Day Four: The Golden Circle

As the wind howled across the Icelandic plains, it was time for the fourth day. We first headed to the Secret Lagoon, a swimming pool fed by natural springs. It was first used in the 1800's and had recently been reopened to the public.  It was a great way to wake up with the outside temperature hovering around 3 degrees. It was a contrast to the Blue Lagoon and we had great fun attempting to stay inside the hottest areas of the pool, which is also fed by a geyser.

Next it was off on the most popular tourist route in Iceland: the Golden Circle.  This took in Gulfoss, a massive waterfall; Geyser with it's erupting hot springs and Thingvellir National Park where the European and North American continental plates meet.  We made sure that there was time for ice cream too!

Then we headed to the country's capital: Reykjavik for a posh meal and a walk along the harbour at sunset.

Day Three - Coasts, Missile Carrier and Waterfalls

Yesterday was another stunning day in Iceland. We started bright and early and headed to Dyrholaey headland. Let's just say we enjoyed some strong headwinds!  After the students had acclimatised we headed to meet our ten wheel drive truck and headed up the Thórsmörk valley. This is where Eyjafjallajökull's glacial outburst flood caused havoc in 2010, destroying glaciers and changing the landscape forever.

We had a great time exploring some of the canyons and having snow ball fights.

The final stop of the day was Seljalandsfoss, a gorgeous waterfall that wriggles over a high basalt cliff.  We all got to walk behind this (with the Year 11 Geographers getting some much needed revision) before heading to our over night stay at Vatnsholt farm where we got to meet the Arctic Foxes and other animals.