The Lion - Issue 65

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theLion www.bablake.com

News and views from Bablake School

Issue 65 | Autumn 2014

Arctic adventure

Our intrepid explorers

During the summer holidays, 25 intrepid Bablake pupils headed to colder climes, just a couple of degrees south of the Arctic Circle.

O

ur action-packed itinerary began with a trip to the Blue Lagoon. Set amongst a landscape of black lava, its water temperature averages between 30 and 40ºc and it is rich in unique natural minerals such as silica and blue green algae. The highlight of day two was a glacier walk; kitted out with crampons and ice axes, we were led by an experienced guide on an exploration of the frozen glacier tongue of Solheimajokull – a wonderland of

ice sculptures, ridges and deep crevasses. The following day, our destination was Jokulsarlon, the glacial lagoon which featured in the James Bond film Die Another Day. This is Iceland’s most famous and most photographed glacial lagoon and is also one of its deepest lakes. Enormous icebergs, some the size of houses, break off the Breidamerkjokurjokull glacier tongue as it retreats, and drop into the lagoon, creating a spectacular sight.

The following morning, our journey took us past the imposing volcano Hekla, which is long overdue an eruption (as are several other Icelandic volcanoes!). A welcome mid-afternoon snack consisted of eggs boiled in the geothermal river water at Hveragerdi and the day finished with a visit to “Perlan”- a Reykjavik landmark, a meal of Reyjavik’s finest hamburgers and an evening swim at the geothermal open air swimming pool. Thingvellir National Park is where Iceland’s parliament was established in 930AD (the oldest in the world); however, the visit here was simply an appetiser to the main activity of the day – lava tube caving. Donning helmets and headlamps, we were soon plunged into darkness, navigating our way along a lava tube containing magical rock formations left by the last major eruption. It was reassuring to know that the huge rocks on the floor of the cave had collapsed hundreds of years ago and that the cave was actually one of the safest places to be during one of the 30 or so earthquakes that happen every day in Iceland. Once back in daylight, the next stop was the famous geothermal area at Geysir – one of the trio of natural wonders on the well-known “Golden Circle”. A surreal world of spouting geysers and hot springs captivated the pupils and our tour was completed with a visit to Gullfoss waterfall – a thundering mass of foaming glacial melt-water plunging over a double drop into a mile-long gorge. After an Italian feast in Reykjavik, our last night ended with a Segway ride around the streets of the capital and a highly competitive game of bowling. On the final morning, before heading to the airport, we enjoyed a whale-watching experience in Flaxafloi Bay, sighting white-beaked dolphins, minke whales and puffins – a perfect way to end a thoroughly inspiring expedition to an amazing country. As the Iceland tourism information website says “It’s not a destination, it’s an adventure”, and it certainly was! Mr Simon Enstone

Bablake celebrates record results at GCSE and A level – see page 4


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