Geography students enjoy a fabulous trip to The Bay of Naples

Here at Southborough, we believe that learning doesn’t just happen within the confines of the classroom. School trips - whether it’s a day out seeing the sites of London or a week-long visit abroad – are all about personal growth and discovery for most children. Students are pushed out of their comfort zones and learn to adapt to new situations, which can help build resilience and self-confidence.

Travelling to a foreign country, students are exposed to new people, food, beliefs and customs, broadening their horizons and helping them develop a sense of global citizenship.

Last week, Year 11-13 geographers were given the exciting opportunity to attend an optional 'awe and wonder' trip to the Bay of Naples, Italy, for four days. The main objective of the trip was to learn more about the unique physical geography of the region, but of course, the visit turned out to be much more than that!

Perhaps one of the greatest highlights of the trip –as voted by the students - was climbing up the volcano of Mount Vesuvius to visit the crater. Local geologists provided an interesting tour explaining how they monitor the volcanic activity and they even saw the fumaroles of gases escaping from the vents.

The students also visited the excavated towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum that were destroyed during Vesuvius' last major eruption of 79AD. One student commented that it was like stepping back 2000 years in time to another civilization and way of life. Not only did they learn about tectonics on the trip, the group also studied the coastal geography of the beautiful island of Capri which  included a laser boat tour to see the landforms of arches, stacks and steep cliffs. 

The group were lucky to have such gloriously sunny weather whilst away and downtime of the beach and visits to the local pizzeria added to the experience. A fabulous trip they will remember for many years to come! Many thanks to Head of Humanities Miss Harrington and her team for organising and running such an interesting and rewarding trip for our students!