Iceland Trip 2024

We arrived in Iceland in the early afternoon, and got stuck-in straight away, heading to The Bridge Between Continents, the point at which the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. We then headed to Gunnuhver hot springs and the Reykjanes lighthouse and its stunning surroundings, before driving to our accomodation for the trip, a guest-house with a view of the mighty Eyjafjallajökull volcano.

Day 2 was a very busy one - our waterproofs were fully tested with the number of waterfalls we visited! We started off with a quick visit to the excellent Lava Centre museum, where we learnt all about Iceland's recent eruptions. Then it was off to the mighty Skógafoss waterfall, where we got drenched with spray from the waterfall in its full summer flow. From there, we headed to the black sand beaches and basalt columns of Reynisfjara beach, then to Vík for lunch and a bit of shopping. We then set off again, stopping at Dyrhólaey for a view of some excellent coastal landforms, and then onwards to the epic Sólheimajökull glacier, one of the fastest melting glaciers in Iceland. For our last activity of the day, we stopped at Seljalandsfoss waterfall, where we were able to walk around behind the waterfall, which was incredible (and soggy!) As a final bonus, we walked a short way to a 'secret' spot, hidden within a cave, Gljúfrabúi waterfall. It was then back to our accommodation for a well-earned rest.

On our 3rd day, we began with a relaxing dip in the hot springs, much needed after a busy schedule! Then it was off to another waterfall, Gulfoss, a 2-tiered falls and one of the largest in Iceland. Then we headed to the Geysir, which erupts every 7-ish minutes, and has given its name to geysers across the world. Then, on to an ice cream farm, where we had a taste of Icelandic ice cream in the company of the lovely ladies who produced it! Finally, our last stop of the day was the epic Þingvellir National Park, a valley crossed by rifts as tectonic plates pull apart and the site of the world's first parliamentary meeting. It was then back to our accommodation for the evening, where we discovered an unexpected visitor – a chicken had wandered into our rooms!

It was then time for our final full day in Iceland, which we started off with a trip to The Lava Tunnel, an underground 'lava tube' feature carved by a huge injection of lava flowing into the sea around 5000 years ago. We got to see the amazing different rock and ice formations within the cave, as well as experience total darkness when the lights were switched off! It was then on to Reykjavik for some sightseeing and tourist shopping before our final evening at the guest-house, which also coincided with the Summer Solstice, which meant that we had 21 hours of daylight (and even then it never got fully dark) - an amazing experience for us!

And that concludes our Iceland trip - a fantastic time for everyone involved! Well done to our students, who were an asset to the college, remaining smiley and engaged despite some early mornings and soggy conditions. Stay tuned for another amazing Geography + Environmental Science trip next year!