Iceland; the mysterious land that lays approximately 1000miles north of the UK and the destination for our learning adventure. After a short flight we first headed to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal paradise, rich in minerals, bright blue in colour and smelling of sulphur. This amazing start to our journey allowed us to bob around in a pool at 40oC with our heads at a chilly -5 oC! Our next destination was Gulfoss, a massive two tier waterfall followed by a highlight of the tour – the original Geyser. It was with anticipation that we waited in a freezing blizzard for the hot magma to super heat the water and shoot it over 30m into the air; we had to be careful not to get in its path as it could have scalded us on the way down.
We were also lucky enough to visit the rift valley. Witnessing the site where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are ripping apart was an awesome sight, with huge cliffs and fissures to walk between. Geography and science in action all in one place!
That night we headed for the local swimming pool and again basked in the outside in hot pools as the snow settled in our hair and we looked out for a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Some people even challenged themselves to dip into the cold pools at a chilly 4oC!
After a bright morning we waded through 2ft of snow to visit Skogafoss waterfall which we were able to walk behind and admire the power of water, surrounded by icicles. This was amazing, especially the snowball fight that accompanied the journey there and back to the bus! We also collected samples of the ash from the volcano that caused so many flight disruptions last year.
Another highlight followed when we arrived at the snout of a glacier. Despite nearly losing a member of staff for the sake of a photo opportunity when an ice shelf fell away into a melt water river, it was very cool to walk on ice that was over 1000 years old! That night was spent in a hotel on the very south coast of the Iceland and we had high hopes of viewing the Northern Lights again. However after hours of heroics looking out in sub-zero temperatures, we were again unlucky.
Sadly we reached our last day and set off to view exciting rock formations along the coast of jet black volcanic ash sand. We explored caves with huge icicles, saw stacks of rocks out to sea and made sure we didn’t venture near the powerful waves, whipped up by winds across the Atlantic!Our final challenge was a competitive team race around the hot spring town of Hvergerdi, completing tasks, getting locals to help us find our way and finally an exhilarating 100m zip line ride across the river. Mr. Godfrey’s team won but we all celebrated with a final dip in a hot spring pool. We bid farewell to an amazing country and week with food at a traditional restaurant and a soft drink in the local ice bar where the walls were made of ice.
Thanks to everyone for such a memorable week.
James Barclay, Izzy Cross-Ashworth, Tom Smith, Richard Coleman
