Incredible Iceland

GCSE geographers enjoyed a spectacular tour of Iceland over the Easter holidays. The trip provided an incredible opportunity to witness first-hand the process of tectonics, glaciation and coasts.

Our tour began with a visit to FlyOver Iceland, a multi-sensory virtual experience that utilises state-of-the-art technology to give the feeling of flight inside a spherical cinema. The immersive journey took students on a trip across Iceland, including wilderness regions rarely visited by tourists. It was great to hear them identify landforms they have been studying in class during the experience. We then enjoyed a delicious dinner in the Hard Rock Café, Reykjavik – it was a great start to the trip.

The next morning, we awoke to a dusting of snow and started the day touring the capital city of Reykjavík. We took in the sights of the famous Golden Circle starting with Thingvellir National Park to see the rift valley where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are drifting apart. We also visited Geysir to see the eruption of Strokkur which can reach 30 metres in the air. We patiently waited for the geyser to erupt to capture the eruption on camera! Lastly, we visited the beautiful Gullfoss Waterfall.

Our third day focused on waterfalls, coasts and glaciers providing an amazing opportunity for hands on revision. We explored fascinating volcanic features at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, including the basalt columns and the awe-inspiring waves crashing at the beach – their energy having travelled 11,000 miles up from Antarctica. We climbed up onto the frozen snout of the Sólheimajökull glacier using axes to chip away at the ice. The view below was spectacular and it was a brilliant opportunity for our students to revise their knowledge of glacial processes and landforms. We also visited two of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland; Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss.

We visited the LAVA centre, a high-tech interactive exhibition located near three of Iceland’s most notorious volcanoes Hekla, Eyjafjallajӧkull and Katla. It explains the history of Iceland’s volcanos, offers an engaging backdrop to the landscapes students have visited and was an amazing way to enhance learning on tectonic processes and landforms. The experience was reinforced later by exploring the geological features in the Lava Tunnel and students also learnt about the benefits of geothermal power at Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Station, and enjoyed tasty rye bread cooked in the Hveragerði hotsprings.

Relaxing in the Sky Lagoon’s geothermal waters with the plume of the volcanic eruption in the distance was a fantastic way to end our visit. There were so many highlights of our trip to Iceland, but experiencing the spectacular aurora borealis on the last night and being able to see the red glow of the recent eruption on the horizon were truly unforgettable moments. Our GCSE students had an amazing, memorable trip and it was great to see them bring their learning to life as they discovered the wonders of Iceland.