Icelandic Adventure 2017 | Highcliffe School

Icelandic Adventure 2017

Our Sixth Form Geography and Biology students experience the natural wonders of Iceland!


An account of the trip written by three of the students:

Thursday 23rd March, 2017:

We departed school at 09:30 and got a coach to Gatwick where we boarded our flight to Iceland. There were smiles all round when we landed in the blizzard! A coach trip through the mountains and volcanoes, as well as a great tour guide, meant that we arrived at our hotel full of knowledge and ready to begin the trip!

Friday 24th March 2017:
Exploring the Golden Circle

What a day! After the excellent breakfast, we departed for our first destination-Pingveiller National Park. We were able to see the divide between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, and even walk through no-mans land in the middle! We also were able to see some fantastic waterfalls and other river features alongside the snowy mountains. The next place on our travels took us to Gulfoss Waterfall, which exceeded any expectation we might have had. It was like nothing we had ever seen before!

From Gulfoss, we travelled to one of Iceland's top attractions, the Geysers. Watching an astonishing, natural, hot spring rocket to 35 meters in the air was very impressive and enjoyed by everyone. After several stops at places such as sunken volcano craters and impressive waterfalls, we had an eye-opening insight into Iceland's geothermal power-plant. We discovered they are making a serious effort to save energy and use the natural power that the country possesses to supply 90% of Iceland's population!

To end a fantastic first day in Iceland, a geothermal pool was our final activity. A mix between ice baths and steaming hot tubs really did define what Iceland is all about, with smiles all round as the teachers were going down the water slides.
A great first day!

 

Saturday 25th March, 2017:

After a fantastic 2nd day, there was lots of excitement in the camp for the 3rd.
Our first destination took us to Rangarping waterfall, which was 40 metres high, but unfortunately, we were not able to walk behind it due to the conditions. So our guide took us through a cave and river to see another powerful waterfall. An unexpected highlight of the trip with everyone getting soaked in the process! From one waterfall to another, we then got to see a 70 metre waterfall, which we were able to get right underneath - further soaking everyone’s clothes.
 

With lunch having been and gone, we made our way to an asset of Iceland, the black sand beach! With huge swell came huge waves, with everyone aware of the dangers it may cause. With some very unique coastal landforms, we kept at a safe distance but were able to admire the sheer power of this spectacle.

Our final stop was Myrdalschreppur, one of Iceland’s biggest glaciers. With everyone in awe, we learnt about the detrimental effects of global warming and got to see what it has done to this glacier over the past 20 years: melting at least 2 kilometres of ice over this period.
However, this did not ruin the beauty of what is still there and it was a very eye-opening and captivating experience. We were lucky enough to have the teachers put on a fantastic quiz for us in the evening.  To no surprise, the teachers lost!

Sunday 26th March, 2017:

To start our last full day in Iceland, we went to Hafnarfjodur AKA hot mud pools. It was great to see the different landforms in Iceland and, despite the horrendous smell, it was enjoyed by all. Our next stop was much the same seeing some fantastic steam holes, the smell however, kept up its potency. We then went to Reykjanespaer, which was an incredible segment of coastline, with huge swell and rocky landforms, inhabited by thousands of majestic albatrosses. Our last stop before the main event, was at the North American/ Eurasian plate boundary. Being able to venture down and be considered in no-mans land was a mind-boggling thought.

 

The much anticipated destination of the trip had to be Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon, which is one of the 25 wonders of the world. We were in there for 2 hours exploring every area it had to offer, with even the sun making an unexpected guest appearance which added to the fantastic experience. With 38C water and silica mud masks everyone had an amazing time and will definitely not be forgotten for a while.


 
After a scrumptious dinner, we went back to our rooms to start the dreaded pack - thinking that was the end of our Icelandic experience. With the sky being the clearest we had ever seen, we were all praying that a local Icelander’s aurora map was right, but even then it was only a 10% chance of seeing them. So we patiently waited, sitting outside listening to music staring into the night sky, wishing to see the natural spectacle that is the northern lights.

After 2 hours of waiting, we thought that our chances were gone, but almost out of no-where a vibrant light spread across the brow of a volcano and our dreams had come true. 


A truly amazing trip ending in the best possible way which has made so many unforgettable memories and us, the students, thank all the teachers for making this happen. We are all eternally grateful, and would like the teachers to know how much we appreciate them, for organising this trip for us, and hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.
 
From yours truly,
Sami, Danny and Henry


    Owned by: LDN | Last Published: 30/03/2017 10:58:11 | Next Update: N/A


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