Once again Year 5 girls have visited the beautiful Peak District National Park. This year we stayed at the Hollowford Centre in Castleton, whilst staff from the Peak National Park Education Service based at Losehill Hall delivered the teaching programme. We began the week in glorious sunshine and returned home on Friday not having felt a drop of rain. The only use we had for our wet weather gear was when we were stream-dipping and to protect us from drips in the spectacular limestone caves at Treak Cliff Cavern.

On Monday, after our usual picnic lunch at Monsal Head, we visited the village of Eyam, made famous by the sacrifices of its inhabitants during the plague of 1665. That evening the girls enjoyed some exciting activities new to our programme this year. These included building shelters, orienteering and tackling a challenge course. They proved a real hit and the girls were pushed to their limits in a most enjoyable and supportive way.

Tuesday saw the girls becoming ‘Guardians of the Future’ as they looked at ancient, recent and possible future changes of the landscape around them. We also enjoyed an evening walk into Castleton looking for bats near Peak Cavern.

On Wednesday, we learned about food chains, food webs and food pyramids, as well as undertaking some stream dipping watched by some very curious cows. In the afternoon we visited Riding House Farm and did some scientific soil testing as well as sketching the fabulous views.

Our long walk through Berresford Dale near Hartington on Thursday was a real highlight. We climbed hills, walked through the woods along the river and enjoyed the wild flowers in the meadow. A spot of minibeast hunting made this a perfect day. In the evening we drove up to Mam Tor to look at the broken road caused by the shale slipping. By now all the girls could identify limestone, gritstone and shale!

On Friday our final visit was to Treak Cliff Cavern where we saw some incredible examples of stalactites and stalagmites. There was just time for some shopping before our journey home.

C.Ryninks

Click here to see more photos:

http://www.kingsleygallery.co.uk/index_files/peakdistrict08.htm