Geography Trip to Iceland

During October half term, geography students went on an unforgettable five-day trip to Iceland, where they had the most amazing experiences on offer, thanks to a carefully thought-out, jam-packed schedule.

On the first day, the group drove past lava fields and crater rows to cross the symbolic Bridge between Continents, a 15-metre footbridge spanning a fissure between Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, thus allowing students to witness the effects of plate tectonics.

On the second day, they visited the Secret Lagoon natural hot springs and bathing pool, where the water stays at 38-40 Celsius all year round. They then saw one of Iceland’s most photographed waterfalls, the magnificent two stage Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir, a spouting hot spring that gave its name to all the world’s geysers.

Finally, they managed to squeeze in a visit to Thingvellir national park, where Iceland’s parliament was established in 930AD. The site straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, its rift valley forming where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates pull apart at an average of 3cm a year. The students walked among the rifts and saw ropy pahoehoe lava from a shield volcano eruption, as they learnt of the events that shaped Iceland’s early history.

On the third day, the group visited Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, and explored the frozen glacier tongue of Solheimajokull, learning how to use basic ice equipment, crampons and ice axes to discover this wonderland of ice sculptures and deep crevasses. They also got to walk along the black volcanic beach of Reynisfjara to see magnificent basalt cliffs and caves.

On the final day, students visited one of the largest and longest caves in Iceland, Raufarholshellir, where they got to see the inner workings of a lava tube. They then went on a fascinating guided tour of Hellisheidi Geothermal PowerStation, followed, later in the day, by a multisensory virtual experience called FlyOver Iceland, which utilises state-of-the-art technology to give you the feeling of flying over Iceland inside a 20m spherical cinema.

All in all, it was an incredibly enriching, educational and enjoyable trip for students and staff alike.