At the beginning of the summer, a group of 11 students and 2 teachers went on a once in a lifetime trip.  Ask anyone who went on the World Challenge trip to Iceland, and they will agree that it was an incredible experience. For some of us, the trip was like nothing we had ever seen before: a brand new country with a whole host of exciting activities and memories to be made. With a diverse group ranging from Year 8 to Year 13, it was a completely inclusive week, testing our comfort zones and social skills as well as our fitness and outdoor skills. One thing is for sure, without the specific group of people who signed up to the trip, Iceland wouldn’t have been seen in the same light.

Right from the start, people in our group were experiencing new situations, as some people had never been on a plane. It seems that there was something particularly exciting about being in an airport with two excellent members of staff and a group of fellow students. Everyone was filled with anticipation of what was to come. What would the food be like? Would we cope with the strenuous walks? Luckily, every aspect of the trip fitted together to create a memorable week for all thirteen of us.

One detail that made the trip seem risky and exciting was camping. For most nights, we slept in our two or three man tents, a little cold and often exhausted. On the penultimate night we encountered a harsh storm that nearly blew our tents away. As a precaution we found huge stones to hold down the pegs. This ensured our tents stayed in place throughout the night.

In Iceland we had to cook our own meals every day but the first and last. On our second day we got up bright and early so we could go to the supermarket and buy our food supplies that would last us the whole week. We made sure that we had a balance of food, catering to everyone’s preferences with a variety of meals. When we went out for our hikes we made our own sandwiches and at night different people attempted cooking which was rewarding for everyone as people learnt valuable skills and everyone got to eat a nice meal (except for the first night when Joe put too much garlic in his pasta!).

For our rest and relaxation day most of us chose to go to the blue lagoon, there were a few complications with this involving finance and transport, but we came together as a group to resolve those issues. Going to the blue lagoon was one of the best experiences we did, it was a perfect way to end what had already been such a good week. Going into the geothermal pool and warming ourselves up after spending a week camping was especially good. Throughout the week the bonds between us kept growing (Mostly thanks to Mr Palmer’s legendary werewolf card game!), we had all become so close and were so sad to leave each other at the end of the week.

Written by Tess Grewcock, Izzy Cornish and Logan Lidbetter-Smith.