As with the Grasmere event, I led hill walking activity. In this case these were a series of half day trips over 2 days, for year 7 pupils from Halifax. We walked into the Round How and Rakes Crag areas around Boredale Hause. We stayed at Patterdale Youth Hostel.
It's great to put on boots, pack minimal kit and just walk out of the hostel and onto the hill. Other activities often require specialist equipment and a minibus drive to a crag, cave, gorge or lakeside. Pedestrianism is the essence of being a human traveller. Walking is a neglected mode of transport in what seems a vehicle-centric world.
Aside from my usual goals of promoting individual capacity and teamwork, I also aimed to facilitate "active noticing", greater connection with the environment and sense of place. I did this by asking the students what they noticed as being the same as and different from their home. This sparked some interesting learning conversations...
- Rushes (smell of cucumber), cotton grass (source of fibre) and invasive bracken grow both on the Lake District fells and Halifax moors. The soils are similarly nutrient-leached, acidic and over-grazed.
- Drystone walls abound in both places but the stones are different.
- Halifax rock is sedimentary but in the Lakes it's volcanic.
- Skylarks sing on the moors and the fells. But not on all of them.
- "Cuckoo spit" hosts a froghopper nymph.
- The Wheatear is migratory and it's name has a risqué origin.
- The clean Lake District air supports some colourful lichens.
- Tourists generally prefer the Lakes to Halifax.
- Drystone walls abound in both places but the stones are different.
- Halifax rock is sedimentary but in the Lakes it's volcanic.
- Skylarks sing on the moors and the fells. But not on all of them.
- "Cuckoo spit" hosts a froghopper nymph.
- The Wheatear is migratory and it's name has a risqué origin.
- The clean Lake District air supports some colourful lichens.
- Tourists generally prefer the Lakes to Halifax.
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