Icelandic Adventures
Each year, girls have the opportunity to go on an incredible range of subject-led, international trips – from France and Spain, to Russia and the US. The annual Geography trip to Iceland is a highlight for many.
Armed with suitcases full of warm clothes, and bags of excitement, a group of GCSE students set off on an Icelandic adventure over half term. Ella and Lara write about their memorable trip:
‘Even a delay to our Reykjavik flight, and the prospect of the Icelandic weather, couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm. But the brutal chill we were subjected to on arrival was about to get even colder: we were quickly whisked off to a man-made ice cave, clocking in at a bone-chilling -10 degrees Celsius. After a restful night and a steaming cup of coffee, Miss Humphreys led the charge towards the rift valley between the Eurasian and American tectonic plates – Mr Davis and his fabulous puffin hat in tow! Next, a quick stop at a cow farm to sample some of Iceland’s freshest homemade ice cream (which wasn’t a patch on the Icelandic treat of choice – the delicious, yoghurt-like skyr). We next went to the great Geysir, a famous – and very sulphuric-smelling – geothermal waterspout, which lent its name to every other geysir in the world. It’s hard to describe, but picture water being launched like a jet plume twenty feet in the air, every five minutes.
The next day, we bundled back on the coach, bound for the Katla volcano exhibition, the highlight of which was a huge model of a magma plume, which seemed to extend above and below us forever. Then, a quick ride to Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall which warranted closer inspection, in the form of a precarious walk behind the cascading water. Safe to say, everyone was very soggy. Back on the coach, we received an introduction to Icelandic mythology, more accurately all things ‘elves’, followed by a visit to what we thought was an elf museum. It wasn’t – a very funny teacher prank.
The third day came in the form of a four-hour hike at the huge Vatnajokull National Park, in which we drove past a volcano coughing up what seemed to be a huge plume of ash. We were informed of our evacuation point, and a quick glance down the coach would have shown you forty panicked faces. However, we were quickly reassured that it was simply a harmless emission of Carbon Dioxide. We battled through the hike, through the wind, through the cold, through the glare of the sun, to finally emerge at the peak of the great mountain. We were able to see for miles, across a mountain range covered by Iceland’s biggest glacier, tapering off into a stunning blue meltwater lake. After struggling for another two hours to get down, we collapsed exhausted at our hotel for the night.
We woke revitalised, if not a little sore, for our final, full day of adventure: a once-in-a-lifetime boat trip across a beautiful lagoon, filled with sparkling icebergs. However, it seemed that the elven karma which Miss Elliott had warned us of had come back to bite – the boat ride was cancelled. But, as always, the quick-witted South Hampstead staff sprang into action, rearranging the itinerary in a flash. We followed them to a black sand beach littered with crystalline icebergs, pounded by tempest-like waves. We then embarked on the gruelling six hour drive back to Reykjavik – rather dull until our coach driver noticed that we were driving behind the president of Iceland!
Our final excursion was perhaps the most eagerly-anticipated of all: the world-famous, iconic blue lagoon. Warm waters, face masks and delicious drinks left us feeling refreshed for the journey home, and most likely healed the remaining aches and pains from the hike. After a send off for our coach driver, we boarded our plane and headed back to the relatively tropical shores of the UK, touching down at Heathrow with even more spirit than we had left with.
Thank you again to Miss Humphreys and the Geography department, Mr Alaru, Mr Davies and Miss Elliott, for a trip we will truly never forget.’