After much deliberation and consultation with students it was decided that the Science department would take a departure from their annual trip to CERN in Geneva to see the Large Hadron Collider. 

This year students were offered the opportunity to visit Iceland, and hopefully catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. The trip was really well received by students and tickets quickly sold out. Here’s what went on during their recent visit;

“After a very early start at Manchester Airport, the group went to the Blue Lagoon for a relaxing start in the thermal spa on the way to the hostel.  The blue waters (although a bit smelly due to the sulphur content) were wonderfully warm and soon relieved the strains of the early start, some of the group also opted for a refreshing face mask.

Once the group had checked in at the hostel, a selection of students were asked to venture out for supplies, as food would be cooked by staff and students in the hostel kitchen. “Come Dine with Me Iceland” was a great success – group 1 produced a delicious Mexican fajita feast; group 2 produced an enormous range of pasta and sauces (plus too many desserts), whilst group 3 made pizzas, jacket potatoes and salad.

The budding scientists had planned to search for the Northern Lights on the first night, but due to overcast weather, the trip was rearranged for the following day, had the group travelled all this way only to be met overcast skies, would the Northern Lights escape their glances?

Not quite…

Travelling into the darkness of the mountains in the hope of seeing some clear sky, the group caught their first glance of the Northern Lights flowing across Orion’s belt.  At another stop, they were able to see the lights pulsing as the charged particles from the Sun were drawn into the Earth’s magnetic field, exciting the molecules in the air and emitting visible light.

The mission had been a success; the group had seen and documented aurora borealis!

But the trip was far from over, and the itinerary was full until the return journey home. The group toured the Golden Circle, or as the Icelanders call it – ‘the circle of life’. As well as standing on the edge of a volcanic crater the group witnessed some immense waterfalls and the hot springs at Geysir.  The day ended at the rift valley between the Eurasian and North American plates, where the first Icelandic Parliaments took place.  Some of the group weren’t really prepared for just how cold it can get in Iceland and shivered their way around the Golden Circle!

The trip ended on Saturday with a free day in Reykjavik. Students participated in a treasure hunt around the sights of the city with a finish at the municipal geothermal swimming baths next to the hostel.  Groups were also given the challenge ‘to eat the most interesting food they could’ – two groups chose to try the Icelandic speciality of fermented shark and moss tea, whilst the third group ate bacon lollies. On a final note – swimming in an outdoor pool in March, in Iceland was an experience as rare, cold and for many, exciting as catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights!