A brilliant day today studying Hoaroak Water and the East Lyn River from Hillsford Bridge down to Lynmouth.

As far as studying rivers is concerned, we learnt about:

  • rain being the start of the journey (it rained until lunchtime)
  • the source of the river
  • tributaries joining the river
  • erosion of the river banks and also the paths
  • the river meandering down
  • a dam – a great one where a tree collected lots of debris
  • lots of rapids
  • rivers transport things down them – it was brown with mud but there were leaves, sticks and even trees brought down by the river
  • That’s deposition too – the river deposits stuff!
  • and of course, the river mouth.

At specific points on the river we dropped large dog biscuits to study and time where they traveled. On ‘the beach’ at one of the pools half-way down the river we noted that the outside of the river went quite fast, taking the dog biscuit rapidly with it, but on the inside of the bend (where we stood on a shingle ‘beach’) the dog biscuit came back towards us and stopped just on the side. We found one later on, half soggy and broken, propped up on a rock… on the inside of a bend.

We also learnt from the NT staff about the floods in 1952. It’s difficult to picture a 70foot wall of water crashing down towards you carrying the 28 bridges it’s already collapsed. Standing under a particular tree on the river bank I suggested that the river was that high back then. Huge stuff.

We didn’t learn the word ‘Confluence’ although we did see two large ones on our journey. I wonder if the children actually spotted them?!

The children were great today, albeit a bit excited at throwing things in the river!

Thanks also to the NT staff!