The field trip starts

The summer is officially over! The field trip has started. And it was properly autumnal. 

On the first day, which traditionally unfortunately falls in the weekend, we always do an introduction. The students don't actually take any samples or deploy any instruments; we just take them through the fieldwork area and talk to them. And this year, quite like last year, it looked like we would have to deal with challenging weather. There was a lot of rain forecast, and later in the day there would be a weather warning for wind.

For the fieldwork, we have a base in Newborough. We've had that for the last two years. It is lovely! And normally, we take the students there first. But this time we figured that the least bad weather would be in the morning, so we went straight from campus into the field. Martin did his first station in the rain. At least it wasn't very windy yet.

The landward end of the estuary 

The second location we normally visit is where I do most of the talking. And it was actually as good as dry! That was bonus.

We decided to go straight to the end of the estuary after that. It was still dry, but the wind was surely picking up. And that is cold, and tiring, and difficult to shout over. So we had a look at the beach and the dunes west of Llanddwyn, and the same east of Llanddwyn, and then we decided to retreat to our base. There we would have lunch. That meant we skipped quite a lot of locations! But sometimes you have to be pragmatic.

View over the open sea

We showed the students the base, and the tea and coffee making facilities. And after lunch we changed the ballroom into a working room. We let them finalise their notes for the first day; making notes in rain or strong wind is difficult, so they had to do some of it afterwards. And while they were doing that, the window outside picked up. We were glad we were indoors! 

Martin had decided that the next day, when the weather warning was still enforced, he will cancel all fieldwork activities. He would be able to manage to either slot things in later in the week, or think of an alternative. I was a bit disappointed that the day that got cancelled towards the only day I wasn't scheduled. I am by far the person with the most time input, for reasons of micropalaeontology being a slow discipline. But now the only people getting a break were those who had a rather light load anyway! But well, that’s how it worked out. 

I would have that day for normal office work. And then it would be three days from early to late for me! I just hoped the weather wouldn't be too atrocious…