Princethorpe’s Geographers Explored The Land Of Fire And Ice

After an easy journey there, they were straight into sight-seeing visiting the unearthly lava fields of the ‘Bridge between Continents’ where the North American and Eurasian plates are moving apart. Then it was on to Gunnuhver Hot Springs where pupils collected lava samples from a recent eruption.

Day two started on the Solheimajokull Glacier where pupils saw a meltwater lake, crevasses and icefield, they wore crampons and walked with ice axes! They also visited the amazing Skógafoss Waterfall and the ‘Black Beach’ at Reynisfjara.

An overnight dusting of snow caused much excitement and made the tectonic rift in Thingvellir National Park even more stunning in the sunshine. Gullfoss Falls was mesmerising as was the explosive power behind the geothermal geysers. Pupils also had the chance to meet the well adapted Icelandic horses and even had time for an Icelandic ice cream.

Day four included a visit to an incredible volcanic crater, Hveradalir, a geothermal area, a lava tunnel with spectacular icicles and recent lava deposits with fascinating rippled formations from eruptions in 2021 in the Natthagi Valley. 

On the last day, pupils explored the capital Reykjavik and visited Hallgrímskirkja, the imposing church at the top of Skólavöðustigur visible from almost every angle of the city. It was designed to resemble a mountain of basaltic lava. They also visited the Sky Lagoon geothermal waters to relax before their flights home. 

Iceland 2025 was an amazing trip from start to finish!

Our thanks go to the staff who accompanied the trip.