The V^th Form Geography Field Trip to the River Tillingbourne

The school felt a tiny bit quieter on Tuesday and Thursday, as a fleet of minibuses filled with V^th Form Geographers made their way to the River Tillingbourne in the Dorking area just to the south of the North Downs.

The objective of the trip was to investigate the changes in the character of the river as it flowed downstream through gault clay and contrasting harder rock types such as those of the Greensand Ridge. The information and experience gained on the trip forms an essential of a 2,000 word Controlled Assessment (the geography equivalent to coursework).

All the students had to measure the width, depth and velocity of the river with devices ranging from expensive flow meters to dog biscuits (a sort of updated version of pooh sticks but a simple and accurate way to measure the speed of water between two fixed points).

Students also had to make their own independent measurements of factors such as water pH, temperature, gradient and identify land use characteristics. They now have a better understanding of how the local landscape has evolved. The data collected on the day confirmed their original hypothesis that the river became deeper and wider as the velocity increased and land use changed from Forest managed by the National Trust
to recreational land, farmland and finally (in this study) passed through
suburban developments. 

A very useful day with team working high on the agenda. “It was also” reflected one student “great fun despite all the rain …”.