information on lots of human and physical factors to plan the most effective and efficient flood defence scheme for a Lake District town.

Day 4
Ghyll scrambling:
Scramble and climb up a Lakeland stream, with plenty of opportunities for jumping in and getting wet!
Canoeing on Derwent Water.
This will offer an opportunity for rest and reflection, as well as a chance to develop teamwork, leadership, and communication skills.
Evening
Career session exploring outdoor and environmental education pathways.

Day 5
Trees, peat and carbon – can rewilding mitigate the climate emergency?
As geographers, we should be aware of our personal carbon impact and solutions to the issue of climate change. Walking up the scenic Brund Fell in Borrowdale, we will consider how carbon is stored in upland landscapes, and explore current debates around land management in the National Park. We use a range of quantitative methods to evaluate carbon stores, and reflect on how we can reconcile pastoral farming in the Lake District with the reality of climate emergency.

 

What's Included

  • Expert Tuition
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Full Board Accommodation
  • Hot and Cold Drinks
  • In Course Transport
  • Picnic Lunch
  • Safety equipment such as hard hats if needed
  • Fieldwork equipment

Before You Attend

Requires a moderate level of fitness. Best suited (but not exclusive) to young people who are considering studying geology or earth science at university, and who are interested in gaining wider understanding of geological processes.

You will need to bring:

  • Packed lunch for the first day
  • Waterproof trousers (can be borrowed on site)
  • Waterproof coat (can be borrowed on site)
  • Ankle-supporting hiking boots (can be borrowed on site)
  • Rucksack (can be borrowed on site)
  • Lunch box
  • Water bottle
  • Thermos
  • Towel
  • Sun cream/Sun hat/winter hat/gloves/scarf
  • Please bring plenty of extra layers and spare clothes, sometimes the weather can be very wet.

This course is open to young people aged 16-25. When you book, it is essential that you enter the age and attendees name in the Order Notes at the checkout.  If the attendee is under 18, the booking must be made by a parent/guardian.

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