Woodstone Learning offers a variety of educational field studies and workshops in the Lake District focused on geography, environmental science, and green woodworking. Field studies cover topics like glaciation, rivers, coasts, and human geography. Workshops include green woodworking like making swords and stools, as well as willow weaving and other crafts. Experienced tutors lead tailored day trips and multi-day programs using hands-on techniques to engage students in skills like field mapping and data collection.

1. Woodstone Learning, Rossett House, Chapel Lane, Kirkby Thore, Cumbria, CA10 1UH
www.woodstonelearning.co.uk | 017683 62122 | info@woodstonelearning.co.uk
Educational Visits to
the Lake District
Geography A-Level, GCSE
and KS3 Field Studies,
Environmental Education and
Green Woodworking
Workshops

2. Field Studies: Physical Geography
Glaciation
A-Level, Scottish Highers, GCSE, KS3
Available as a standard day or day plus evening follow-up
Students develop and apply their understanding of the processes and interactions at work in the formation of erosional and
depositional features in a glaciated landscape and investigate land use conflicts between different user groups. Using a range of
skills including mapping, annotation, clast analysis and field sketches, students are encouraged to develop enquiry skills to
identify, describe and explain glacial features and complete a matrix investigating conflicts of land use in a glaciated landscape.
Choice of Locations:
Easedale from Grasmere: Walking from the honeypot village of Grasmere, we enjoy a 5 mile circular walk via Sour Milk Gill to
Easedale Tarn. Features include a stunning U-shape valley, truncated spurs, a roche moutonnée, hanging valley, corrie, tarn, misfit
stream, erratic and kettle hole.
Northern Lake District: Exploring the fascinating glacial history of the northern Lake District, we use till analysis and
geomorphological mapping to investigate features including an esker, moraines, crag and tail and drumlins.
Rivers
GCSE, KS3, KS2
Available as a half day, standard day or day plus evening follow-up
Students measure river characteristics such as width, depth, velocity,
bedload size and shape, gradient and wetted perimeter and use
qualitative methods such as field sketches and annotated photos at
multiple sites on the long profile of a river to investigate changes
downstream. Features such as meanders, river cliffs and point bars will
also be investigated. Data gathered in the field can then be used to
calculate hydraulic radius and discharge and display cross profiles.
Choice of Locations:
Keskadale Beck: Located near Newlands Pass, it is a
7km easily accessible stretch of river located in a U-
shape valley with fantastic meanders and a waterfall.
Troutbeck: Located within walking distance of Grasmere in the heart of
the Lake District, Troutbeck is a steep upland stream with amazing views
over Grasmere and Rydal Water.
Coasts
A-Level, Scottish Highers, GCSE, KS3
Available as a standard day or day plus evening follow-up
Students develop and apply their understanding of coastal processes, coastal
landforms and coastal management strategies and learn the skills required to carry
out a range of coastal investigations. Depending on the location, skills include
sediment analysis (lithology, size and shape), measuring beach profiles, evaluating
coastal defences using bipolar scales, annotated field sketches and photos, cliff
profiles and mapping techniques.
Choice of Locations:
St Bees: Located on the west coast of Cumbria, St Bees has a beautiful sandy beach
backed by shingle and is managed with a coastal wall and groynes, making it an
ideal location to study the effect of longshore drift and coastal management. Behind
the beach lies a caravan site, which experiences regular coastal flooding and a café
perched on a subsiding cliff.
Morecambe: The seaside resort of Morecambe regularly experiences coastal
flooding and has a wide range of coastal defences. It is a great location to
investigate the effectiveness of these defences and to carry out beach profiles at
contrasting locations along the seafront to Hest Bank.

3. Field Studies: Human Geography
Changing Place
A-Level, Scottish Highers, GCSE, KS3
Available as a standard day or day plus evening follow-up
Students investigate the changing built characteristics and the demographic, socio-economic and cultural
profile of a settlement in the Lake District. Using a wide range of investigative skills in human geography
students evaluate these techniques and gain a greater understanding of place perception and the flow of
people, resources and ideas.
Choice of Locations:
Keswick: Exploring the popular tourist town
in the North of the Lake District, we focus on
its cultural geographies looking at
perceptions of place and investigate retail
change and the changing demographic and
socio-economic profile of the town.
Grasmere: Situated in the heart of the Lake District
surrounded by stunning landscapes, Grasmere has a rich
cultural heritage. With threats and opportunities from
tourism, the village has undergone huge changes in its
identity. Explore this fascinating settlement, once home
to William Wordsworth, to investigate changes in its
demographic profile and built characteristics and
consider how the World Heritage status will affect this
once quiet farming settlement.
Rural Economic Change, Rebranding and Regeneration
A-Level, Scottish Highers, GCSE, KS3
With the decline in farming and mining, rural communities,
businesses, tourism organisations and local government have
looked to rebrand and regenerate the area. One such strategy
in the Lake District is the Adventure Capital. Students will
investigate how sites such as Whinlatter Forest and Honister
Slate Mine fit into this strategy and the effect these have had
on employment and services.
Location:
Borrowdale: Stunningly beautiful valley with Honister Slate
Mine which has rebranded itself as a destination for adventure
junkies with via ferrata and a proposed zip wire. Whinlatter
Forest has diversified into ecotourism with the Osprey Project
and the Altura branded mountain bike trail.

4. Green Woodworking
Wooden Swords
Ages 8 upwards
Available as a 1 hour workshop or 3 sessions per half day
Experience using traditional green woodworking skills to make a fine wooden sword from birch. Learn
about the different qualities of wood, how the wood is coppiced to be produced sustainably and how to
use tools safely. You will work in small groups on shaving horses to sculpt your wooden swords using a
draw knife.
Choice of Locations:
Rheged: Visit us in our workshop in Rheged on the outskirts of the Lake District near junction
40 on the M6 or we can come to you.
Maximum group size is 8.
Willow Weaving: Half Day
Ages 8 upwards
Available as a half day workshop
Find out about the amazing properties of willow on this introduction to willow
workshop. Starting with smaller projects like willow stars and fish we’ll progress
Location:
Rheged: Visit us in our workshop in Rheged on the outskirts of the Lake District near junction 40
on the M6 or we can come to you.
Maximum group size is 10.
Wooden Stool Half Day
Ages 8 upwards
Available as a half day workshop
This great half day workshop covers a wide range of green
woodworking skills and tools. And the best bit is that you
get to keep your wooden stool!
Location:
Rheged: Visit us in our workshop in Rheged on the
outskirts of the Lake District near junction 40 on the
M6 or we can come to you.
Maximum group size is 8.
Other Popular Workshops Try making a Bow and Arrows, Spoon Carving, Witches Brooms
(besoms), Christmas Wreaths and Christmas trees. Call us to find out more and how they link to the
National Curriculum.
“The pupils got so much out of the experience.”
K. Laithwaite, Head Teacher of Temple Sowerby Primary School

5. Environmental Science and Primary
Discovering the Lake District
KS2 and 3
Available as a standard day or day plus evening follow-up
Walking in one of the many beautiful Lake District valleys, the pupils will learn about the National Park’s
incredible heritage from the Neolithic period to present day, finding out about how the landscape has
been formed by volcanoes and ice and shaped by humans. Using poetry, art and mini fieldwork
investigations we will examine sense of place and create our own works of art inspired by the landscape.
Choice of Locations:
Wide choice of locations across Cumbria. Please enquire.
A Carbon Landscape: the role of moorlands in mitigating climate change
A-Level, Scottish Highers, GCSE
Available as a half day, standard day or day plus evening follow-up
Peatlands cover just 3% of the world and yet they accumulate more carbon than tropical rainforests.
Students will develop and apply their knowledge of the carbon cycle and carbon sequestration to
investigate the role of different land uses and soils on carbon stores. Using a variety of different field
techniques including measuring the organic content of soils, soil moisture, soil type and soil pH and also
using trigonometry to calculate the biomass of a tree, students are able to investigate and estimate the
carbon stores in a variety of different land uses.
Location:
Wide range of locations across Cumbria. Please enquire.
Freshwater Invertebrates
GCSE, KS3, KS2
Available as a half day, standard day or day plus evening follow-up
What lives in a pond and what does it tell us about how healthy the water is? Find out all about the
strange creatures that live in the pond or stream, how they are adapted to live in that habitat and how
they fit into the food web. We will conduct an investigation and use classification keys to identify
invertebrates, tally up the findings and produce data which can be used for data presentation and
analysis.
Choice of Locations:
Wide range of locations across Cumbria. Please enquire.
Minibeasts and Woodland Habitats
KS2 and 3
Available as a half day or standard day
Find out all about the amazing creatures which live in our woods from the macroinvertebrates living in the
soil and the trees to the mammals and birds. We’ll consider what makes a ‘home’, make a mouse house,
conduct a minibeast hunt using pooters and identification keys and play food web games to investigate
how creatures are interconnected.
Choice of Locations:
Wide range of locations across Cumbria. Please enquire.
“Excellent tuition” Woodmill High School

6. How to book
Fees
Contact us by phone or email to discuss your requirements. Our standard rates are as follows:
Planning your trip to the Lake District?
We have a wealth of knowledge of places to stay to suit all budgets and are happy to offer advice.
To find out more about the courses and workshops, contact Claire Backhouse at
clairebackhouse@hotmail.co.uk or call 01768 362122 and visit our website www.woodstonelearning.co.uk
Book Now!
Half day
(9.30am to 1pm
or 1pm to
Day
(10 to 4.30pm)
Day and Even-
ing
(10am to 8pm)
Talks
(approx. 1
hour)
Charge per £10 £16.50 £22 -
Minimum
charge
£100 £165 £220 £50 + travel
expenses
Inclusions
 Experienced and qualified tutor(s) with appropriate first
aid and safe-guarding qualifications and enhanced DBS
 Tailored course to meet your needs
 Site visits and risk assessments
 Planning, preparation and up to 10 hours teaching time
per day
 Fieldwork equipment and worksheets
 All tools and materials for woodworking workshops
 Public liability insurance up to £5,000,000
 Speakers and admission fees where clearly noted in the
itinerary
 Pre and post course support
Exclusions
 Footwear and water-
proofs for participants
 Transport and parking
fees
No VAT is charged on our sessions
and workshops
Woodstone Learning, Rossett House, Chapel Lane, Kirkby Thore, Cumbria, CA10 1UH
www.woodstonelearning.co.uk | 017683 62122 | info@woodstonelearning.co.uk
“Very effective course with excellent tuition and resources”
A2 Geography, St Andrews Catholic School