This time tomorrow, we will be on our way to Iceland!!!!!

Greetings to our fellow Iceland trippers!  I am sure you will all be in the final stages of preparation for tomorrow.  Mr Nicholson will be collecting EHIC cards and passports while Mr Alderson will be giving out luggage tags.  Mr Dalton will be waving you all off and I will meet you in Terminal 1 at Manchester Airport.  The bus will be leaving 0830.  

We will aim to update the blog each day with photos and also brief accounts from the pupils.

Our flight details and itinerary are as follows:

Day 1. Wednesday 28th October “Arrival and Blue Lagoon” 

12:25 Depart 12.25 Iceland Air flight Fl441 from Manchester arrive Keflavik 15.00 15:00 Arrive Keflavik 
16:30 Geo Park Center Reykjanes 
Then to your accommodation at the Hotel Baron 
19:30 Evening meal: eat-all-you-want pizza at local restaurant 

Day 2. Thursday 29th October “Golden Circle and Going Underground” 

Brief Tour of the city including views over the city centre from the Perlan and the Hallgrímskirkja Þingvellir National Park - rifting between American & Eurasian plates
13:00 Caving in Gjabakki lava tube (12pm) 
Geysir Gullfoss – awesome fault-guided waterfall and walk beside its gorge
Overnight at Hotel Hvolsvollur 

Day 3. Friday 30th October “Waterfalls, Eruptions, Glacier and Coasts” 

Seljandafoss (a 44m waterfall you can walk behind) 
10:30 Iceland Eruption Centre for effects of 2010 Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption (11am) Skógarfoss (awesome 60 m+ waterfall) 
13:00 Sólheimajökull glacier (1pm)– walking on the glacier with activity company www.adrenalin.is Coastal Features at Dyrhólaey and Reynishverfi - including cave and arch development and spectacular basalt columns like a small-scale giant’s causeway (if conditions allow) 
Laki lavas On to Hotel Laki with meal at the hotel

Day 4 Saturday 31st October “Icebergs“ To the Ice Lagoon in the SE Brief stop at Skaftafell National Park Centre Search for periglacial features (polygons &stripes) on exposed surfaces Visit very impressive Svínafellsjökull glacier to view moraine, crevasses, pro glacial lake 
Jökulsárlón Ice lagoon – awe-inspiring colours of icebergs: walk round the lagoon towards the ice sheet. (Where the James Bond Film ‘Die Another Day’ was made) Visit the ice sculptures on the black beach sands if time. 
15:00 Boat trip amongst the icebergs on the melt-water lagoon Climb Europe’s largest lateral moraine to view pro-glacial lake and other features The sun then sets as come off glacier and its back to Hotel Laki 

Day 5 Sunday 1st November “Geopark” 

Into the new GeoPark in the Reykjanes Walk along a major Rift See Explosion craters along the rifts – walk up to craters Hot mud pots and steam vents at Gunnuhver View an automated geo-thermal power station See the oldest lighthouse in Iceland. 17:00 Blue Lagoon 20:00 Icelandic evening meal at the Restaurant Vitinn On to the Airport Hotel 

Day 6. Monday 2nd November “Departure” 

Walk across to the airport Flight FI440 departs at 0800 hrs arrives Manchester at 10.35