Geography Trip Iceland

At the start of the Easter break, twenty-eight Year 13 students and three members of staff visited Iceland on the annual geography trip. On the first day of the trip, the students took in the attractions of the capital Reykjavik. Among these was the Hallgrimskirkja church which is one of the most iconic buildings in Iceland, reminiscent of something from Lord of the Rings, and can be seen from across the city.

On the second day of the trip we visited a number of beautiful waterfalls including Seljalandsfoss, spilling 60m over a former sea cliff. The students then visited the Eyjafjallajökull Visitor Centre at Thorvaldseyri to gain insight into the impacts of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption on the local community. The second waterfall, Skógafoss, was another of Iceland’s most impressive waterfalls with a wide, thundering curtain of water 60m high. One of the most impressive sites on the trip was Sólheimajökull which means ‘sun house glacier’, which has been retreating since the end of the 19th century at a rate of around 100m per year. The students were able to marvel at the jumble of crevasses on the glacier’s surface and the chaos of stony moraines, rock and sand, revealed as it melts.

On the final day the students visited Gullfoss. These double falls drop around 33m then plunge into a mile- long gorge; one of Iceland’s most photographed waterfalls. They also visited the site of Geysir, a spouting hot spring that gave its name to all the world’s geysers. They then went on to Thingvellir which is the National Park where Iceland’s parliament was established in 930AD. One of the final stops was the Blue Lagoon, which is one of Iceland’s most popular visitor attractions. It was a fantastic trip which pupils from Year 12 and 13 enjoyed immensely.

Ski Trip

On the 8th of April, forty mixed ability skiers and five staff went to Obertauren, Austria for a week-long intensive ski trip. All the skiers took part in two sessions a day and even had a go at night skiing which was one of the highlights of the week. The skiers had a fabulous time, tasting the local cuisine, and enjoying the Austrian dancing and swimming, which were the highlights of the off-piste entertainments. It was an impressive week in terms of weather going from highs of 20+ degrees to so much snow at the end of the week that the resort was avalanche blasting. All skiers received awards and certificates to cap off a wonderful adventure. Once again thank you to the staff who gave up their time and supported the trip, making it the success it was.