Fifty two Upper 6th Geography and Environmental Systems & Societies students travelled to the stunning Eagle’s Nest field studies centre in the heart of the Cevennes National Park for a couple of days’ worth of fieldwork at the start of half term. It was a fantastic opportunity for A Level and IB students to work alongside one another: between them they studied the downstream characteristics of the River Souteyran; human impacts on water quality in the nearby River Lot; the urban Geography and sustainability of nearby town Mende; and the environmental impacts of skiing on Mont Lozere. The group worked with maturity and focus, as well as being excellent company (comprehensively defeating Mr Foyle numerous times on the table football table, and joining in enthusiastically in the Geography-free pub quiz) throughout the trip.

For many it will prepare them for fieldwork aspects of their A Level papers; for IB students it will have satisfied requirements for practical skills experience and enable them to write up their findings into IAs. Best of all, the weather gods were kind to us and we enjoyed much more pleasant conditions than the forecast led us to believe. Sadly it will be our last trip there for the foreseeable future, partly to satisfy the requirements of the new A Level syllabus: this year’s Lower 6th cohort will visit the equally-stunning-and-hopefully-as-sunny Blencathra Field Studies Centre just before half-term in May.