THE conditions were cold but the welcome was warm when students from a Bordon school had a field trip to Iceland.

The half-term excursion to the North Atlantic nation was a first for many of the 24 Oakmoor students and their guide, Rosalind, as she had never led a school trip around the island before.

The visiting party were fortunately not affected by the recent eruptions near Grindavik but the smell of sulphur was noticeable upon arrival.

The Year 10 and 11 students were first taken to a viewing platform in Reykjavik with the following two days being full of highs and lows – geologically speaking - as the excursion also included a thrilling trip into a lava tunnel.

The students walked on a glacier with crampons and ice picks, relxed in the thermally-heated waters of the Secret Lagoon, visited the black beach at Vik and gazed in awe at some of the county’s amazing waterfalls.

The final stop was to the Hard Rock Café in the capital where burgers and ice cream were devoured with Viking fervour.

“Iceland was a thrilling experience and it’s such a beautiful and interesting country,” said Year 11 student, Beth, on returning to Bordon.

“The trip was fun and helped me get to know other cultures better,” while fellow Year 11 student, Immy, would love to go back to the “gorgeous country”.

Their tour guide was extremely complimentary about her “respectful, inquisitive and reliable young visitors” and admitted to preferring to leading their trip than an adult one.