Llanddwyn in the sun

With a new academic year we get another series of field trips with the freshers. And when we can, we start with Llanddwyn. And this year we could.

There was some confusion beforehand. I had asked Dei what the logistical plan was. Two vehicles delivered to main campus he said; the big one for him and the smaller one for Jaco or me. 

Then I got an email from the SOS receptionist. A car had been delivered for me, in Menai Bridge. I was puzzled. The head of our technical staff, who books vehicles, wasn’t in, so couldn’t clarify. Was it for the upcoming glaciology trip? I went to pick up the key. The car was clearly for the Monday, when we had the Llanddwyn trip, but Dei assured me it wasn’t anything to do with that. Weird! 

When I had already left I got a message from the head of technical stuff. It was for our trip! That was weird. And he specified it was for me, not for Jaco. That annoyed me if it; that means I would have to first go to Anglesey, pick up that car, drive back to Bangor, pick up the students, and then go back to Anglesey for the field trip. Wouldn't it have been a lot more practical to allocate it to Jaco? He lives on Anglesey!

On the very day it turned out okay, though; because of my ankle problems so I had hardly been running I was having exercise withdrawal symptoms. I quite often drive to work if I have a field trip on, basically because I carry so much more if I am out in the field all day than when I am just sitting in a comfortable office, and it is difficult to fit all that into my bicycle bags, and it can also be quite exhausting to be in the field all day. But with my exercise deficiency I biked in. So having to go to Menai Bridge was actually a good thing. And Jaco had reason to shoot off as early as possible, so it was good he wasn’t involved in ferrying students around. So that turned out ok.

The forecast was great. We drove there in blazing sunshine, and that pretty much stayed with us until the end. And I had put dibs on the first outcrop. I think it’s important to rapidly bring the message across that women have scientific things to say too. Of the men it’s unlikely they’d doubt that. 

Llanddwyn seen from a pillow lava

Walking to some limestone

The melange

We talked tectonics and Ocean Plate Stratigraphy and metamorphosis and ancient life. And as usual, we ended with the amazing melange at the far end of the peninsula. 

I think it was a success! Let’s hope the other trips go as well…