Community / Durham students swap Spanish sun for ‘world-class’ Shetland school trip
ITALIAN Alps? Spanish sun? French culture? One English school is foregoing all of that to take its students to Shetland on their school trip this summer.
It is in fact the fourth year in a row that Belmont Community School, from County Durham, will make their annual pilgrimage to the north of Scotland to soak in all the isles has to offer.
What started out as an experimental trip in 2023 has become “an annual fixture” for the school and its pupils, which believes it is the only school on the UK mainland to travel yearly to Shetland.
Explaining their choice, lead practitioner Julie Ryder said Shetland offered a “world-class living classroom” to the students from the north-east of England.
“Our students don’t just read about wind power, they stand at the base of the Burradale turbines and measure them,” she said.
“From the ‘Shetland Bus’ history at Scalloway to the 5,000-year-old ruins at Jarlshof, the depth of history available to the students is staggering.
“We have been so impressed by the resilience and hospitality of the Shetland community – even when the weather forces us to swap a boat trip for indoor sports at the Lerwick leisure centre!”
Ryder said their students return to Durham as “different people” after each trip, adding they had a “deep appreciation for the Northern Isles” each time.
Beginning in 2023, each July a group of roughly 40 students has set off on a five-day expedition to Shetland from County Durham.
The journey begins with a coach journey from Durham to Aberdeen followed by the 12-hour overnight voyage from Aberdeen aboard the NorthLink ferry.
Ryder said many of the students had “enjoyed the novelty of sleeping in pods”, with one student calling them “an excellent idea”.
She said the undisputed highlight for the pupils each year had been coasteering, with staff noticing a “remarkable shift in the group’s dynamic as students cheered each other on”.
Belmont Community School’s pupils have visited sites such as Jarlshof, Mousa Broch, Sumburgh Head, Burradale wind farm and Scalloway Museum on their voyages north.
But Ryder said it had been “the people of Shetland who truly defined the expedition” each time.
“The group was struck by how informative and genuinely kind the locals were,” she said.
“From the experts at the wind farm to the museum curators, islanders treated the students with immense patience and a desire to share their culture.”
One student also remarked: “The people here don’t just tell you the facts, they share their lives with you. It made the whole trip feel so much more personal.”
When asked what advice they would give to students considering the next expedition, the consensus was clear: pack layers, bring waterproofs, and grab the opportunity.
“It’s an experience you will never forget,” one student said.
“If you can go, definitely go. It is probably up there as one of the best places to visit in the world.”
Belmont Community School are set to return to Shetland for their next visit in July.
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