A memorable and spectacular Geography trip to Iceland...

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Bright and early on the morning of Thursday 23^rd March, King’s Bruton Geography pupils and staff embarked on a trip to Iceland to explore the wide range of geographical topics that this unique country has to offer. The trip began at Heathrow, where all pupils were buzzing with excitement. Once we arrived in Reykjavik (after a somewhat smooth flight), pupils were welcomed by our driver, Augustine, and tour guide, Katherine - who stayed by our side until we were back in the UK. Katherine was very experienced at tour guiding and was full of local knowledge and geographical insight. On the way to our first accommodation, Guesthouse Husid, we stopped to see where the Eurasian and North American Plates diverge, which is the beginning of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge formation that spans into the Atlantic Ocean. This was a great way to kick off our first few hours and a real exciting moment for us geographers who had studied, or had been taught about this formation in the classroom.

Our first day consisted of visiting the Lava Centre: an exhibition of volcanoes where we learnt about the volcanology of Iceland, equipping us with a valuable baseline of background knowledge for the rest of the trip and beyond (content all relevant to all geography courses at King’s). The second stop on day one also included soaking up the beautiful scenery at Thingvellir National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) before stopping off at the local dairy for a quick ice cream treat together - thanks to Mr Godfrey’s generosity! We also enjoyed getting close-up views of the geysers. To round off the day, we visited the extremely impressive Gullfoss (‘Golden Falls’); an incredibly powerful waterfall which, despite it being very cold and windy at the viewing platform, the pupils still maintained high energy and enthusiasm. Later that evening, we enjoyed letting off steam with a game of football back at the accommodation and relaxing with a movie night. During the night, King’s Bruton geographers were hugely lucky to get a wonderful view of the Northern Lights from our guesthouse, which was an absolutely magical experience.

Day Two consisted of many waterfalls and hikes. Our first stop in the morning was Gluggafoss waterfall which was glistening in the morning sunshine with its huge scale icicles. Shortly after the first waterfall, pupils had a challenging but rewarding hike to the top of Stora-Dimon to see the breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. We managed to see a great example of braided river channels meandering into the sea, but in particular, a brilliant view of the famous Eyjafjallajökull Volcano which erupted most recently in 2010. Soon after, we visited the second waterfall of the day, Seljandafoss, which was spectacular in its scale and many pupils felt a spray from the fresh glacial water flowing out from the waterfall. Viewing waterfalls throughout the trip was a great opportunity for those studying rivers in their geography classes, as we were able to have a good look and think about the formation and the erosional processes that were taking place.

Next up on the itinerary was the Black Sands beach and basalt columns, located on the south coast near Vik, which was a marvellous example of coastal landforms and gave pupils an insight into the scale and processes involved in the formation of these landforms. Soon after, pupils stopped at the local supermarkets and cafes for a break and a recharge before embarking on a small hike to see the Solheimajokull Glacier. The glacier showed us some great examples of glacial deposits as well as giving us a good idea of the overall scale of glaciers, whilst reflecting on the amount of ice lost over time due to climate change. The penultimate waterfall of the day was the immensely powerful Skogafoss which had a steep climb to get to the top viewing platforms, but we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow. To wrap up the day we also visited a secret waterfall which soaked us with the sheer strength of the water spray which, for many, was the highlight of the day. Later that evening a quiz night kept pupils busy and many laughs were had; unfortunately the staff team won!

On day three, many of the pupils were very excited to experience the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa on the outskirts of Reykjavik. The warm water of the lagoon is heated by geothermal processes, and it originally only came about by accident as it was discovered that waste water from the geothermal power station next door was nice to bathe in, and has healing properties! Visiting and experiencing the lagoon was most definitely a bucket list activity which was appreciated by all. The lagoon handed out silica clay masks and many purchased a refreshment to enjoy in the lagoon too. After we had relaxed at the lagoon spa, King’s geographers went on to visit the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Station to gather an insight into the energy strategy of Iceland and learn more about how geothermal energy is harvested and used across the country. This was valuable information to those studying energy strategy and supply units in their courses. After collecting this information, King’s geographers then proceeded onto Reykjavik for an evening stroll to see the sights and settle into our final accommodation.

In the blink of an eye the final day came about, which started with pupils having some free time to explore what Reykjavik has to offer or to enjoy the local food and drink. Some pupils had a look around the Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral to indulge in the stunning views before departing for the airport. The pupils arrived back at school safe and sound and were greeted by their parents to start their Easter holidays. A massive thank you to all those involved with this trip, but in particular our incredible King’s staff who kept us all safe and happy: Mr Godfrey, Mr Danskin and Miss Flavell - Takk fyrir (thank you in Icelandic) for a memorable trip!

Agatha - U6^th Form, Wellesley House