Fossinating Trip to Iceland

In the first week of summer, sixty Lower Fifth (now Upper Fifth) geographers set off on an adventurous fieldtrip to Iceland. Oscar and Harry explain more and reflect on their experience:

‘We arrived in Reykjavík and went straight to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermally heated volcanic spa where we swam and relaxed in the pools. The next day, we visited the Lava Centre, a high tech, interactive and educational expedition dedicated to explaining the science behind Iceland’s inner forces. Throughout the trip, we stopped and studied a wide range of volcanoes and waterfalls. One of our favourites being Seljalandsfoss waterfall, where we learnt more about Iceland’s natural landscape and the processes that formed them. We hiked up Stóra-Dímon, one of Mr Patton’s favourite places to teach geography in the world.

On day three, we took a ferry from mainland Iceland to Heimaey, where we climbed Eldfell volcano and enjoyed the Heimaey swimming pool with its outdoor waterslides. On the final day, we explored Þingvellir National Park and did the Silfra snorkelling tour, which took us snorkelling in the rift between the European and Northern American tectonic plates. Snorkelling in Silfra has been voted one of the top five activities in the world and is the only place where you can snorkel between two tectonic plates.

This trip provided us with useful information that expanded our knowledge of glaciers, volcanoes and waterfalls and gave the opportunity to experience them right in front of our eyes. Our highlight was snorkelling between the continental plates, and it is a memory that we will keep for the rest of our lives. We would like to say a big thank you to Miss Barker and the geography department for making this trip possible and ensuring we all had such a great time. We highly recommend it for anyone studying GCSE geography.’