Lake District Field Class

Lake District Year 2 – ENVS 289

The field class to the Lake District is a requirement for all second year Planning undergraduates and is optional for combined Geography and Planning students. We spend 5 days in the field exploring the Lake District and surrounding area, from Arnside to Keswick. This field class is part of the module ENVS289 Rural Planning in Semester 2 and provides students with an opportunity to gain an insight into the very particular planning challenges of rural areas.

During the field visit we highlight the variety of rural experience by visiting areas of significant tourist destinations such as the Lake District National Park and Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as well as remote rural communities, conservation areas and market towns. Through a programme of visits and meetings with local people and rural development professionals, students learn first-hand about current issues in countryside management, farm diversification, affordable housing and managing development in sensitive landscapes. The field visit also gives the students an opportunity to reflect on the unique challenges of protected landscapes, and the rural communities that inhabit them, through undertaking a practical exercise in data collection and interpretation.