Visits and Exchanges Arran Field Trip 2016 Early on a Saturday morning we gathered at York station with our bags full to the brim ready for our long journey to Arran. However, we had a rough start because of major delays with trains which caused us to be rushing between platforms to get to our next train. We were eventually allowed to have our lunch on the ferry and finally it felt like we were almost there. On arriving at Brodick we loaded our bags and ourselves onto the bus, and finally after a long twisty bus ride we had arrived. The following day after a nice hot breakfast and a good sleep, we went for a trek up the hillside learning about the history of Arran and the wildlife (especially the midges!). In the afternoon out in the pouring rain we did fieldwork in different ecosystems. On return to the centre, dripping from head to toe, we discovered another school had arrived. We warned them of what Arran had to throw at them as if we were locals! Also, now that Mrs Tooby-Smith had arrived, the majority of the boys were up at the crack of dawn for a five-mile run before breakfast. However, all the girls naturally stayed snoring in their beds.
The next few days were spent discovering the island by walking around a glacial valley and visiting the rural communities of Arran whilst doing some data collection. We were even lucky enough to stop off at the Co-op to stock up on snacks and sweets! Early on the cold Wednesday morning, we got up to do our saltmarsh study. Despite having to get up extra early because of the tide timings, the boys still went for their 6 am run. Again, the girls showed no inclination to get up and join in. A basic breakfast set our mood for the whole day for the main investigation of the saltmarsh succession, although that all changed when Chris (our resident tutor) arrived with trays of fresh, hot bacon butties, which gave us the energy we needed to storm through our investigation. Luckily we were able to negotiate the afternoon off away from Beth (our main tutor) and the classroom because of our early
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The Peterite 2015-2016
