Just one hour from Geneva, and set
amidst stunning scenery, the medieval
town of Annecy provides the setting for
our alpine studies. Located at the head
of the glacial Lac d’Annecy, the town has
a quaint pedestrianised centre and yet
is a busy industrial and administrative
centre for the region. Within easy reach
of our base in Faverges, locations such
as Chamonix, Albertville and La Clusaz
are all possible destinations for our study units. There is a wide range of
investigations in this area together with leisure activities that ensures a
happy balance between work and play. We would recommend that groups
travel between May and October.
SAMPLE ITINERARY - GCSE
Day 1: Depart from school for overnight
journey to France.
Day 2: Arrive at your accommodation mid
afternoon and settle in. It may be possible to
do a local activity depending upon your arrival
time.
Day 3: Visit Annecy. Land use survey of the
town centre and a honey-pot site. A tourist
questionnaire provides the main source of data.
Begin to understand the local landscape with
a boat trip on the lake and a visit to the glacial
overflow channel of the Gorges du Fier.
Day 4: This is it! Chamonix. Glaciers and
tourism inextricably mixed. About 1-2 hours
from base depending upon the season it is
worth combining activities or consider 2 days
here. Travel by cable car to the summit of the
Aiguille du Midi, and Mont Blanc, take a gondola
trip over the ice fields with towering seracs
and cavernous crevasses, walk the Balcon
Nord to the Mer de Glace and return by train to
Chamonix.
Day 5: Hauteluce and Les Saisies village study.
A traditional alpine village and ski station are
united in their involvement in the 1992 Winter
Olympic Games. A mapping and land use study.
Day 6: A morning study of suburbanisation in
Faverges before departing for the overnight
jouney to the UK.
Day 7: Ferry/tunnel crossing and return home.
SAMPLE ITINERARY - AS/A2
Day 1: Travel arrangements as for GCSE.
Day 2: Following discussion, visit a local ski station.
Assess the area and determine aims, hypotheses and
methods of data collection. On the return, visit the
caves of Seythenex.
Day 3: Chamonix. There are several study options
that can be combined possibly over two days.
a) Glaciation. Aguille du Midi and Mont Blanc,
take a gondola ride over the ice fields with their
towering seracs and gaping crevasses. Walk the
Balcon Nord to the Mer de Glace and return to
Chamonix by train.
b) Glacier des Bossons. Morphological mapping,
vegetation transect from snout, till fabric analysis.
c) Tourism in Chamonix. A honey-pot location
that allows a wide variety of data to be collected:
tourist questionnaire, car park survey, land use
survey, pedestrian and vehicle counts.
Day 4: Annecy. Delimit the tourist CBD by transect
study. Tourist questionnaire.
Examine the existence of a shopping hierarchy,
shopping questionnaire. Combine these studies with
relaxation at the Gorges du Fier or at the lake.
Day 5: Hauteluce and Les Saisies. A Mapping
exercise. Local river channel characteristics,
infiltration capacities or soil studies are all possible in
this area.
Day 6: A morning study of suburbanisation in
Faverges before departing for the overnight journey
to the UK.
Day 7: Ferry/tunnel crossing and return home.
These are only suggested itineraries. Study units can be any length and
combined to include the excursions you require. Cable car and excursion entry
fees are not included in the tour price. Please contact us for flight options.
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Tourism
There are plenty of opportunities to study tourism within
the area. Chamonix again provides a location where
copious amounts of data can be collected. The medieval
city of Annecy with its network of narrow pedestrian
streets and quaint alleys is bustling with visitors in the
summer months. The Savoie village of La Clusaz also lends
itself to a study of tourist facilities. Investigations examine
clustering of facilities and land use, includes interviewing
to obtain primary date using questionnaires and car park
surveys. Based upon pre-determined hypotheses, the data
can be analysed and presented on pre-prepared diagrams
and graphs to reach conclusions about the interests and
characteristics of visitors to the region.
United Nations Visit
A guided tour of the impressive buildings and grounds
in Geneva. Live debates can be observed and students
appreciate the work of the UN by negotiation to promote
world peace.
United Nations Visit
A guided tour of the impressive buildings and grounds
in Geneva. Live debates can be observed and students
appreciate the work of the UN by negotiation to promote
world peace.
Slope Studies
Les Saisies, a ski station, is the location for investigation.
Here it is possible to undertake infiltration studies on
a slope that is a ski piste to understand the impacts of
compaction. On the same or
similar slopes soil pits can be
dug to study changing soil
profiles downslope. Natually
all holes are filled and turf
replaced!
Settlement Studies
These units can be studied
in a variety of places and
combined with other study
units in the same locality. In
Annecy recording landuse
to assess the importance of
tourism is popular. Land use
transects can also be done to
try to delimit the CBD. Is it the
same as textbook theory? Is it the same as a UK city? For
AS and A2 students further studies might include studying
shopping hierarchy around Annecy CBD which entails both
land use survey and a shopping questionnaire. Hauteluce
is an alpine village unchanged for many years. The Winter
Olympic Games of 1992 has seen some growth. Students
can undertake a mapping exercise of this compact village
to determine age and growth before visiting Les Saisies
which was the centre for cross-country skiing events in
1992. A comparison between the two settlements enables
students to see the different provision that has been
made.
River Studies
This explores
a section of a
mountain river
near to Les Saisies.
The morphology
can be studied
along a channel
that includes a
steep section,
small meander and
braiding within easy reach of each other and accessible
from the bank. Data collection will include measuring width
and depth, velocity and gradient.
Additional Activities
Boating on Lake Annecy. Ice Skating, Bowling, Restaurants
and cafes, swimming. Mini golf/crazy golf at Hauteluce.
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