Melksham Oak Community School
Your Geography tour to Iceland, 13th – 16th October 2016Tour Ref: RTE16455
School meeting for pupils going on the trip to IcelandPlease could all pupils going on the Iceland Trip meet me in the Main Hall, Wednesday morning at 8:40.
Travel Details
Outbound – Thursday 13th October 2016
11.10hrs Check in opens at London Heathrow Airport (Terminal 2)13:10 Icelandairflight FI451departs for Reykjavik (Keflavik) Airport
15:10 Icelandairflight FI451arrives at Reykjavik (Keflavik) Airport
Inbound - Sunday 16th October 2016
14.10hrs Check in opens at Reykjavik (Keflavik) Airport16.10hrsIcelandair flight FI454 departs for London Heathrow (Terminal 2)
20.10hrsIcelandair flight FI454 arrives at London Heathrow (Terminal 2)
Luggage: 23 kg hold luggage per peson
Booking Ref: 5SSVUKand YEKB82 (56 passengers)
Additional Information
Coaching in Iceland
Company: Hópbílar hf.Tel Nº: 00354 599 6000
24hr Nº: 00354 822 0080
Accommodation Information
Name: Hótel Cabin, Borgartúni 32, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland
Tel Nº: 00354 511 6030
Contact: JónaScheiveig
Board Basis: Full Board (Breakfast, packed lunch & evening meal)
Rooming: To be advised approx. 2 weeks before departure – subject to alteration by the
Accommodation Manager.
Soap and towels are provided at the accommodation. Please note that drinks are not
included with evening meals only tap water.
Rayburn Tours ContactInformation
Tour Coordinator
Mike Hendey - 0044 (0)1332 342 050Tour Consultant
Scott Cather - 0044 (0)1332 224 94924hr Emergency Number
0044 7494 418 438Field Study Tutor- TBC
0044 7494 418 438
Draft Itinerary - Day 1
Thursday 13th October 2016Group makes their own travel arrangements to the London Heathrow Airport (T2)
Start of Rayburn Tours’ Arrangements
11.10hrs Check in opens at London Heathrow Airport (Terminal 2)13:10hrs Icelandairflight FI451departs for Reykjavik (Keflavik) Airport
15:10hrs Icelandairflight FI451arrives at Reykjavik (Keflavik) Airport
16.00hrs Group to meet coach and Field Study Tutor and depart for Reykjavik16.40hrs Coach arrives in Reykjavik
16.45hrsGroup to walk into the town centre for free time and sightseeing.
IngólfurArnarson first settled in the town he called Reykjavik ‘Smokey Bay’ in 874. By 1806 the
population had only grown to 300 of which 27 were imprisoned for inebriation. Since then the
town has flourished and is now the world’s most Northern Capital and home to 65% of the
country’population.
Sites of interest include:
Tourist Shops:Found near the Aðalstræti and Hafnarstræti intersection
Tjörn:The ‘Pond’. This is the lake in the centre of the city around which the original Reykjavík
grew.
Hallgrímskirkja:The imposing church at the top Skólavöðustigur is visible from 20km away.
Designed to resemble a mountain of Basaltic Lava, it was completed in 1974 and named after
Iceland’s most well-known poet HallgrímurPétursson.
Draft Itinerary - Day 1 continued
18.45hrsGroup to meet the coach and departs for the Volcano House Cinema
19.00hrsCoach arrives at the Volcano House Cinema
The cinema shows two short films about the volcanic eruptions and also houses a hands-on geological exhibition that is free to look around.
Volcano House
Tryggvagata 11, 101 Reykjavik
Tel: (00354) 555 1900
Cost: included in your tour price. A reservation will be made in advance for your group.
20.00hrsCoach departs for the Hotel Cabin
20.10hrsGroup arrives at the Hotel Cabin
Group to check in and unload the luggage
20.30hrs Dinner at the accommodation
Remainder of evening at leisure (without the use of the coach).
Draft Itinerary - Day 2
Friday 14th October 2016
08.00hrsBreakfast at the Hotel Cabin and collect packed lunches
09.00hrsCoach departs for Seljalandsfoss
10.40hrsCoach arrives at Seljalandsfoss
In the river Seljalandsá the Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall spilling from the high Basalt Cliffs, as a result of isostatic rebound of the land and its lava flows. It is 40 metres high with a foot path behind it at the bottom of the cliff, but with a thin cascade. It is the only known waterfall of its kind, where it is possible to walk behind it.
11.30hrsCoach departs for the Eyjafjallajökull Visitors’ Centre
11.45hrsCoach arrives at the Eyjafjallajökull Visitors’ Centre
Thevisitor centre opened on 14 April 2011, exactly one year after the Eyjafjallajökull eruption started. As a family-run facility, their goal is to give visitors a personal look at what it’s like to have a volcano at your back door.
Cost: included in your tour price. Reservation will be made in advance for your group.
12.30hrsCoach departs for Skógafoss Waterfall
12.40hrsCoach arrives at Skógafoss Waterfall
The impressive 60 metre-high Skógafoss is the greatest attraction in the Skogar area. As the waters thunder down into the pool below, huge amounts of spray react with the sunlight to create a myriad of rainbows for all to see. As with many of the sights in Iceland, Skógafoss too has its local legends, with myth dictating that the settler Þrasi buried his chest full of gold at the base of the waterfall. Therefore follow the end of the rainbow and you may find you reap significant rewards!
Time for a group to eat packed lunches
14.10hrsCoach departs for Sólheimajökull
14.25hrsCoach arrives at Sólheimajökull
This massive black glacier comes from the Myrdalsjökull icecap and is extremely impressive. Towards the snout various moraines and moraine ridges are crossed with kettle hole lakes. One of the dominant features of the glacier are the dirt cones that cover the lower snout area.
Please note: Due to excessive melting at the snout it is not deemed safe at the current time to walk directly to it. To view it you will need to walk approximately 30 minutes from the first car park along the side of the valley. If you are taking part in a glacier walk please meet the Icelandic Mountain Guides at the first car park.
Draft Itinerary - Day 2 continued
15.25hrsCoach departs for Vík
15.55hrsCoach arrives at Vík
Vík in Mýrdalur is Iceland's most southerly village. Vík is the only seaside settlement in Iceland left without a harbour due to natural circumstances. Nevertheless Vík's inhabitants go fishing with the help of their amphibious boats, which enable them to drive, literally, out to sea. The natural beauty of the area is spectacular and just east of the village's outskirts lies one of Europe's biggest arctic tern breeding grounds.
16.30hrsCoach departs for Reynishverfi beach
16.45hrsCoach arrives at Reynishverfi beach
The group will walk along the black basalt sands where you can see columnar basalt on the cliff faces. According to legend the Reynisdrangar needles were formed when two trolls were trying to drag a three-mast ship to land. When daylight broke they turned to stone. The Needles can be seen clearly from the village of Vík and are 66 metres above sea level at their highest.
17.15hrsCoach departs for the Hotel Cabin
19.30hrsCoach arrives at the Hotel Cabin
20.00hrsDinner at the accommodation
Remainder of evening at leisure (without the use of the coach).
Draft Itinerary - Day 3
Saturday 15th October 2016
07.30hrs Breakfast at the Hotel Cabin, collect packed lunches
08.30hrsCoach departs for Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant
09.00hrsCoach arrives at Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant
Cost: included in your tour price. A reservation will be made in advance for your group.
The Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant began producing electricity in 2006. The power plant‘s purpose is to meet increasing industrial and domestic demand and the power company, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur,carried out an extensive environmental assessment on the impact of the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant.There will be no lasting impact on the area‘s vegetation but the construction of boreholes, pipes, roads, mines and buildings will be permanent.
Hellisheiði Power Plant
Hellisheiðarvirkjun
Tel: 00354 591 2880
10.00hrsCoach departs for the Friðheimar Tomato Greenhouse + Stable Visit
10.50hrs Coach arrives at the Friðheimar Tomato Greenhouse
Using geothermal energy this greenhouse is able to cultivate crops all year round. Visitors gain an insight into the processes of greenhouse horticulture, with a short and informative talk on the
subject and in fact it is quite remarkable that it should be possible to grow vegetables in this cold
climate, by creating warm Mediterranean conditions, all year round, through the long dark winter.
Visitors enjoy the special experience of entering a greenhouse with its fragrance of tomato plants. The
Atrium also includes an exhibition about the use of geothermal heating in Icelandic horticulture.
Friðheimar
Bláskógabyggð
801 Selfoss
Tel: 00354 897 1915
Cost: Included in your tour price. A reservation will be made in advance for your group.
12.00hrsCoach departs for Geysir
Draft Itinerary - Day 3 continued12.15hrsCoach arrives at Geysir
Whilst at the Geysir you are also able to see the StrokkurGeysir erupting every 6 to 8 minutes with
its boiling water and steam emerging from the ground and shooting a spout skyward to a height
of 15 -18 metres.Time for a group to eat packed lunches.
13.40hrsCoach departs for Gullfoss
13.50hrsCoach arrives at Gullfoss
Gullfoss (The Golden Waterfall) is Iceland's most famous waterfall. It is located on the mighty
glacial river Hvita (White River). The enormous white glacial cascade drops 32 metres into a
narrow canyon which is 70 metres deep and 2.5 kilometres long. Its spectacular two-tiered
cataract hangs in the air like fine drizzle, which in turn forms a rainbow in the sunlight. Firstly
go to the Upper Viewpoint for a grand overview of the spectacular waterfall. You can then
follow the walkways and paths to the various vantage points.
14.30hrsCoach departs for the Thingvellir National Park
15.30hrsCoach arrives at Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir is one of the most important sites in Iceland, both historically and geographically, thus
becoming the location of the Alþing which began in 930. Nowhere else in Iceland is the rif between
the European and North American plates more obvious, with long deep cracks running from the
north-east to the south–west giving the landscape the appearance of a crevassed glacier. The
greatest of these rifts is tAlmannagjá.
17.30hrsCoach departs for the Hotel Cabin
18.15hrsGroup arrives at the Hotel Cabin
18.30hrs Dinner at the accommodation
Remainder of evening at leisure (without the use of the coach).
Draft Itinerary - Day 4
Sunday 16th October 2016
07.15hrsGroup to have breakfast and collect packed lunches from your accommodation(last meal included in your trip price)
08.15hrsGroup to check out load luggage and depart for Blue Lagoon
09.00hrs Coach arrives at the Blue Lagoon
Cost: included in your tour cost. A reservation has been made in advance for your group.
This amazing 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 are released into the lagoon each year.
The blue-green algae and white 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.
Blue Lagoon
240 Grindavik
Tel:(00354) 420 8800
Please remind your group of the following information en route to the Blue Lagoon:
- In the reception area, please stay in a line. There will be other guests waiting as well and we ask the students to patient and quiet
- In the changing rooms please maintain the calm, relaxing atmosphere. This is a spa, not a swimming pool and noise is not appreciated
- Showering before entering the lagoon is mandatory
- There is a fee for lost entry bracelets
- Refreshments bought in the lagoon are charged to your entry bracelet and all charges must be paid at reception as you leave
- No screaming, running around, jumping in the lagoon or tossing silica mud is permitted in the lagoon
- If anyone does not respect these rules they will be asked to leave by a member of staff
Draft Itinerary - Day 4 continued
12.00hrsCoach arrives at Krýsuvík Mud Puddles
The geothermal area Krýsuvík is situated on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland, in the middle of the fissure zone on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which traverses Iceland diagonally from the south-west to the north-east of the island. Krýsuvík is one of Iceland's high temperature areas and this becomes visible through the sulphur springs and hot springs at Seltún.
13.00hrs Group to meet coach and depart for Keflavik International Airport
13.50hrs Group arrives at Keflavik International Airport
14.10hrs Check in opens at Reykjavik (Keflavik) Airport
16.10hrsIcelandair flight FI454 departs for London Heathrow (Terminal 2)
20.10hrsIcelandair flight FI454 arrives at London Heathrow (Terminal 2)
End of Rayburn Tours’ Arrangements