Overwhelming experiences in Iceland
Over the Easter Break, fifty students took part in our annual school trip to Iceland. Two student reports describe the experience below.
We set off from Gatwick Airport to Reykjavik, Iceland, with suitcases crammed full of warm - though as it would turn out, not entirely waterproof - clothes. Occupying the rear third of the Iceland Air flight, we enjoyed Icelandic movies and rock music on the in-flight entertainment system.
On arrival, we met our guide Ellen, a British school teacher on her fifteenth trip to the country - a true expert! First stop was Perlan, which featured an immersive display about the Northern Lights, an observation deck over the capital city and its bay, but the highlight for many was venturing through the artificial ice cave, kept at -10 C.
The incredible landscapes which would define our trip began the following morning at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. We were soaked whilst walking behind the 60m torrent, but that was irrelevant given the pouring rain beyond. Some superb photos were taken in front of the plunge pool.
Two hours later and not much drier, we marvelled at the black sand beach of Reynisfjara, with its hexagonal basalt columns formed by cooling lava thousands of years ago, whilst staying well away from the towering waves, twice our height, fetched from Scotland.
The most vivid memories will be of our ascent of the Solheimajökull Glacier Tongue, equipped with helmets, ice axes and crampons. Here was a contrast between blasted, ash-ridden crevasses and melting, crystal-clear, glacier water (sampled by most). The owners of Skálinn Hostel could not have been more welcoming to such a bedraggled crew, but they might ideally have had more than three showers to offer the fifty-plus boys staying that night.
On Day Three, we were nevertheless sufficiently refreshed to study Icelandic tectonic activity at The Lava Centre, where after a short lecture, we toyed with many interactive exhibits. This day’s touristic activities were markedly warmer: seething in the Secret Lagoon, marvelling at exploding geysers (named after the nearby town of Geysir), and basking in a merely refreshing spray from the Gullfoss falls.
We returned to more academic pursuits at the Þingvellir National Park, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, leaving a five kilometre wide no-man’s lake between them. Once more thoroughly exhausted, we refueled at the Hamborgarafabrikkan.
On our last day, a change of plan worked out brilliantly, swapping out a city tour in favour of The Lava Show, which featured real molten lava at 1,100 C, flowing only metres away. We ended on a high, at the simulation ride, FlyOver Iceland, which let us visualise the stretches of the country’s beauty which we could not see for real in just four days. We’ll just have to return.
Report written by Howard (Year 10)
Full of expectation, excitement and energy, 50 Wilson’s students waiting at Gatwick Airport earlier this month, perhaps did not yet know that they were about to enjoy the experience of a lifetime.
After making our way through security at Gatwick (this wasn’t the best bit!), and a swift plane journey of about three hours, we landed at Keflavik Airport, stunned by the dramatic landscape of this alien world. Perlan Observatory provided us a great panoramic viewpoint, giving us a glimpse of the unreal, yet awe-inducing beauty of this nation. After a couple of hours there, we headed to our hotel in the city centre of Reykjavik and were provided with a rather bougie meal at the Hard Rock Café, which I can guarantee all of us very much enjoyed!
The next couple of days we were lucky enough to delve deep into the Icelandic countryside and really explore some of the breathtaking sites it has to offer. Waterfalls surrounded by stunning backdrops, the power of the ferocious Atlantic Ocean at Reynisfjara Beach and geysers fuelled by geothermal activity were merely some of the few attractions that this spectacular country had in store for us.
However, there was a definite consensus that the glacier walk was the most memorable experience of the trip. Something which most of us had never done, and quite a few of us may never do again, setting foot on a glacier was a rather mystical and enchanting experience. The jet-black ash created a stunning contrast with huge chunks of white ice, blending in marvellously with waterfalls and greenery in the background created a visual spectacle which none of us will ever be able to forget.
To end the trip, we were fortunate enough to be able to be within a couple of metres from actual real, flowing lava at the Lava Show, before we headed over to FlyOver Iceland, where we ended our tour with an amazing 4-D experience that allowed us to witness some of the sites that we unfortunately couldn’t visit.
There was no doubt that this journey was an amazing experience, and to be able to visit a country where fire, ice and water are all at play, with the company of friends and companions is something which we truly enjoyed and appreciated.
Report written by Shreyas (Year 12)
