Email the Dragonfly

this page	Start this trail at the Virtual River Tour
	How many islands (areas of land surrounded by the river) can you find on the map of the Canterbury Stour?
	Hover over the number 4 on the map. Find out the name of this site in Canterbury.
	Click on number 4. Click on the left hand photo of the sluice gate to enlarge the picture. Why do you think the sluice gates have been opened? What is passing through?
	Close the enlarged picture by clicking on the close "x" (top right corner). Click on the right hand photo to enlarge it. Look at the close-up of a sluice gate in the open position. The gate is 2 cm thick solid steel. It is very heavy. a) Can you describe how the gate is raised? b) Why is heavy steel used? What might happen if the gate was made of a lighter material like wood or plastic?
	Close down this enlarged picture. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "next stop" arrow. Where does this take you to?
	What evidence can you find at the site of the old waterwheel to suggest that stones in a river can cause erosion?
	Return to the home page by clicking on the home icon. On the virtual river tour page and compare Broad Oak lakes (9) to Westgate gardens (3), by clicking on the numbers. Why are the river banks at the Broad Oak nature reserve better than at Westgate Gardens?
	Explore stop 7 (Broad Oak Allotments) and scroll down to "Homes free from floods," read the text and enlarge the pictures. Click on "next stop" and read about the problems of houses built in Willow Close. Use the back icon in the toolbar to return to the first houses. If you click the back and forward icons you can switch between the two screens to compare the houses. Why are the older houses (on Broad Oak Road) better than the new houses built in Willow Close, when thinking about flooding?
	Explore stop 9 (Broad Oak Lakes). When do you think it would be a good time to visit for a school trip. Why?