Name: __________________________ Class: ________________

Safety Warnings

1. Today you will be put into groups. You must stay in this group and you will have to report to your teacher at different times during the day.

2. When you get off the bus you must walk down to the Ballintoy Harbour In Single File and on the Right side of the road. Take care – especially when cars pass.

3. When at the beach – take care when walking over rocks and stones

4. Do NOT within 1 metre of any cliff edge – especially around bore holes

5. Do NOT go into the water for any reason

6. Do NOT go into the Caves

7. When walking along the coast, stay together with your group.

8. Do not go out of sight of the teachers at any time during the field trip

Aim

The Aim of this Field Trip is to enable students to learn and understand the main components of the erosive and depositive power of the coast. We will also look at how we may be destroying this fragile environment

Do NOT Loose this booklet – You will not be provided with another

My Teacher Leader is

The other people in my group are

Stop 1 - Ballintoy Harbour

When we come down the road towards Ballintoy Harbour we are going to turn right down to the ‘Sandy Harbour’ before we look around the main harbour.

In Geography recently you have been studying how erosion can attack the coastline. The sea then transports and deposits the eroded elsewhere as beach material. In this area you will see examples of all of the different erosion landforms as well as deposition landforms.

There are 2 pieces of work that you must complete at this stop. In addition, you will be also be taken to see some of the erosive features here – including a series of blow holes and baylets.

1. Field Sketch

2. Beach Quality Survey No 1

How to draw a Field Sketch

A Field sketch is a drawing made of a particular view when you are out on the field trip. To start this, find a place to sit and then start to sketch geographical features into the frame on the next page. It does not matter how good your artistic skill is – the key thing is to draw your impression of the area and then to ‘annotate’ or write down explanations of what you see around the picture. Look at the example below

Stop 1 – Ballintoy Harbour

Field Sketch 1 – Erosion of the Coast

How to do the Beach Quality guide!

At each place that we stop at today, we need to look at the quality of the beach. This will give us an idea about the cleanliness, pollution, shelter etc found at each site. It will help us to work out whether people would want to come and visit these beaches.

This beach quality should be completed with the other people in your group. Take a good look around the beach site and then, as a group, decide on a score (out of 3 ) to give each of the different beach quality indicators.

Use this table to find out the beach quality at each of the sites –

Beach Quality Survey

Sand Quality Clean, Golden Sand - 3 Dirty Sand - 2 Mud - 1	Games Space Large area for games - 3 Some space for games - 2 Little space for games - 1
Water Quality Clear, Clean Water - 3 Cloudy water - 2 Muddy or polluted water - 1	Scenery Attractive scenery - 3 Reasonable view - 2 Ugly surroundings - 1
Condition of Cliffs Stable cliffs - 3 Some instability - 2 Dangerous cliffs - 1	Seaweed No seaweed - 3 Some seaweed - 2 Much seaweed - 1
Beach Surface Quality No pebbles - 3 Some pebbles - 2 Many pebbles - 1	Natural Interest Much natural interest (eg rock pools, shells, birds) - 3 Some natural interest - 2 Little Natural interest - 1
Bathing Conditions Safe Bathing - 3 Rocks/mud make bathing Difficult or unpleasant - 2 Bathing dangerous or Very unpleasant - 1	Shelter Sheltered from wind - 3 Open to some winds - 2 Very exposed and windy – 1
Noise Peaceful and uncrowded - 3 Some people and/or noise – 2 Crowded and noisy - 1	Litter No litter - 3 Some litter - 2 Much litter - 1

Recording Sheet for Beach Quality

Beach Quality Indicators	Site 1 – ‘The sandy harbour’	Site 2 – ‘The fossil beach’	Site 3 - White Park Bay
Sand Quality
Water Quality
Condition of cliffs
Surface Quality
Bathing Conditions
Noise
Games Space
Scenery
Seaweed
Natural Interest
Shelter
Litter
T O T A L

Ballintoy Harbour

During the late nineteenth century the harbour  was extensively used for the shipping of sett stones - a small rail track once existed for  moving the piles of sett stones and limestone to the quayside. At Brockie Quarry near Larry Bane over one hundred men were employed chipping and shaping sett stones that went to pave the streets of cities such as Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Limerick and Glasgow. The well built lime kiln stands as a testament to the harbour's industrial past  - burnt lime would have been drawn away by horse and cart to help build the numerous stone cottage and rural halls in the district. Ballintoy is still a working harbour for local fishermen who continue a tradition that goes back to when man first arrived, it naturally produces good boatmen due to the dangerous waters which they and their father's have come to understand, respect and work upon  - the large boat cave to the right of the car park would have been used to repair, lay over and build boats inside. Though the scores of basalt islands act to shelter the harbour from prevailing storms, it can still on occasions get battered  - for me it is one of the best and most awesome location to watch a full blown Atlantic storm from - I have seen waves riding up the armour walling and washing the footpath at the left hand side of O'Rourke's Kitchen. The area of rocks nearer White Park Bay and overlooked by Dundriff  is known locally as the Park End - this spot can pick up some of the biggest swell waves along the north coast. The harbour mouth looks out to Sheep Island and Rathlin. In October, 1906 the 'City of Bristol'  a steam powered Fleetwood trawler homebound from Iceland ran aground on the reef that runs between Larry Bane and  Sheep Island - there was thick fog at the time and the Captain mistook Sheep Island for Bull Point on Rathlin.

Types of Economic Activity along the North Coast

3. What different types of economic activity (or jobs) have you seen evidence of along the coast? (Either present or past)

	Economic Activity
1
2
3
4
5

4. For each of the five different jobs above – think of a reason why you think the industry was located here (an advantage) and also think of a reason why the industry might have struggled (a disadvantage)

	Advantage	Disadvantage
1
2
3
4
5

You might not be able to get 5 jobs at this stage in the coursework – but keep thinking as we make our way through the fieldwork. We will discuss other jobs as we go!

Stop 2 – The Fossil Beach

There are 2 pieces of work that you must complete at this stop. In addition you will be allowed some time to look at both the erosive and deposition features in this area. Can you see the Limestone arch?

1. Field Sketch

2. Beach Quality Survey No 2

The beach that you are standing on is a famous place where 2 types of fossil can be found. You can sometimes find parts of the Ammonite (which is a grey spiralled creature) or the much thinner – cigar shaped Bellamite. (this is usually like a black worm in white limestone rock).

A walk between Ballintoy and Whitepark Bay or vice versa will take you along an ancient pathway trodden since man first set foot here some 10,000 years ago. The bay in geological terms is known as a 'raised beach',  the ocean would have once washed into the curved cliff face and both Portbraddon and Ballintoy harbour would have been submerged - as the ice age came to a close the land mass gradually rose leaving us with this exceptional bay. The ancient sand dune system is rich in flora and fauna, it also contains several carbon dated Neolithic sites and arrow heads are occasionally found by the observant walker. Along the shoreline, if your lucky, you can still find the odd fossilized ammonites or brachiopods washed out of the layer of Jurassic clay which underlies the extreme low tide zone. In the dune system there is also an ancient mound known as a Tumulus which may be a burial site, another word for Tumulus would be Si  - in Irish mythology the fairies are said to have been the people of the Si. One prominent volcanic stack is aptly named the 'Elephant Rock' - as a young boy I was told by an uncle that it was an elephant which had the misfortune to be caught as it tried to flee from an erupting volcano - it certainly fired my imagination to the wondrous cliff shapes and rock outcrops that surround the north Antrim coast. Close to the elephant rock is a nicely eroded limestone arch which at high tide is surrounded by water, overlooking these rocks is a cave which when excavated by archeologists revealed Iron Age artifacts.The whole area round to Ballintoy has an amazing number of basalt islet and is quite unique, it is also one of the finest locations to view the power of Atlantic storms as they pound into the natural defenses that protect Ballintoy harbour. 

Stop 2 – The Fossil Beach

Field Sketch 2 – Erosion and Deposition at the Coast

Extended Beach Quality Exercise

When we get to the Headland where the coastline changes direction we will make a stop to do an extended piece of fieldwork that will help us to measure the amount of erosion that is taking place in this area. In addition – we will also want to look for evidence of pollution.

Part One – The size of stones

In your group – it is your job to measure the size of the stones at 20cm intervals. Your teacher will stretch a long tape measure from one place close to the water edge into the land.

Working on one side of the tape measure. You must use the ruler provided for your group to work out what the size of the stone is. You are trying to measure the size of the stone along its longest axes.

Distance between 2 points = 12cm

You must take readings for the size of the stones every 20cm along the tape measure until you reach 10 metres inshore or until you reach the end of your tape measure.

Use the Recording sheet on the next page to record your results. If you need more space then go onto the back page of this booklet.

Part Two – The Type of Pollution

Unfortunately there is a fair amount of pollution material often found along the coast. With your group, your job is to have a look around the area to find and record the different types of pollution found in the area. Record the information using a Tally chart – we will add the results up back in the classroom. Remember that pollution is often described as being something man made in a natural environment.

The Size of Stones – Recording Sheet

Tape Measure	Stone Size	Tape Measure	Stone Size	Tape Measure	Stone Size
0cm		3m80cm		7m60cm
20cm		4m		7m80cm
40cm		4m20cm		8m
60cm		4m40cm		8m20cm
80cm		4m60cm		8m40cm
1m		4m80cm		8m60cm
1m20cm		5m		8m80cm
1m40cm		5m20cm		9m
1m60cm		5m40cm		9m20cm
1m80cm		5m60cm		9m40cm
2m		5m80cm		9m60cm
2m20cm		6m		9m80cm
2m40cm		6m20cm		10m
2m60cm		6m40cm
2m80cm		6m60cm
3m		6m80cm
3m20cm		7m
3m40cm		7m20cm
3m60cm		7m40cm

The Type of Pollution – Recording sheet

Remember this is a tally chart so just record the number of each item that you see. Pollution is anything that is man-made in a natural environment.

Types of Pollution	Number
Plastic Bottles
Glass Bottles
Bricks/Concrete
Wood/Driftwood
Fisherman waste – nets etc
General House litter (wrappers etc)

Please list below any other types of pollution that you can identify that are not listed above.

Stop 3 – Whitepark Bay

There are 2 pieces of work that you must complete at this stop. In addition you will be allowed some time to look at both the erosive and deposition features in this area.

1. Field Sketch

2. Beach Quality Survey No 3

This is a famous beach – often used in TV commercials and for adverts about Northern Ireland.

At one end of this beautiful sweeping bay, sheltered below the cliffs from the prevailing winds  lies  the small fishing hamlet of Portbraddon and at the other end the myriad basalt islands that surround Ballintoy harbour.  Whitepark Bay was one  of the first settlements of man in Ireland and evidence of these Neolithic settlers are continually being exposed  on the raised beach and sand dune system, it is known that the manufacturing and exporting of axes and arrow heads took place from here -  the limestone cliffs being a rich source of  flint nodules. Three passage tombs stand on the high points of surrounding hills overlooking the bay, the most striking being the dolmen known as the Druid's Altar which was placed on the highest point above the bay. The area is breathtaking in its beauty and pristine landscape and an excellent location to base yourself to explore the wonderful North Antrim coast from. The dune system is a declared area of scientific interest and exposed near the beach edge are the remains of an old summer school. 

Stop 3 – Whitepark Bay

Field Sketch 3 –Deposition at the Coast

This booklet is copyright Ó T Manson 2001