Day 5: Today we changed the itinerary and went to Heimaey Island instead!

The final day of this fantastic trip has proved to be just as good as the last three.  Today we caught the ferry across to Heimaey island, which some of you(!) may remember from when it erupted in 1973.  Mr Dalton studied it as a case study in 1985 for his A levels (the same year Miss Jackson started in reception class!).

Anyway, the weather once again proved to be absolutely glorious and sunny, albeit with a biting wind. This wind managed to unsettle a few stomachs on the 35 minute crossing, but the views of the now 41 year old lava were enough to distract seasick tummies!

Our guide David walked us straight up to the top of the volcano, where the rocks are still unbelievably warm to touch and they are still steaming.  The views across to the mainland were stunning and Eyjafjallajökull volcano looked very majestic. On the other side of the island, we could see Surtsey, which erupted in 1963. 

We then practically stumbled upon a new museum that has opened with remnants of the houses that were covered in the encroaching lava.  The questions that this day has generated have been insightful and it has been great watching the pupils piece together the story of this incredible island's volcanic dramas.

Now at our final stop, the group is tired from their adventure, but the excitement and energy still palpable. We have an early start tomorrow morning but everything is on track for our arrival back in Barney at 1.30pm

 Taking in the view at the top of the volcano.

 Hands down a vent at the top of the volcano where it was like a warm oven

 Stunning panoramic scenes at the summit of the volcano.  A perfect group shot opportunity.

 A very happy geography teacher with a hand in the warm volcanic vent.

 Obligatory group shot

 The long haul up.....

 Taking in the scenery around the island.

 Can you spot Eyafjallajokull in the background?

 The walk up was hard with the ash giving way under foot like sand on a beach. 

 Another warm vent at the top of the volcano

 Feeling on top of the world!

 The view from the top and looking down into Heimaey, where the population stands at 5000.

 Imagine watching the lava flowing towards your house and not knowing whether it would stop!

 Boys at the top

 All the girls at the top.

 Remnants of a crushed house that now sit in the back garden of a new house, with public access for people like us. 

 One of the excavated houses in the new museum, which has caused some controversy on Heimaey.

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Eating lunch in the museum, with a pretty spectacular scenery in the background

 By this stage the pupils could work out where all of the lava was and how close it got to some of the houses and also that they were standing on houses that had been totally destroyed. 

 Listening to the guide David explaining the formation of the tuff rocks across the harbour. 

 Hot chocolate time!

 Sailing away from the Westmann Isles.......

 Taking time out after the steep climb up to the top of the volcano

Day 5: Tom Tyrrell-Edwards

We all had an early start to the day, waking up and having breakfast by 7.30am. First of all we set off on a ferry which lasted about 35 minutes, from Iceland to Heimaey Island. A member from our school dropped a plastic bag and Rohan K was determined to catch it while the wind was blowing a gale. While Rohan was running after the bag the rest of the group were cheering him on, after about 5 minutes he managed to stop the bag. David led the crew to the volcano, the wind was ridiculous all while we were walking around the town. It took us about 30 minutes to walk all the way to the tip of the volcano, which was very tiring. The path up the volcano in some places was very steep. At the top of the volcano we all took plenty of selfies, the views of the town were spectacular, we noticed that there were some parts of the town were covered in ash and pumice. There were streets which had building missing under the ash, the numbers on the houses would go 13,11,9 and then stop. We saw building which had been destroyed and the only remains were the iron in the building. We walked though the town via a shop which sold hot chocolate (yum yum). For some reason the teachers trusted us to meet the at the harbour at 5pm. We got on the ship and headed straight back for Iceland there were a couple of people with green faces but the spirit stayed high, when we got back to the port we got back on the bus. During the journey we blasted the songs out loud and arrived at the hotel at 8.30pm where we had dinner and happily went to bed.

Mr Dalton's trip summary.

For us all this has been a memorable experience. It has been a journey by air, coach, duck boat, foot and crampons. It has also been an amazing journey through a very special country with unique landscapes and a fascinating history. It has been a pleasure spending this time with 22 pupils; all of whom have been keen to learn and get as much as possible from their time in Iceland. Speaking on behalf of Miss Jackson, Mr Alderson and David Kelley, our guide, I would like to thank the pupils for being such good travelling companions.

DWD

Day 5: Sarah Ryan

Today was an amazing day. We woke up too early for everyone's liking (7:30) and then headed off on the bus to the Westman Islands. The ferry journey was very rough and most people felt ill but otherwise the crossing was quite short. When we got to the island we hiked up to Heimaey. Heimaey is an active volcano which erupted in 1973 and covered a third of the town in lava. Causing the main source of money, fishing, lots of damage. When we got to the top there was an amazing panoramic view of the islands and also the mainland. Some of the crater was still warm to the touch, it was truly spectacular. After we came down the steep slopes we went to an interesting museum about what happened in 1973. Inside there were excavations of some of the houses that were covered in the lava along with all the items inside, some of which still intact. It was here we spent a couple of hours going around the museum with an audio description of what happened, watching a documentary and eating lunch. After the museum visit all the teachers treated us to a hot chocolate and we were allowed to wander around the town before the ferry back to the mainland. When we got back to the bus we set off on our Icelandic twenty minute journey. This was in fact two and a half hours long which was spent singing and sleeping. When we got to the hotel we had our meal and then said our thanks to our guide Dave and the teachers and all headed off to get a good night's sleep before the ridiculously early start in the morning.

Day 5: Matthew Price

Today we took a trip on a ferry to Heimaey which took about half an hour which we spent playing cards and looking at the view from the boat. Once we arrived at the island we set off up to the top of the volcano. The view from the top was amazing which made the tough walk worth it.
After spending some time admiring the view we walked back down the volcano and visited a museum on the excavated buildings of the island caused by the destruction of the volcano. We had lunch at the museum and watched a movie on how they stopped the lava from destroying more houses and more importantly the harbour which was the islands main source of income. 
Lastly we looked around the town seeing some of the houses that still stand after the eruption and also some parts of the houses that couldn't be saved.

Day 5: Claudia Barkes

Today we were stood in a crater of an active volcano. It was an amazing experience, when you felt the ground there was warm pumice that covered the volcano. We travelled on the ferry (not my favourite way of transport), it took around thirty five minutes which I spent on the deck with the wind blowing in my face, it was really cold. We went to a really interesting museum which had an exhibition of the events that happened 41 years ago, the eruption that nearly caused the island to lose all its main income, fishing.  After the museum the teachers were really kind to us all and bought us a hot chocolate each. We then had a short stroll around the town and shortly boarded the the ferry, we then had quite a long journey on the bus to the hotel. Dave said it was an Icelandic 20 minutes which in England can go from 10 minutes to 3 and a half hours! 
We settled down in the hotel and tried to get a good night's sleep before the early start in the morning. 

Day 5: Jackson Thomas

Today we went to the Westmann Isles and looked at a church sent by the Norwegians and then went up an active volcano called Eldfell and felt the heat as the vents from the lava heated the rocks. We then went down the volcano and looked at how the lava flow covered a lot of the houses on some of the streets. Then we went to a cafe and had hot chocolate after which returning to the Icelandic mainland and residing in a hotel for the night.