Another method we used was an Environmental survey. This was done by observing how well maintained each site was. We rated the site from the condition it was in. This was useful because it also helped us decide which site was the busiest, and which site was the best looked after.
We also did a questionnaire. We did this to give us an idea of the local peoples opinions. We stopped willing locals, and asked them a number of questions to find out how Ashbourne had changed and what they thought about the changes. A problem with this was that there was a limited age group because the younger members of the community were at school during our visit. Another limitation was that some of the answers were just opinions and not actual facts.
The final method was our initiative task. For this task we chose to do another questionnaire, but different questions. We asked the local shopkeepers how and how much tourism had benefited their business. We asked this to give us an idea of how tourism had affected Ashbourne. Our initiative task could have been better by asking more questions and making the questions we had asked more detailed.
Data Interpretation
Appendix A
When we arrived in Ashbourne the first thing we did was the pedestrian count. We found out that in site one there were approximately 224 people in this area. In site two there were around 250 people in this area, this was the busiest site overall. In site three there were 200 people, in site four 145 people and in site five 132 people. In site six there were 168 people. I think that site two was the busiest because it was at the main point of Ashbourne. I think site five was the least busiest because it was the furthest away from site two and also on the outside of Ashbourne.
Appendix B
After doing our pedestrian count, we then took the registration numbers. We found out that out of each region 21-25 people had travelled from the South East and the East Midlands, 1-20 people had travelled from the West Midlands and Yorkshire, 11-15 people had travelled from the North West and 0-5 people had travelled from all the other regions. I think the most cars had travelled from the South East and the East Midlands because they are the nearest to Ashbourne, and people travelling from these regions would pass through Ashbourne on their way to The Peak District.
Appendix C
After taking the registration numbers, we did our initiative task, which was a questionnaire for local shopkeepers. We asked 10 shopkeepers the 7 questions.
The first question was ‘How long have you owned this shop?’ 1 person answered ‘Less than 5 Years’, 3 answered ‘5-10 years’, 3 answered ’11-15 years’ and 3 answers ‘16+ years’. This shows that most shops in Ashbourne are more than five years old. The second question I asked was ‘Do you rely mainly on local shoppers or tourists and visitors?’ 5 people answers ‘Locals’, 2 said ‘Tourists/Visitors’ and 3 said ‘Both equally’. This shows that local people are more important to cater for than tourists and visitors. The third question asked ‘As tourism has increased do you believe crime has?’ 1 person answer ‘Yes’ and 9 answered ‘No’. This shows that crime is not high, even with an increase of tourism. The fourth question asked ‘From a business point, did you prefer living in Ashbourne before the increase in tourism?’ 1 person answered ‘Yes’, 7 people answered ‘No’ and 2 people said they ‘Live out of Ashbourne’. This shows that the majority of shopkeepers in Ashbourne are grateful for tourism and prefer having visitors. The fifth question asked ‘Due to the increase of tourism, do you believe your target audience has changed?’ 4 people answered ‘Yes’ and 6 answered ‘No’.
This shows that the shopkeepers are more concerned about keeping the local people happy, rather than mainly tourists. The Sixth question asks ‘In which months do you have the most customers?’ 1 person answered ‘Jan-Mar’, 2 answered ‘Apr-Jun’, 6 answered ‘July-Sep’ and 1 answered ‘Oct-Dec’. This shows that the most customers are in the summer holidays, which is the time when there are going to be lots of tourists. The final question we asked, question seven, asked ‘On average how many customers do you have daily?’ 0 shopkeepers answered ‘5-10 customers’, 3 answered ‘11-19 customers’ and 7 answered ‘20+ customers’. This shows that there are normally quite a few customers, on a daily basis, all year round.
Appendix D
After doing our initiative task, we did a pedestrian count. In site one there were 55 pedestrians, in Site two 70 pedestrians, Site three 50, Site four 38 pedestrians, Site five 32 pedestrians and in Site six there were 42 pedestrians. This shows that site two is the busiest and site five is the least busy.
Appendix E
After doing the pedestrian count, we did a questionnaire for visitors of Ashbourne. The first question asked ‘What is the purpose of your visit here today?’ 32 people answered ‘Business’, 57 answered ‘Shop’, 45 people answered ‘Work’ and 28 answered ‘Other’. Most people had to come to Ashbourne to shop; this shows that it is a tourist town. Question two asked ‘How have you travelled here today? 116 people had travelled to Ashbourne by ‘Car’, 35 people had travelled by ‘Bus/Coach’, 42 people had ‘Walked’ and 13 had travelled by an ‘Other’ choice. The most popular use of travel was by car. This shows that lots of people must go to Ashbourne. Question three asked ‘How far have you travelled to get here?’ 107 people answered ‘0-10 miles’, 82 answered ‘11-50 miles’ and 17 answered ‘50+ miles’. This shows that the majority of people do not travel very far to Ashbourne. Question four asked ‘How often do you visit Ashbourne?’ 85 people answered ‘More than once a week’, 35 answered ‘Once a week’, 29 answered ‘Once a month’, 41 answered ‘Rarely’ and 16 answered ‘First visit’. Most people chose ‘Once a week’, this shows Ashbourne is popular. Question five asked ‘Do you think parking is a problem?’ 111 people answered ‘Yes’ and 95 answered ‘No’. The amount of answers from each question are quite similar, this shows that there is a mixed opinion. Question six asked ‘Do you think Ashbourne is mainly a tourist town, for local people or both?’ 55 answered ‘Tourists’, 36 answered ‘Local people’ and 115 answered ‘Serves both equally’. The majority believe that Ashbourne is a tourist town but just as much for local people. Question seven asked ‘Are there any changes you feel are needed in Ashbourne?’ 124 people answered ‘Yes’ and 82 people answered ‘No’. This shows that there are some changes needed in Ashbourne. The final question, number 8 asked ‘What age group do you come into?’ 13 answered ‘0-16’, 27 answered ‘17-30’, 48 answered ’31-50’, 49 answered ‘51-65’ and 69 people answered ‘65+’. This shows that the majority of people that come to Ashbourne are 65 and over.
Appendix F
After doing the questionnaire, we did the environment survey. In site one there wasn’t any litter, the roads and pavements were okay, there was lots of foliage, there was a few pieces of street furniture, a lot of traffic, not a lot of noise and lots of road signs. In site two there wasn’t any litter, the roads and pavements were okay, there was lots of foliage, there was no street furniture, a lot of traffic, not a lot of noise and lots of road signs. In site three there wasn’t any litter, the roads and pavements were okay, there wasn’t any foliage, there was a few pieces of street furniture, a bit of traffic, lots of noise and lots of road signs. In site four there was a bit of litter, the roads and pavements were okay, there wasn’t any foliage, there was a few pieces of street furniture, a little bit of traffic, not a lot of noise and a few road signs. In site five there wasn’t any litter, the roads and pavements were okay, there wasn’t any foliage, there wasn’t any street furniture, a lot of traffic, lots of noise and a few road signs. In site six there wasn’t any litter, the roads and pavements were okay, there was a bit of foliage, there was a lot of street furniture, a lot of traffic, not a lot of noise and lots of road signs. Site 1 and site 6 were the best-kept sites.
Appendix G
Finally we did the vehicle count. Site 2 had the most vehicles, with a total of 147, then site 5 with 140, and then site 1 with 139 vehicles, then site 4 with 134 and finally with the smallest number of vehicle was site 3 with only 96. Site 2 had the most vehicles because it was the nearest to the busiest point of the biggest road, from all the sites.
Evaluation
Now I have completed my Geography fieldwork I am going to evaluate what I have done. We used the following data collection techniques:
- Questionnaires
- Tally graphs
- Maps
- Tables
- Land-use survey
Problems that we encountered when collecting the data included:
- Being short of time
- One particular aged audience
We could have improved the data collection techniques in the following ways:
- Traffic counts – It would have been easier to stand in a particular place which each car would pass by, this way it would be easier to count and also less confusing
- Pedestrian counts – We could have stood in the center of where there were lots of pedestrians, it would be easier because then you can see everyone around you.
- Land-use survey – We could of done the other floors of shops, instead of just ground floor.
- Questionnaires – If we had the time we could of searched for a variety of different age groups, instead of asking similar aged audience
- Environment survey – We could of investigated each site in closer detail
- Car registrations – We should of walked together in a pattern so we did not return to a car we may have already taken the registration plate from
If we completed the study again, we could have more time and a larger group. This would improve our results because more time means more information, and a larger group number means your group can split up and collect the data separately for the whole group.
The results that helped us the most were the questionnaires. This was because these were people opinions and quite reliable. Some of the data we collected did not help. This was the Environment survey.
Conclusion
The aim of our visit to Ashbourne was to see how the town has changed and to find out the reasons behind this. Ashbourne has developed a great deal. There are a lot more visitors, there is a greater variety of shops (e.g. Climbing and walking equipment shops and lots of tea rooms) and there are now many facilities for tourists (e.g. Tea rooms, Cafes, Outdoor equipment shops and small parking facilities).
The reasons for the increase in tourism to Ashbourne are honey-pot sites such as Dove dale and The Peak District National Park.
It is apparent from the data collection that Ashbourne is now very popular and is a thriving market town. I think that in the future Ashbourne could be a possible honey pot site and will continue to grow because of its location.
