Iceland Trip 2024

Iceland, a land of ice and fire, and we saw plenty of both on our Geography visit in March.  Forty-three Year 10 and 11 students and four staff travelled to Reykjavik in late March greeted with a strong, freezing wind and an incredible volcanic landscape.  On meeting our friendly guide and coach, we visited the Reykjanes Peninsula, a landscape covered in recently laid lava and one of the many places where you can see Iceland splitting in two caused by tectonic movements.  The students then experienced a cloud of sulphur-smelling steam at Gunnuhver hydrothermal site, not everyone’s cup of tea but a reminder of just how close the molten interior of the Earth is to the surface.  The coach took us through some heavy snow to our first overnight stop, a lovely farm at Vatnsholt with warm and comfortable rooms and plenty of food. 

In the morning, the wind was so strong that several students were unable to walk the short distance between two buildings, instead being blown to the floor and having to be helped across the yard.  One said they would never complain about the wind in Caterham again!  Dressed warmly and after a good breakfast, we headed to the Secret Lagoon for a lovely warm bathe in this naturally heated spring next door to a lively Geyser that erupted periodically.    Feeling completely refreshed, we visited Geyser to see exactly that, an eruption of boiling water that exploded out of the ground every few minutes.  A thunderous Gullfoss Waterfall was our next stop where we took care not to slip on the icy ground as we attempted many selfies and group photos.  Nearby, another part of Iceland that is splitting in two due to tectonics is at Thingvellir National Park, where we enjoyed walking between the North American and Eurasian plates on the boundary, and a rather excellent snowball fight!  The views of the volcanic landscape were beautiful, particularly with the dusting of snow, and the odd steaming vent in the distance.  We spent the night at Skálinn in the shadow of Eyjafjallajökull which famously erupted in 2010 and grounded most air traffic across Europe.

Up early the next morning, we visited Skógafoss waterfall and gorge, one of the few you can walk up to and touch if you don’t mind getting soaked.  Then to the Sólheimajökull Glacier where we were equipped with harness, helmets and ice axes so that we could walk on the glacier.  I was so impressed with all the students and staff getting really stuck in to this challenging activity that involved climbing solid ice for at least an hour in freezing but thankfully dry conditions.  Well done all!  Afterwards we visited, in my view, Iceland’s most beautiful waterfall, Seljalandsfoss, one of few in the World that you can walk behind with the bonus of a rainbow across the water on this sunny day.  With no time to delay, we then travelled back to Reykjavik to the Fly-Over Iceland exhibition that involved being strapped into seats in front of an imax screen to give the illusion of flying over the spectacular sites of Iceland, complete with movements and water spraying into our faces – very realistic and a little frightening.  Next door was the Lava Show including a short talk about volcanic activity in Iceland followed by real molten lava pouring into the room (in controlled conditions) so that we could feel the immense heat and fiery orange glow up close – Spectacular!  The visit ended in a lovely restaurant in Hafnarfjörður with the only disadvantage of having to walk back to the hotel.  However, on the way, our guide phoned me to say there was a high chance of seeing the Northern Lights, which we did if only for 10 seconds, but with photos and memories that will last a lifetime.  And, why not visit the local ice cream parlour on the way back?  The night was very short with a 3am start to catch the plane, but on the dark coach journey, we could clearly see the orange glow of the erupting volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula before flying right over it en-route back to London. 

This was an excellent trip, full of happy memories and wonderful experiences.  The students made the trip!  Without their enthusiasm and energy to get stuck in, and without their tremendous respect, the trip would not have been anywhere near as good.  Factor in the wonderful staff, our tour guide, coach driver and the many locals we encountered, the experience was simply fabulous.