Every year the Geography Department run a joint trip to Iceland. Dee and David share the fantastic experience here:
Iceland 2017 was an amazing trip and it was packed with so many exciting activities.
On Thursday we arrived at Neatherd High School at 6:15am to load our luggage onto the coach and say our farewells. At 6:30am the coach departed and we were on our way to the airport.
The coach rides were arguably one of the best factors of the trip due to everyone being so energetic and friendly; there was music playing and lots of new faces to chat to.
After the bus trip we arrived at Heathrow Airport where we unloaded our bags off the coach and onto the plane. We had an hour spare between loading our bags and getting on the plane so we used this time to browse the numerous shops. At 13:00 we boarded the aircraft and were off to Iceland.
Inspiring architecture for our budding artists and geographers in Iceland.
On the plane there was lots to do including watching a film from the large range of movies provided, catch up on your favourite TV show or even read a book of your choice which was also provided. Following two hours in the air we landed at Keflavik in Iceland. After a couple of register checks and making sure that everyone had their luggage, we got onto a new coach and set on course to our first destination.
We arrived at the Perlan Centre to catch some great views before heading into Iceland’s main town Reykjavik. There were multiple shops to explore and everyone got to get themselves, or a loved one, a souvenir.
After getting back on the coach we departed once again to arrive at the Skalinn centre, the accommodation that we would be staying in until we headed home. We had a delicious meal that the hosts of the Skalinn centre provided before having some leisure time in the hotel to explore and settle in. Once 22:30 came around we were all in bed and ready for the next day.
Natural Forms in Iceland
Natural forms in Iceland.
After a good night’s rest it was time to get breakfast – great start to a Friday morning. During breakfast time there was a variety of cereals to choose from and if not that then you could even have some toast with a spread of your choosing. Once the meal was finished we headed into the next room where we prepared our own packed lunches, which typically consisted of a sandwich, an apple, a chocolate bar/bag of crisps, and a carton of apple or orange juice.
Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights and Faxifoss.
The coach was then ready to depart at 9:00am. We first arrived at Skalholt which is one of the most historic places in Iceland. Afterwards we headed out to see the Fexafoss Waterfall along with the Gullfoss Waterfall and the Geysir Geothermal area. Once these were visited we journeyed off to Thingviller National park, Kerid Volcanic Crater and finally Selfoss Swimming pool.
The swimming pools were astounding with multiple leisure activities to do there such as slides, diving boards, hot tubs, cold tubs and even trampolines! After the fun packed day we arrived back at the Skalinn centre to have our dinner and rest up. We said our goodnights and headed to bed by 22:00.
Eldfell.
Saturday was an earlier start than we hoped, 7.00am, but we did still get time for breakfast before departing to catch the ferry. We were heading to Heimaey Island. It took around 30 minutes on the ferry. Once we got to the Island we got some time to explore the town and spend some time with each other.
Our first activity on the island was to tackle climbing up the active volcano, Eldfell. It was hard work for some of us but it was definitely worth it when we got to the top, as the views were great. Even some people face-timed their families to show them the amazing views.
After we safely made our way down, we took some time to explore the island on our way to the swimming pool. The swimming pool even had a slide with a trampoline! Time past and we made our way back to catch the ferry. Before heading back to the Skalinn centre we took two stops at some waterfalls, Gluggafoss and Sejalandsfoss. One of them we even walk behind! We finally made our way back. We were very lucky this night as we saw the Northern lights. This is a once in a lifetime experience for some people. We were quite tired after an early morning and an amazing night.
Cold and windy on Eldfell Ridge.
At the top of Stora Dimon.
Day 4, another jam packed day! No time for resting, as we set off straight away to climb Stora Dimon. It was quite steep so a few of us tripped and slipped on the way down and up. After we were finished there we went to see the last waterfall of the trip, which was Skogafoss.
About one hour later we arrived at the Solheimajokull glacier, which we walked up to. We visited a town called, Vik, it was the last time we got an opportunity to go shopping. It had a souvenir shop and a supermarket. One of the most looked forward to moments was the black beach we visited. It was a bit windy but we had a great time.
2010 was Iceland’s most recent volcanic eruption and we went to an information centre about it and someone explained what it was like who experienced it. This night was the last night we went to a swimming pool and this one had three slides.
A quick photo stop at the port.
Stora Dimon
We returned back to the Skalinn centre and had our meal. A little while after all of the teachers had made us a quiz to do about Iceland and general knowledge. It was a great with everyone together for the last night.
The amazing waterfalls at Skogafoss.
Our last day, but no one wanted it to be. Some would say the highlight of the trip, Blue Lagoon. It was brilliant. The whole experience was very calm and relaxing. Face masks, sauna and a small waterfall. It was most certainly something that people will remember. We also went to go and see Reykjanes lighthouse and the last attraction, the bridge between the two continents, Europe and North America.
After a great trip none of us wanted to come back home but it had to come to an end. We landed back in England at 8:30pm and got back to Neatherd High School at 1am Tuesday morning.
The whole trip was a great experience and here are some of the things that people said,
“An amazing experience with some amazing people.”
“It was a really good experience that I will never forget. I made new friends. The activities were really fun and I don’t regret going.”
“An amazing trip and I would 100% do it again.”
“It was great! I enjoyed the walking and everybody made it a special trip. I would go back because it was that good”
The whole trip was one not to be missed.
