Ashton Sixth Form College AS Geography students travelled to the Lake District for a three day residential. They stayed in Blencathra Field Studies Centre and were lucky to experience the only three days of continuous sunshine for the last three months! They studied two settlements – Threlkeld, a small village and Staveley a thriving commuter settlement and compared the differences in the services provided in the two settlements. An interesting observation was the Post Office in Threlkeld which was based in a woman’s front room of her house!

On Tuesday they carried out a river study of Glenderaterra Beck to investigate changing characteristics of a river from source to mouth. This study will form the material for their forthcoming examination in January 2013.

On Wednesday they went into Keswick to study flood defences. A £6m flood protection scheme for Keswick in Cumbria had been completed in September 2012.

The Environment Agency-backed project, which will protect 180 properties, was ordered after the town was devastated by floods in 2005 and 2009.

Construction of the defences, which include flood walls and embankments and three flood gates, began in May 2011.