‘Trip Review’ – The Land of Fire and Ice

Home > News > ‘Trip Review’ – The Land of Fire and Ice

A group of GCSE and A Level students embarked upon a six-day Icelandic adventure during the Easter holidays, exploring the ‘land of fire and ice’ and creating lifelong memories.
The trip started with a visit to the Blue Lagoon, a spa located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, south-western Iceland. Students bathed in the hot geothermal lagoon, enjoyed silica facials and drank smoothies whilst basking in the milky warm waters.
Another highlight was a trek across a glacier connected to the Vatnajökull ice sheet, the largest ice sheet in Europe. Wearing crampons and wielding ice picks, the group made its way across the lunar-esque landscape, and under brilliant blue skies. They were also lucky enough to journey along the south coast and see Ibasalt columns, coastal stacks and caves, as well as the impressive Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, complete with seals bobbing along the shore.
The students were able to experience a number of spectacular waterfalls, including Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, which is 60 metres high. On the last day they visited the Golden Circle of Iceland, which includes Gullfoss waterfall and Thingvellir National Park. The park covers the rift valley created by the North America plate and the Eurasian plate pulling apart – every geographer’s dream!
On the final night, the group headed to Reykjavik, the most northerly capital in the world, and ate at the Hamburger Factory, a famous restaurant in Iceland, known for ringing a bell every time the population increases by one.
Geography teacher, Miss Aldridge, said, “Favourite memories will include eating boiled eggs and rye bread that had been baked in the ground, coming up with the student group names, including the ‘Ice Ice Ladies’, ‘The Geezers’, ‘Da Boyz’, and ‘The Glaciey Gals’, and all the students rising to the geographical occasion and building on their talents by fully immersing themselves in everything Icelandic.”