Cranedale 2010
Monday-Day 4 by Mr Simpson & Nikhil Sahdev
Although we awoke to cloudy skies, it wasn't long before the warm sun dispersed the clouds and brightened up the morning as we travelled to Flamborough Head for our coastal study. A low tide was predicted early, so with buckets and nets we hit the rock pools in search of as many different creatures as we could find. Everyone really wanted to catch a lobster, apparently which has been done before, but today we were not as lucky. However, we were not disappointed as we managed to catch a host of large crabs (without being nipped), hermit crabs, snails, limpets and fish; a few of which were the size of two hands, honestly. Would a fisherman ever lie? Anish Bagalkote loved catching all the different species and would happily have carried on all day.
Whilst down on the beach we then looked at the magnificent geological features caused by coastal erosion. We learnt about arches, caves, blowholes and stacks and how each were formed. We found lots and lots of caves which we all went in which was fun.
Next up we sketched a dinosaur, a collection of land that encompassed many of the features described earlier but looked scarily like a dinosaur with its long tail.
After lunch we travelled across to Bempton, home of the RSPB sanctuary. With binoculars at the ready we spotted a vast amount of birds nesting in the cliffs. Guillemots, herring gulls, gannets, razor beaks, plus one of the groups managed to get a close up of a couple of puffins. It was fantastic to see the boys transfixed as they studied the birds. Josh Ghattaora described it as "amazing", to which Matty Pickering replied, " I can't believe we've only got one more night."
"I can't believe we've only got one more breakfast," responded Hugo Marchant.
So far it's been a fantastic trip and the boys have been superb company. One thing is certain, they are all looking forward to the survival game tomorrow before our return, although Owain Dunn remarked he didn't want to go home just yet as he would like another couple of nights.
As I'm writing this (with the boys looking over my shoulder), the boys have all said they would like to say hello to their parents back home in Nottingham, and below are just some of the many positive comments about the trip:
"Utterly amazing and extremely fun." Sahil Sama.
"Absolutely fantastic." Tom Ward.
"Amazing and wondrous." Harry Warrior.
"Brilliant." Michael Fletcher.
"10 out of 10." Jack Peirce.
So that's the end of the updates whilst based in Cranedale and we hope to have a safe final activity tomorrow morning, before our return home.
Sunday-Day 3 by Garenpreet Boora
Today we went to the Yorkshire Moors and I was feeling very excited as we left the centre after another fantastic breakfast. Firstly we walked down a 'v' shaped valley. Our first observation was a small adder, which we kept well away from due to its deadly bite!
As we walked through the valley we saw a lot of sandsone and limestone, and found a large quantity of fossils. Berni our leader told us that sandstone is a sedimentary rock. Next, Jack Peirce found a sheep's bone in the valley, could this possibly be a fossil of the future?
The depth of the valley began to deepen as we searched for the water table. After a while, we came to a confluence, whch is whee two streams lik together. One of the streams was called Pig's Trough and the other was called Dundale. We had been walking for 40 minutes down into the valley when we finally came across the water seaping through the rock, finally the source of the river.
After lunch we started stream dipping. It was quite simple, as all you had to do was place the net of the floor of the stream and gently kick the stones a few centimetres upsteam in the hope that this would dislodge the creatures and they would be taken by the current into our net. This proved successful and we were able to collect a vast amount of creatures. We then had a chart to classify the creatures and discover the name. It was great fun and all groups were successful in searching for a variety of creatures. Alex P-H, Tom W, Rohil and Rohan managed to find dragonfly nymph, a very rare find and this really impressed Berni.
Next, we walked up on top of the moors to a tumulus, which is an ancient burial ground. We then discovered an old iron age fort in the middle of the moors! Mr. Simpson disappeared for several minutes before returning proudly with a photo of a grouse he had discovered. The grouse shooting season, we were told, starts on the 14th August, so it is pretty safe for the time being. During our day on the moors it was lovely to see many of the ramblers stop and come over for a chat and to find out what we were up to. One old man then told us about the legend of a giant that created the rolling hills around the moors.
We were all raelly tired, but it had been another great day. When we got back we got free time, then had to go to the lab. Here we looked at some of the creatues we'd found under a microscope and had to draw and label them. It was ok though, as the creatures would be returned safely to the stream that ran at the bottom of the vilage. It was a fantastic day. By Garenpreet Boora.
Today our group (the cranes) went off to study the rivers and participated in the River Study – The first site was Helwath Beck. Here we were shown by Joe how to measure the width of the river channel and how to then take depth measurements along the river bed as well as the velocity. All of this data was to be recorded in preparation for our evening lab work. During the day, we visited three different sections along the course of a main tributary (Jugger Howe Beck) and the main river itself, the River Derwent. At each point, we also analysed rock samples for size and smoothness. We also located a waterfall, and were told how they were created.
The second site was just south of a tributary of the River Derwent, ‘Bloody Beck,’ (so-called due to the iron deposits which turned the river bed rocks red in colour). This joined the Helwath Beck at a point which the boys remembered was called a ‘confluence.’
At the third site further down the river course this proved very muddy indeed and many of us lost our wellies in the mud, albeit for a few seconds. We finished our third round of experiments and were then introduced to the processes of erosion, transportation and deposition by our Joe our fantastic tutor. This specific part of the river was twisting and turning, or ‘meandering’ as we now call it! Joe explained the process of erosion and showed us the effects of this erosion and how it had formed point spurs through river deposition and oxbow lakes – and how another oxbow lake will be formed in the near future.
Saturday-Day 2 by Max Briggs-Goode and Jack Peirce
After a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast we clambered into the mini-buses and set off. Today we were split into 2 groups. One group was to study a river in 3 different places to see how it develops as it flows towards the sea, and we had to take measurements of its width, depth and velocity. The weather has been fabulous but group 1 took great delight in getting soaked from the waist down. Alex P-H, Rohan, Tom Ward, Edward and George just some of the culprits! Rohil, at one point, was heard to exclaim in a cheery voice, "I'm not really wet, it's just two of my legs that are!" This led us all to believe that he has more legs than we know about!
Our group, the 'Dales' set off on the 40 minute drive towards the North Yorkshire Moors. Trevor, Berni, Mr Jones and Miss Abell accompanying us. We walked through a valley where the trees had collapsed and were tipped sideways ready to tumble fully. Whilst in the valley we saw two adders, as they slithered in the sun. The first one was grey with black-blue diamonds on its back and the second was brown with black diamonds. Fortunately, they kept at a safe range. A fossil hunt captivated us and we would have hunted all day if we were allowed.
After the valley study we had lunch and started the stream dipping. A vast variety of creatures were caught and we had to identify them using samples.
Well we're off to dinner now and a turkey roast, with chocolate sponge cake are on the menu.
Friday-Day 1 by Sahil Sama
We departed on time and as our parents waved us off we sat and contemplated the 4 nights/5 days without our parents…it was going to be fun! But before reaching the centre and sharing our rooms with friends, there was serious questions to be answered…Who was going to be the MarioKart champion on the DS?
Who had the best music? Which film would we watch on the Ipod? And would Miss Abelland Mr Simpson ever get a moments peace from Mr. Jones incessant talking?
There was an eclectic mix in the music department from Harry Warrior and his Lady Gaga collection to Joseph McNamara’s weird and wonderful taste in heavy rock, but once Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ was in full swing it brought happy memories of Mr Simpson’s youthful rock days and he delighted us with his tale of head-banging with long hair!
The journey proved a success and we reached the centre in good time and high spirits.
Alice, a Cranedale tutor gave us a tour of the centre and then we were told which rooms we were in and who we were sharing with. I was delighted as I was with all of my friends. We filled our stomachs with a scrumptious lunch of a sandwich, crisps and a donut. After lunch we played some fun directional games to learn the compass points, followed by orienteering. We split into teams of 3 and set off to try and find the 21 posts first. Our team the ‘Sat Navs’ proved to be a little dysfunctional and ran up several blind alleys, but still managed to finish joint 7th. The team called ‘Wam’ consisting of Eddie Meakin, Will Myers and Arun Sahota proved to be in the ‘Tom Tom’ class and finished first.
We returned to the centre had a delightful and very filling 3 course dinner and had a little rest to let our food digest. In the evening we took a stroll around the tiny village but didn’t meet any of the village’s 66 residents, but we did see 2 cars in the two hour exploration as we discovered why the village’s size has decreased from a healthy 300+ dating back to the 1940s. The church and its huge mosaic was amazing, and Mrs Slater proved very knowledgeable correctly dating the church back to the Norman times.
Finally it was time to settle down and after having a hot chocolate we were all told to go to bed and sleep…well that’s what the teachers thought anyhow!
Written by Sahil Sama
2009
After such an eventful week, could the trip get any better? After today the boys certainly seemed to think so.
On our final full day, the weather had a slight chill to it as the skies were clouding over. However, we soon found out we were much better off than those in Nottingham!
Today the boys set off for the beach, taking in bird-watching at Bempton Cliffs and rock-pooling and coastal processes work at Flamborough Head.
The activities at Flamborough Head included:
Field sketching – Despite the strong winds, the boys rose to the challenge of sketching High Stacks at Flamborough Head, including details of the high tide levels, chalk and boulder clay material, and geographical features including a stack and an arch. Brandon Lim and Harry Croasdale produced fantastic sketches given the conditions, which included a light drizzle too!
On the way to the next activity, our guide showed the boys a blowhole and discussed how the blowhole had been formed.
Coastal observations and investigations – The next activity saw the boys clambering across the seaweed-covered wave-cut platform on the way to a ‘geo,’ an arch which the boys worked out would eventually become a stack and were treated to exploring a small cave that the sea had eroded. The lines of weakness were identified by the boys and were taught how these had been exploited by the sea to form caves. Despite initial concern about entering the cave, Conan followed Mr. Caldwell in and enjoyed the experience, though he still maintains he won’t be entering any lifts any time soon! Alistair Hart impressed our tutor with his answer and explanation of the specific erosion process of abrasion.
Rock pooling – After a quick but nutritious lunch, the boys were eager to explore the rock pools. Having listened to the safety rules, the boys got into groups and within what seemed like seconds, Mr. Simpson was demonstrating his talent in crab-finding. Adam was very brave in picking up the friskiest crab the group found – the velvet swimming crab. Some of the taller boys found their height to their slight disadvantage with regard to their centre of gravity as they slipped and slid over the wet rocks. However, there were no injuries except briefly to the boys’ relentless enthusiasm for locating different creatures in the rock pool eco-system. The activity lasted over an hour but it seemed to pass so quickly. Nicholas commented “This is so cool!”
Adaptations discussions – Here, the boys looked at their discoveries on the beach, identifying producers, consumers and predators. They also learned about which of their discoveries were herbivores and carnivores – creatures including hermit crabs, the dangerous velvet swimming crab, periwinkles, limpets, anemones and even a lumpsucker!
Bempton Cliffs - At Bempton Cliffs, the boys were provided with a set of binoculars each. Their challenge was to identify as many different types of sea birds as possible at three different locations along the coast. Tobias was particularly adept at spotting birds, which included puffins, razorbills, fulmers,
Nyle’s birthday - Tonight’s dinner was notable, as was the entire day really, because it was Nyle Cockell’s birthday! After the main meal, the lights went off and much to Nyle’s delight, two huge chocolate cakes came out with candles, as the boys burst into song, giving a tuneful rendition of ‘Happy Birthday.’ After another fantastic dinner, the boys engaged in physical games related to their learning during the day.
Evening activities - The first game involved all of the boys choosing answers to multiple-choice style questions and running quickly towards their choice of A, B or C. Oliver Kumra astounded everyone with his superb knowledge, winning the first game on the first question!
Their second game was a relay race in which they had to transport water from their first bucket via a second bucket into a third bucket – the catch was that the cup they had to use to transport the water was full of holes! Some of the boys, including Tom Walton and Arun Kang worked out that the point of the game was to demonstrate that as water is lost through the transporting of water, so in a food chain, the energy transfer from one level to the next is inefficient and energy is lost during the process.
We are departing the Cranedale centre after our morning activity and lunch at 1:30pm. Therefore, we are expecting to arrive back at the Junior School entrance at 4:30pm. Parents will be able to park in the Senior School from 4:20pm onwards.
Sunday 26th April
The boys woke once again to a superb bright blue Sunday morning sky, with Group one looking forward to their river study activity day. The weather we have had so far has certainly made this one of the best visits to Cranedale. The boys are being fantastic ambassadors for the school and are relishing having fun whilst learning in the field. The trip certainly highlights the importance and benefit of actually being in the field rather than learning facts from a text book.
Downstream River Study – The first site was Helwath Beck. Here the boys were shown by Joe and Alice how to measure the width of the river channel and how to then take depth measurements along the river bed as well as flow velocity. All of this data was to be recorded in preparation for the evening lab work. During the day, the boys visited three different sections along the course of a main tributary (Jugger Howe Beck) and the main river itself, the River Derwent. At each point, the boys also analysed rock samples for size and smoothness, using a key and guide information. Ben commented that “This is one of the best days of my life!” Little did he know how much more lay ahead for him. We also located a waterfall, which some of the boys enjoyed using to cool their heads down, most notably Will Banks who got a little more wet than he anticipated!
The second site was just south of a tributary of the River Derwent, ‘Bloody Beck,’ (so-called due to the iron deposits which turned the river bed rocks red in colour). This joined the Helwath Beck at a point which the boys remembered was called a ‘confluence.’ Harry Bennett, Will Banks and Saaras Mehan were working particularly well together, taking it in turns to carry out the many various roles required during the experiments.
At the third site further down the river course, we finished our third round of experiments and were then introduced to the processes of erosion, transportation and deposition by our Cranedale tutors. This specific part of the river was twisting and turning, or ‘meandering’ as the boys now call it! Joe explained to the boys the process of erosion and showed us the effects of this erosion and how it had formed point spurs through river deposition and oxbow lakes – and how another oxbow lake will be formed in the near future. Here, Ajay remarked that today was very unlike his usual Sundays, such was the fun the boys were having paddling in the rivers to take their recordings.
Ivan found it remarkable how the oxbow lake had been filled in with deposits of silt and sediment up to the level of the rest of the valley floodplain. After this fascinating visit, the boys enjoyed a peaceful amble back to the minibus and set off back to the centre.
After a superb roast dinner and cherry crumble, the boys worked in the labs, producing line graphs of cross sections of the River Derwent from their findings recorded during the day. Joe was impressed with how quickly and neatly the boys worked in the labs, commenting that some A-Level students struggled with the work we carried out in the evening!
After the lab work, the boys got ready for bed in high spirits, looking forward to the trip to the beach tomorrow.
Saturday 25th April 09
What a day! After a relaxing and peaceful night’s sleep the boys woke to a day of glorious sunshine and prepared themselves for a busy and tiring day with cereal and a cooked breakfast. Group one set off for Lavisham to visit the National Park, here activities included:
Pond dipping- Here the children used nets to catch a variety of water life and used microscopes, identification diagrams, and pictures to help identify the many varieties of water life found in the stream. The boys had to look closely at each creature to identify what features they had to help them survive in their habitat. The boys loved the activity and would have spent the whole day delving into the stream if time had allowed.
River search- This involved following a dry river bed in the search of water. After following the dry bed for close to a mile we discussed many of the features associated with the river bed and why the river bed was dry at this location. The boys could easily identify how the water had eroded the land as it ferociously weaved its way along its path during the winters.
Settlements-Here the boys climbed a spur to advance to the top of the moorland to discover how and why the early settlers settled here. The remains of an ancient burial ground and the village’s walls could be seen and with the aid of an artist’s impression the boys were able to imagine what life was like during the past living in the round houses. They discussed how early settlers were able to survive in this region and examined the benefits and disadvantages of settling in low land and the high ground.
They finished the moorland walk with a game of fox and grouse in and amongst the wild soft rush land. Back at the Cranedale centre the boys analysed their discoveries under the microscopes and labelled their sketches.
One highlight of the day was the spotting of a male adder along the path down to the pond dipping activity, thankfully the 2 ft snake was harmless.
Freddie summed up the day as amazing, Conan described it as brilliant, Adam said it was superb, but all agreed it was fantastically tiring!
All of the boys left for their beds in high spirits, and are already looking ahead with excitement to Sunday’s activities.
Friday 24th April 09
We arrived after a journey without the usual road works or delay. The boys were in high spirits singing joyous tunes as we approached the centre. After settling in, gathering our bearings and filling our hungry stomachs, the boys were ready for the first task.
The first couple of tasks involved races enabling the boys to learn the various mapping directional symbols and map key symbols. Next the boys were led into the Cranedale orienteering field and were put into groups. Here the boys had to be quick, but also have a good understanding of the key skills taught earlier. Despite a few difficulties in direction the boys soon grasped their bearings and started to find the points with ease. James Bellamy and Nyle Cockell won the group one contest much to the delight of all the boys. Tom Walton, Will Underwood and Kedem Morgan were the group two winners.
The boys were now hungry and the dinner was certainly not a disappointment. Many boys finished their soup and were delighted when told there were another two courses to come! After two more courses all stomachs were well and truly filled.
At 7.30pm the next task involved a village detective tour and we were all informed about the history of the village and how its geology enticed settlers hundreds of years ago.
By 9pm all of the boys were safely tucked up in bed preparing their bodies for the next day. A good day had by all.
Sunday 26th April 09
Monday 27th April 09
Tuesday 28th April 09
