Jake Garton stumbled upon a message in a bottle from 2009 while in Iceland, sparking a heartwarming connection across the years
Padgate: Last week, Jake Garton was celebrating his 12th birthday in Iceland with his mum, Sarah, and auntie, Julie. They were having a blast exploring the capital when Jake made an incredible find.
Sarah shared with the Warrington Guardian that they flew to Iceland on January 10 and kicked off their adventure with a northern lights tour that same night.
Even though they didn’t catch a glimpse of the lights, Jake was busy playing on the rocks by the lighthouse. That’s when he spotted a bottle and insisted there was something inside.
At first, Sarah thought it was just ice, but when Jake opened it, they discovered a note! The excitement was real.
Jake handed the bottle to their tour guide, who translated the note for everyone on the bus. It turned out to be a letter from a girl named Sóley, written back in 2009.
The letter said, “My name is Sóley, and I live in Iceland. I am very interested in messages in bottles. I am seven years old and will be eight years old next year.” How cute is that?
It even had her phone number and address, which the guide used to track her down. Can you believe it? Sixteen years later, Jake found her message!
After the discovery, Sóley posted a TikTok video about it, which went viral with over 35,000 views. She was thrilled that her message was found.
In her video, she mentioned how it would have been cooler if it had been found in Britain, but she was still amazed it was discovered at Gardskagi Lighthouse.
Sarah also mentioned that a local news outlet in Iceland picked up the story, which only added to the excitement.
In a recent update, Sóley shared that her story inspired school kids in Iceland to write their own messages and release them into the sea. How sweet!
Jake’s mum said they plan to take the bottle home and write their own message to see if they get a reply someday. What a lovely idea!
Reflecting on their trip, Sarah said it was thrilling to see how long the bottle had been out there. It definitely made their holiday unforgettable.
