A-Level Glacial Landscapes Trips to Andorra

Day 1 Arrival and Introduction to Fieldwork

Morning:

Flight to Girona or Barcelona

Coach transfer to hotel in Soldeu

Late breakfast at hotel

Class session 1: Health and safety briefing, introduction to fieldwork methods, map work, kit check.

Late morning:

Coach transfer to Port d’Envalira

Fieldwork session 1: Walk from Port d’Envalira to Col Blanc (2500m)

Activities: Map reading, identification of glacial landforms, field sketching.

Study: Glacial erosion, transport, and deposition processes.

Afternoon:

Walk back to Port d’Envalira

Coach transfer back to hotel

Evening meal

Class session 2: Review fieldwork, discuss sampling strategies, quantitative fieldwork methods, and preparation for the next day’s fieldwork.

Day 2 Glacial Landforms and Biodiversity Assessment

Morning:

Breakfast and preparation for the day

Coach transfer to Port d’Envalira

Fieldwork session 2: Walk to Col Blanc and onwards to La Portella glacial lakes and moraine fields

Activities: Field sketching, use of keys to identify glacial deposits, compass work to measure glacier flow direction using striations and chatter marks.

Study: Identifying rock types in terminal moraines, analyzing glacier flow direction.

Lunch: Packed lunch in the field

Afternoon:

Fieldwork session 3: Comparative study of biodiversity and soil compaction on and off a ski run.

Walk back to Port d’Envalira

Coach transfer back to hotel in Soldeu

Free time

Evening meal

Class session 3: Review and plot striation data onto maps.

Day 3 Study of Glacial Landforms and Macro-Scale Processes

Morning:

Breakfast and preparation for the day

Class session 4: Introduction to macro-scale evidence of glacial processes.

Fieldwork session 4: Walk from hotel to Incles Valley and then to Cabana Sorda Corrie (2300m)

Activities: Field sketching, mapping glacial landforms like hanging valleys, lateral and recessional moraines, roche moutonnée, and corries.

Afternoon:

Walk back to hotel

Free time

Evening meal

Class session 5: Review fieldwork, use ARCGIS to plot glacial landforms.

Day 4 Terminal Moraines and Paleo-Glacial Evidence

Morning:

Early breakfast

Coach transfer to Andorra La Vella

Fieldwork session 5: Study terminal moraines and paleo-lake deposits

Activities: Identification of features and analyzing their role in past glaciation.

Afternoon:

Optional free time to explore Andorra La Vella

Coach transfer back to hotel in Soldeu

Evening meal

Free evening

Day 5 Departure

Morning:

Breakfast

Coach transfer back to Girona or Barcelona airport

Return flight

Excursions

Fieldwork at Port d’Envalira and La Portella

Begin your glaciated landscapes investigation with hands-on fieldwork at Port d’Envalira and La Portella. Students identify classic glacial features like U-shaped valleys, corries and moraines while developing core skills such as map reading, field sketching and sediment analysis. At La Portella, glacier flow direction is inferred through striation measurements, and biodiversity comparisons are made between ski runs and undisturbed zones.

Incles Valley and Cabana Sorda Corrie

Explore macro-scale landform evidence in the Incles Valley and at Cabana Sorda Corrie, where students analyse lateral and recessional moraines, roche moutonnées and corrie formation. Using digital mapping tools like ARCGIS, students visualise the landscape and link theoretical models with real-world terrain — essential preparation for NEA coursework.

Andorra La Vella and Terminal Moraines

Conclude the trip with a study of terminal moraines and paleo-lake deposits near Andorra La Vella, examining how glaciation shaped valley systems and influenced human settlement patterns. A cultural exploration of the capital complements this session, encouraging cross-disciplinary thinking across physical and human geography.

Col Blanc and the Glacial Lakes

Visit the Col Blanc pass and nearby glacial lakes, including the La Portella and Cabana Sorda lakes, to observe depositional features and water systems in post-glacial environments. This final field site offers a chance to reinforce concepts around glacial retreat, meltwater processes and alpine hydrology, with time for reflection on the trip’s cumulative fieldwork skills.