Time for a break!

Good evening!

It's been a while, sorry about that, but I have been quite busy! Thought I would write a quick post to say what I've been up to.

Since my last post I have visited Alton Towers, The British Wildlife Centre, Oxford, & The Mendips, have seen Chase & Status live, and have become the new secretary of the Reading University Roller Coaster Appreciation Society! In addition to this, I have managed not to leave most of my assignments too much to the last minute, which is a big achievement for me.. Therefore I think I can say that I've had a really good spring term.

 I visited Alton Towers during the February half term. Although only a few selected rides were open, I had a really good day - improved greatly by the fact the park was so quiet! Also got the chance to have a sneaky peek at The Smiler which was pretty cool - hoping to visit again later this year when it's open.

What I wanted to write about the most is my recent trip to The Mendips, and by recent I mean that I got back today. This was a university field trip, and so to be honest I wasn't looking forward to it too much as I was worried about the sheer amount of work that we were going to have to do. Unfortunately I couldn't take that many photos on the trip as it was just too cold (my fingers were frozen when I was wearing gloves).

Cheddar Gorge

  The first stop was to a place called Burrington Combe - a gorge in the Mendips exposing the carboniferous limestone that they are mostly composed of. This was a really interesting place, and understanding the geology of the site really helped you to appreciate it more.
  Second stop was Cheddar Gorge - a place I had visited before, but was keen to return to. The photos I've taken really don't give it justice - I would really recommend a visit, the geology is simply incredible. The gorge is massive - it's 3 miles long and has a maximum depth of almost 400ft. We learnt that the gorge was formed by a river created from the glacial meltwaters during the last Ice Age. This also formed the caves found at the site (which we didn't have time to explore), when the river began to flow underground.

My friend and I in the reserve

  The rest of the week was spent exploring the Blackmoor Reserve - carrying out our own investigations which we needed to present & write about in an exam. It was so cold down there, as you can probably tell by the number of layers I'm wearing in that photo! Overall, I enjoyed some aspects of the trip - most notably the exploration in an area I hadn't visited before. However, I am so happy to finally be going home tomorrow!

In other news, I'm visiting Thorpe Park on Sunday - which I am very very excited about - mostly for the chance to ride Swarm backwards! The Smiler at Alton Towers has also been showing significant progress since my last post, with the trains having been delivered to the resort yesterday and much more track having been put up.

Have a good Easter,

Kimberley