20
Aluredian
We had been told that the weather on the
islands changes incredibly quickly, but none of
us expected what happened next. As we were
busy identifying different types of seaweed and
other strange species, the sunlight, which only
seconds ago brought warmth and happiness to
us … disappeared. The rain which then
followed was warm and thick, which many of
us went on to describe as being almost
tropical. Luckily the sun came out again as
quickly as it had vanished and once again all
the flowers, bushes and trees were tropical and
stunning.
However, the most memorable part of the trip
weather-wise was a short day excursion to the
island of Tresco, where we had planned to
learn a little more about sand dune ecology,
note the word 'planned'. As we reached the
port of St Mary, dark clouds marked the sky,
the temperature dropped and the air filled with
rain. Despite the rain, all of us were keen to
give a boat trip to Tresco a go.
As we stepped onto the unsteady boat, many of
us began to question our decision. By the time
the boat had left the bay most of us were
soaked in rain water! The big waves seemed
to crash continually onto the same people,
leaving several members of the group not only
very wet but also in a very bad mood.
However, we did manage to visit some of the
H
aving waited over an hour
for our bus, many of the
61 biologists found
themselves struggling to
be positive. It was
6.00am, our bus was
late, and this was only the start of our great
adventure. Eventually the bus arrived and we
were off to Penzance to catch the Scillonian III.
On the ferry, team spirits were high and we
were all very excited.
Having arrived on St Mary's at around
lunchtime, we all headed up to our camping
site. The scenes which then followed must
have been very entertaining for all the members
of staff. The male pupils found themselves
giving the girls a hand with their tents. It was
then that Felix Ameye pointed out that the girls'
tent was the wrong way round, the covers were
upside down, and that pegs would in fact be
necessary to keep the tent attached to the
ground.
Clearly, the girls wished they had paid a little
more attention when they had practised putting
up the tents back at King's. After about an
hour, all tents were up, the food was stored,
and we were all ready to go off on our first
exploration of the island. A short walk through
Hugh Town brought us to the Old Town Bay
where we were to do most of our fieldwork.
61 biology
field trip
to the
Scilly Isles
by
Alessandra
Ihde