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18
ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
Exploring Iceland
By Huw Williams and Fergus Cameron Watt, Photographs by William Webb and Gavin Turner
Rarely does one have the opportunity to
travel to such an intriguing and idyllic region
of the world as Iceland, famous for its
plethora of spectacular natural wonders.
On arrival at the beginning of Exeat, we
were greeted by a blisteringly cold wind.
Our highly talented and somewhat eccentric
tour guide, Ragga, instantly took us at great
speed to one of the most eagerly-anticipated
destinations of the trip, The Blue Lagoon.
One of Iceland’s most popular tourist
attractions, the aptly-named Blue Lagoon is
a geothermal spa, home to warm, soothing
sapphire waters rich in minerals such as
silica and sulphur, said to have medicinal
properties (a highly debatable claim). The
geothermal nature of the spa meant that the
warmth of the water was generated entirely
by heat radiating from the core of the earth.
Everyone was somewhat taken aback by
Iceland’s compulsory no-clothes shower
policy, but we enjoyed a highly relaxing,
serene evening in the Lagoon, and then made
our way to the capital, Reykjavik.
The next day we went on the renowned
Golden Circle tour, which featured many of
the most intriguing attractions on the island.
The journey to our first stop, the Hellisheiði
Power Station, gave us our first real taste
of the startling beauty of the country itself
with its towering but peaceful mountainsides
enclosing us within a world of steamy,
flowing rivers, cascading waterfalls and rocky,
green valleys.
The Hellisheiði Power Station is the largest
geothermal power plant in Iceland and is
the third largest in the world, producing a
whopping 2,300 GWh of electricity per year.
We learnt how energy is harnessed from
geothermal power as well as how effective
and sustainable it is. Our next stop was the
Friðheimar Farm, a series of geothermally
heated greenhouses where tomatoes are
grown and cultivated.
We then continued to Geysir, often
cited as the most famous geyser in Iceland,
and tipped to be the largest and most
explosive of all. We were warned by
Ragga, prior to our trek upwards, that
streams of scalding water trickled across
the landscape creating a barrage of dense,
white steam. The pungent odour of sulphur
also lingered, further adding to the initial
discomfort heading up to the geyser. Once
in position however we watched in awe as
jets of steamy, turquoise water were fired
to unimaginable heights up in the air from a
gaping crater-like hole in the ground.
Although fatigue was beginning to set in,
we moved on swiftly towards the momentous
and surging Gullfoss waterfall. The Gullfoss
was true testament to the awe-inspiring
nature of Iceland. After a perilously misty and
heart-stopping walk towards the waterfall,
we encountered a raging torrent of foaming
white water that plunged to stupendous
depths of over 30m into a gaping crevice as if
vanishing into the depths of the earth.
The final visit on the Golden Circle tour
was to the idyllic Thingvellir National Park,
which provided spectacular views of the
dramatic rocky and mountainous scenery
as well as the flowing rivers and lakes. The
National Park was also situated directly at
the plate boundary between the Eurasian and
North American plates, allowing us to walk
along (and for the crazed amongst us to slide
between) the ridge of the two boundaries.
The following day, our first stop was the
magnificent Seljalandsfoss waterfalls. The first
of these waterfalls was a 20 ft cascade with
a navigable path behind the falling torrent.
The walk proved to be as perilous as it was
jaw-dropping. Our second waterfall visit
quickly followed which turned into a race
to the top. Winding up alongside the 50 ft
waterfall were stairs that were testing for
most. However, the sights at the top turned
out to be well worth the walk as our third
waterfall of the trip was undoubtedly the
best. The panoramic views of not just the
waterfall but also the south coast of Iceland
were incredible.
Our next destination, the infamous
volcano Eyjafjallajökull, was fascinating in its
Watch
theTeddies on
Camera film of the
trip onTeddies TV:
www.stedwards
oxford.org