Into the unknown

Claremont students brave the cold on a once-in-a-lifetime, sight-filled trip 

Education truly is a passport to broadening horizons, but that’s even more the case at Claremont High School with the Geography Department’s latest field-trip… From 12th to 15th March 2026, forty-five students from years 9 to 11 had, according to Mr Sewell, a ‘jam-packed few days’ in Iceland! 

The trip started early with a 6am flight from Luton Airport and the schedule didn’t let up after that. Day one included a walk around Reykjavik plus lava tunnelling. Day two involved another early start for the ‘Golden Circle Tour’, including the Geothermal Powerplant, and also featured the Gullfoss waterfall, geysers, Thingvellir National Park (the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates) and a ‘Northern Lights’ tour. Day three involved a long journey to the south coast where the students visited the Lava Centre, Sólheimajökull glacier, Dyrhólaey rock formations and the black sand beach, along with two spectacular waterfalls - Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss - whilst also seeing several volcanoes: Eyjafjallajökull, Hekla and Katla. In the evening there was a quiz to finish the trip, followed by some much-needed sleep! 

‘We had an amazing few days seeing lava tunnels, volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers and more,’ says Mr Sewell. ‘The students were able to see the natural beauty of Iceland with tectonic and coastal processes at work, providing a genuinely stimulating link to their Geography studies. They represented themselves and the school amazingly well and our tour guide was very complimentary about them. Overall, the pupils had an incredible experience and were able to see many stunning natural features of our planet.’ 

‘The highlights for me were definitely the Northern Lights and the waterfalls,’ says Iacob Petraru in Year 10. ‘It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was cold, though… Now I know why it’s called Iceland!’