Finally after two year of planning, fund raising and a bundle of forms, the long awaited day arrived for the 10th Purley Guides to embark upon their Ultimate Centenary Adventure, destination Iceland.

On the 2nd August our group of twenty met at Gatwick airport at 9am ready for the off, looking very smart sporting our very own centenary t-shirts and scarf, we were all very excited about the adventures that lay ahead. After what seemed like an age at the check in desk, and a two hour delay, we were in the air and touching down at Keflavik airport before we knew it.

We met up with the coach, relieved that all our kit bags had arrived safely, and were on our way to the first part of adventure, a trip to the blue lagoon. The lagoon is a unique, mineral-rich lake, formed from Geothermal sea water. Five to six million tonnes of fluid, containing two thousand tonnes of Silica mud give the lagoon its milky, aquamarine colour and provide a natural source of minerals which are renowned for their therapeutic properties. The lagoon has an average temperature of 37°C.

The lagoon was an amazing site, and after a long day of travelling looked extremely inviting. We changed as fast as we could and once we figured out the Icelandic lockers, ran from the changing area, out into the cold night and into the beautifully warm water.

We lazed around and enjoyed the unique experience, many of us taking up the option of fitting in with the locals and covering our faces with the silica mud for a nice soft complexion! We tried out the massage water fall, sauna, steam room and the brave ones took a dip in the cold pool!

Later we left the lagoon and around 10.30pm local time we arrived at our final destination, Utilífsmiðstod skata Ulfljotsvatni, our scout center, where we were met with a warm reception from the staff and a hot meal of mashed potato and meat loaf ready and waiting.

It was windy, raining hard and was very cold and the words from the manager of the site, Hreiðar Oddsson, ‘we have given you a free upgrade to indoor accommodation’ was music to our ears! After a huge cheer and lots of excitement we were shown around our Icelandic lodge, chose our rooms, marvelled at our own flushing toilets and showers, we finally got into a nice warm bed with content smiles on our faces. The trip had got off to a brilliant start.

Tuesday morning arrived and with our spirits high we were looking forward to the new day, the agenda was on site fishing in the morning and river rafting in the afternoon, excellent! After breakfast, we came out of our lodge and as the weather had eased got the first look of our surroundings.

The back drop of the center was beautiful, over looking a large lake surrounded by hills complete with horses, sheep and a picturesque church. The view was uninterrupted for as far as the eye can see and was a vision of peace and tranquillity, until we arrived of course!

Complete with fishing rods in hand we followed our guide to the edge of the lake to become aquatinted with millions of Icelandic midges, and have a lesson in fishing, Icelandic style. It was cold by the water and still rather windy but that didn’t dampen the girl’s sprits as we cast our rods. It proved to be a bit more difficult than we anticipated, Emma successfully caught a rock, Anna went for a swim then fell down a hole which of course provided a good source of entertainment, but sadly we caught no fish.

We headed back to the lodge, had lunch and got into the coach to have a go at river rafting, something none of us had ever done before. Everybody was keen to experience this new activity and see what it had to offer. We arrived at the center, got kitted out in Arctic Wetsuits, lifejackets and crash helmets and boarded a bus to take us to the waters edge. En route the bus got a puncture but to the locals this is no problem, you simply keep on driving!

Still on land we had a lesson on how to paddle, but most importantly how to hold on to the safety ropes, reassuring! We filled two boats and jumped in ready to face the rapids! We passed through the first set without incident, our adrenaline pumping we realised the awesome power of the water. We reached the next set of rapids know as ‘The Omen’, keen for more action and action we got! The water was thundering down the river, and one of the boats became upturned and lodged on the rocks, guides and leaders were in the water having the ride of their lives! Everybody was pulled out and although the glacier river is the coldest water we have ever experienced, it was great fun and there were cries for more!

We arrived safety back to the water sports center, minus one boat that was still stuck on the rocks, and chatted about the experience over a much needed mug of hot chocolate. We headed back to our center and looked back on the thrilling events of the day.

On the Wednesday morning we all woke up very excited at the prospect of more fun whale watching! We had breakfast, made packed lunch and headed off to Reykjavik to board our tour boat. We all appreciated our thermals as it was very cold at sea, but it was a bright clear day and you could see for miles. Firstly we passed Puffin Island which lived up to its name as there were puffins all around us, on the island, on the water and in the air. They are tiny birds that have to beat their wings like crazy to get airborne, and rather unbelievably once they leave their nest they remain at sea for five years before coming to the Island to mate.

The whales that visit do not have tracking devices; instead the boat is fitted with a sensor to find pods of fish which is where the whales are most likely to be. After a few hours at sea we spotted a Minky whale that surfaced around twenty meters from the boat, showing us its back you got a true idea of the size of these amazing creatures. We were amazed at this truly speculator site and felt really privileged to see it, we could not believe our luck when to top it off, we came across a pod of around ten porpoises surfacing one at a time around fifteen meters away. Every passenger on the boat was intranced by these amazing, normally shy, animals and the display they were letting us witness.

The girls were all very ecstatic at the sightings and were all gathered together at the front of the boat enjoying the spray from the ocean and having what they classed as the best seats in the house. What a morning!

We disembarked and were keen to explore Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. Not only is Reykjavík (‘Smoky Bay’) the world’s northernmost capital, it’s also one of the newest, having established itself only in the late 19th century. Despite its name, it is now known as the ‘smokeless city’ thanks to its incessant winds and reliance on geothermal heat. Reykjavík boasts all the trappings of a modern European city as well as an interesting old town, white-washed wooden buildings, and rows of brightly painted concrete houses.

We had lunch in the main ‘ square’, watched a brass band for a while and with money burning a whole in our pockets we went to see what the local shops had to offer.

Carrying our ‘LOST’ in Iceland t-shirts and all sorts of other souvenirs we got back on the coach for the ride back to the site after yet another brilliant day.

The girls were all still bursting with energy in the early evening; it was a nice night so we hiked round the lake and up to the church that we could see from our site. It was a nice evening and a good way to end the day, especially bouncing on the large bales of hay bound in plastic, known to the guides as large marshmallows!

Thursday arrived and we could not believe how quickly time was going, and how much more we had to do. After such a good day yesterday we wondered what today would bring, and were keen to get going for our day on ‘The Golden Circle Tour.’ We had an early start, met with our guide and our first stop was Thingvellir National Park.

Thingvellir National Park is the national shrine of Iceland, its most historic site, and one of its most beautiful places. The oldest existing parliament in the world first met here in AD930 and you could really get a feel with what it would have been like with thirty three thousand horses and thousands of people gathering here every year to enact laws.

It has always been the focal point for the country, and whenever a major event is to be celebrated, thousands of people come here. At the celebration of the 1,100th anniversary of the first settlement in 1974, more than 60,000 people packed into Thingvellir.

We carried on trekking through the park and had a look at Lögberg, the cliff overlooking the place where the Alþing (assembly) met, and speakers stood to address the gathering. We also visited the Dekkingarhylur (The Drowning Pool), where mothers of illegitimate children were drowned. The guide told us lots of ancient folk law tales, and had fascinating knowledge of the local area.

We were lead to where the American and European tectonic plates have split in two and created a lava gorge, we all stood with one foot on each plate for the perfect photo opportunity. It was another unique experience and we were only half way through the day.

We visited a hot pool that the ancient locals used to be baptised when they turned to Christianity. It was said that if you make the sign of the cross across your eyes you will never go blind, so naturally we all obliged!

Lastly we visited the Peningagjá (The Money Chasm), a deep fissure filled with crystal clear spring water. It was another clear day and the water was so blue we were transfixed on it. People have thrown coins in for many years, and they give off strange reflections as they drop through the water and finally come to rest on the bottom. If you can follow your coin all the way to the bottom it’s said your wish will come true! We all made a few wishes and headed back to the coach for the next part of our tour.

Next stop was Gullfoss, the golden waterfall, Iceland’s most famous waterfall and one of the natural wonders of the world. We had never seen a true size waterfall, and Gullfoss proved to be a speculator sight. We walked down the steps to the top platform, you could hear the roar of the water and see the spray from half a mile way. The closer we got the more impressive it became. The enormous white glacial cascade drops 32 metres into a narrow canyon which is 70 metres deep and 2.5 kilometres long. Its two-tiered cataract hangs in the air like fine drizzle, which forms a rainbow in the sunlight. It is in the mighty glacial river Hvita (White river), which feeds the river we rafted on!

Soaking wet form the spray of Gullfoss we started heading back to site and stopped at The Great Geysir on route. Once inactive, but after the June 2000 Earthquakes, this thermal area is littered in steam vents, boiling springs and beautiful turquoise blue pools.

The Geysir erupted right in front of us and continued to do so every 8 minutes or so, we stood under the spray and loved every minute. There were boiling pools everywhere and the deep blue pools seemed to have no bottom. Another of natures wonders.

In the evening it was the opening ceremony for the Jambrotte held by the Icelandic Scouts. Scouts from all around Iceland, and a troop from Sweden had come together to enjoy the celebration of 100 years of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

We were the only British unit at the Jambrotte and were proud to represent Girl Guiding UK. We met the Chief Scout of Iceland, Bragi Skáti, who stayed for the weekend and joined in all the fun!

The other Scouts were all very welcoming, some could speak perfect English but this didn’t seem to matter, the children all mixed immediately and broke through any language barriers, quickly making friends. The atmosphere was electric as we all looked forward to the next two days of fun and games.

It was Friday morning and time to get involved with the games and activities that the Jambrotte had to offer. We jumped into a boat and went to an Island just off the lake to battle the midges again and see what Icelandic Scouting was all about! We were shown how to gut freshly caught fish from the lake, they apparently were vastly more successful catching fish than we were, and then how to smoke cook them. We made brownies and ate popcorn cooked over an open fire.

There was a challenge to build an object with large poles, the girls excitedly set about the task of building a bench which stayed up and was a bench to be proud of!

In the afternoon we had a go at mud football, which is exactly what it sounds like, shin deep in mud the girls did us proud and got stuck in, we showed the boys what we are made of! We also enjoyed the water slide and a water obstacle course was great fun. By diner time we were ready for lots of hot food and dry clothes!

In the evening a huge wide game had been set up involving various challenges to gain points, despite the torrential rain and wind, moral was high and the weather was not deterring anyone! The children loved every minutie as they sprinted from base to base taking on various tasks as they went.

On Saturday it was more fun and games at the Jambrotte, from tye dying, teaching Icelanders how to sign Adle-Vice and playing human table football, there was something for everyone.

In the afternoon, as part of the celebration challenge a small group of us accepted the silly task of swimming across the freezing lake from the Island, back to shore. The locals charged in like crazy people, not seeming to feel the cold at all; it’s just another summer’s day to them! We go off to a slow start but we did make it all the way to the other side. Well done girls, brilliant effort!

One of the leaders took up the Chief Scouts challenge to ride a bike for about an hour to a bridge, to jump off into the freezing water and then cycle back! We all eagerly awaited her return to the site to hear about her victory and tell her how well she had done!

The Jamrotte was drawing to a close, and so was our trip, we all met in the main hut and shared diner together and got ready for the camp fire. The camp fire was great fun, we joined in with the local songs, and they joined in with ours. We were invited to the front to teach one of our songs so up we went and did our best performance of Auntie Monica, even the Chief Scout was swinging his pants! It was a fabulous evening as we all came together to share our songs and Scouting tales.

Finally the girls joined the ‘rave’ in the hut complete with a very loud sound system, lighting and some sort of foam machine! The girls all partied together, sung as loud as they could and were sorry to leave.

Sunday morning had arrived and we could not believe that it was our final day, and that we would be heading home in the morning. Determined to make the most of our last day, we jumped on the coach to the local horse riding center and were matched up with our Icelandic ponies for a trek through the stunning landscape.

Once we were all on board, we headed off on our sure footed ponies for a three hour trek. The paths we followed gave us the opportunity to see the off road Iceland and all the beauty it holds. It was a beautiful sunny day and some of the ponies were keen to get going, others keener to eat the grass. With the instructors leading the way we crossed shallow streams, went up steep hills and even had a canter. We stopped half way through to give the horses a rest and went and had a look at a small waterfall.

The horses just razed as we left them unattended and then we had the task of identifying your horse amongst the twenty five that are hanging about! We headed back to the stables, the horses thinking food, returned at a slightly faster pace which has great fun and we all enjoyed the canter into the stables. What a morning.

We got back to the site and with a heavy heart packed our bags for the final leg of our journey, our flight home. We shared our final meal together and looked forward to our own private camp fire. We sang our favorite songs, talked about the highlights of the trip, and remembered old times. As per Guiding tradition, our second year campers were christened into the unit, say no more!

It was a sunny evening and the perfect end to the perfect trip. We took our last photos, received our badges, said our goodbyes to the staff and wished each other good night. Up the next morning at 3am within half an hour we were in the coach ready to go back to the airport. The flight left on time and we all arrived safely back at Gatwick, both pleased to be home but sad that it was over. The Guider in charge breathed a sign of relief to get everybody home safe and sound as we returned to our families.

It really was the Ultimate Centenary Adventure, we saw so many amazing sights it’s hard to say what the best bit was, either way the Guiding Centenary will certainly be a year the 10th Purley Guides will remember for a lifetime. Iceland has it all!

The jumble sale today raised in excess of £2000, what a fantastic achievement!

Well done everybody!

We now have a blog section for our site, WOHOO!

Anyway we are looking for any budding young journalists to write small columns for the sites blog feed. Reports on activities or guiding news, items of interest, that sort of thing.

If you are interested please email the webmaster.

Last Saturdays caving trip to Merstham Mines was a complete success!

The younger morning group all arrived bubbling with excitement, and very eager as this was the first trip under ground for many of them.

The mines hadn’t been used for a while so we had to fight our was through head height stinging nettles! It wasnt too bad, we all got through without being stung too badly.

One at a time the girls descended the ladder down into the mine shaft. Once everyone was down we followed Andy from the Wealdon Cave and Mine Society for an hours trip into the underworld. The girls didn’t hesitate at all, boldly crawling on through the mud. We worked our way through the winding tunnels on our hands and knees, banging elbows and knees on sharp bit of rock as we went. One of the leaders mentioned ‘The Letterbox’ was soon approaching, this caused much excitement and intrigue. When we arrived at ‘The Letterbox’ the excitement turned to nerves as the girls saw what was next. 3ft up the wall, a letterbox shaped hole no more than 2ft high and a good 6ft until it opened up again. A real belly wriggle required. One of the leaders went first to show the girls how it was done, then it was their turn. They took turns and pushed forward on through the hole without complaint. From there we moved down into the oldest part of the mine to see the rock formations (stalagmites and stalactites). Andy told us they estimate it could have been excavated as long ago as the 1300’s! The girls were amazed by the stalagmites and stalactites, that although quite small take hundreds of years to form. They were a beautiful glistening creamy white (in our torchlight’s anyway). Sadly after that it was time to turn back, we followed the same route back, doing the reverse letterbox which involved a forward roll into the mud. All good fun, before long we were back to the ladder and climbing on out of the mines.

The older afternoon group arrived for a 1 o’clock decent. We followed the same route and earlier. Funnily there were many more complaints from the older girls than there was from the young ones. We all made it through the letterbox and down to the old section. On the way back we took a different route back, which involved a much tighter, longer squeeze than the letterbox. But we all made it through ok and were soon back on the surface.

Once again the guides had a fantastic caving trip, many thanks once again to  Andy and his team from the Wealden Cave & Mine Society.

Dont forget to check out the photo’s in the gallery too!