Geography Trip to Brecon Beacons

On an unexpectedly sunny April afternoon at the end of term, the AS geographers set off for three days of fieldwork studies in preparation for their upcoming AS exam. The destination was the beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and our first full day began with a brisk hike into the mountains to find the upper course if the river Usk. Another gloriously sunny day aided the fieldwork experience with the students investigating the applicability of the Bradshaw model to the River Usk by taking measurements such as slope gradient, hydraulic radius and river discharge. There was also time to look at the mass movement occurring in the area, the impacts of glaciation on the river profile and whether the river Usk exhibits an ‘elbow of capture’.

A busy night analysing the data followed, fuelled by Mrs Mesher’s legendary chilli con carne. The second day offered a contrast and a chance to study some human geography in Swansea. Students worked hard collecting data on land use, environmental quality and pedestrian density enabling them to determine the level of residential segregation in Swansea, whether the CBD exhibited a zone of assimilation and discard and what urban model best applied to this city. Some really informative presentations followed that evening with the reward being a fish and chip supper followed by Easter eggs. The Sixth Formers worked effectively and diligently throughout our time in Wales and were able to apply theory to real life in preparation for their upcoming exams.