Showing posts with label Iceland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iceland. Show all posts

Friday, 22 November 2013

Day 22 - Leaving On A Jet Plane

Day 22 of Rosalilium's blog every day in November challenge
Leaving On A Jet Plane
(Tell us your favourite travel story. Or what is on your travel wishlist? Or what do you think about travelling?)


Whoops, another belated BEDN post - and no excuse really this time, we just got caught up doing other things like wallpapering and cooking.


So...travel.
I like travelling (as do lots of people I'm sure); I adore Iceland and we went there for our honeymoon, but at the moment neither of us own current passports so we try and explore the UK as much as possible instead.
We have a few places we go to each year - Anglesey at Easter, Edinburgh in August and the Great Dorset Steam Fair in August - and we try and fit in another holiday or weekend somewhere else in the UK as well.
We've visited most of the south west and over the last few years had weeks or long weekends in Torbay, Tenby, Aberystwyth, Chester, North East Wales, Bridlington and Scarborough, Great Yarmouth, London, the New Forest and this year we had a week in Blackpool in April.

One of the best holidays we've ever had though was a two week road trip around Scotland - up the west coast, across to the Isles of Skye, Harris and Lewis, across the top and down the east coast. I know Scotland fairly well; I was born there and my parents spent every summer holiday touring round in a motorcaravan. Consequently name a town up there and I could probably tell you where to pitch your tent, get a pint of milk and sample the best fish and chips.

When I met Andrew, he revealed he'd never gone any further north than Carlisle and the Scottish border so I thought we'd better rectify that pretty sharpish. In May 2009 we packed up the tent, cooking stuff, an airbed and duvet and some clothes and set off up north. We camped in a different place almost every night, took hundreds of photos, ate lots of chips and met quite a few different people (including stopping off at an old friend of ours who lived on the Isle of Harris).


So now I'm going to become a boring cliche and show off my holiday snaps...
(feel free to fall asleep)

Rest and Be Thankful, Scotland
A viewpoint imaginatively called 'Rest and Be Thankful' in Argyll Forest Park


Glen Nevis Campsite
Glen Nevis Holiday Park at the foot of Ben Nevis
 
 
Glendale Toy Museum, Isle of Skye
Glendale Toy Musuem of the Isle of Skye (sadly no longer open) - an amazing place filled to the brim with old childhood toys and a lovely owner who said to pick up and play with whatever you like!
 
 
Portree, Isle of Skye - the Quiraing, Isle of Skye
Top - Portree harbour on the Isle of Skye
Bottom - the Quiraing (an impressive rock formation) on the Isle of Skye
 
 
Giant Angus MacAskill Museum - Kilt Rock
Left - in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye is the largely unknown 'Giant Angus MacAskill Musuem'
Apparently an 7ft 8in giant once lived on the island!
Right - Kilt Rock waterfall on the Isle of Skye
 
 
Calmac Ferry at Tarbet, Isle of Harris - Dun Carloway Broch
Top - the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Uig on the Isle of Skye docking at Tarbet on the Isle of Harris
Bottom - Dun Carloway Broch (an ancient type of house) on the Isle of Lewis.
Andrew is actually in that picture somewhere!
 
 
Luskentyre Beach
Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris - an incredibly blue sea and golden sand, much like the Mediterranean, only without the hot temperature.
 
 
A Scottish 'C' Road, Paddling in Luskentyre, Cooking Breakfast and an Isle of Harris Sheep
Top left - on the Isle of Harris. How often do you see a 'C' road in the UK?
Top right - me testing the waters at Luskentyre
Bottom left - the chef cooking breakfast
Bottom right - the sheep on the Isle of Harris were very very tame! 
 

Sunset at the Isle of Scalpay
Sunset near the Isle of Scalpay
 
 
Callanish Standing Stones, Blackhouse Village and Bragar Whalebone Arch
Top left - Callanish Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis, just as old and impressive as Stonehenge but without the commercialisation.
Bottom left - Isle of Lewis Blackhouse Village
Right - Bragar Whalebone Arch on the Isle of Lewis
 

Ullapool
Back to the mainland at Ullapool in the north west Highlands
 

Dunnet Head
 Right up to the top of mainland UK, Dunnet Head, the most north you can get without taking a ferry.


Lazy Duck Campsite
 One of the best campsites we stayed at - the Lazy Duck Campsite near Aviemore!
 Only 4 tents allowed, swings, a cooking shelter, chimenea, bush showers, a wood-fired hot tub and plenty of ducks - what more could you want? :-)
 
 
Any recommendations which areas of the UK we should visit next?
 
 

Friday, 10 May 2013

Day 10 - Travel Dreams

Day 10 of rosalilium’s 'blog every day in May' challenge
Travel Dreams
(If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?)


That's easy - it would be Iceland, and more specifically the Bláa lónið (Blue Lagoon) near Grindavík.

Bláa lónið (Blue Lagoon) near Grindavík.
 
Bláa lónið (Blue Lagoon) near Grindavík.

Bláa lónið (Blue Lagoon) near Grindavík.
It's probably obvious - but that's me!

A man-made geothermal lagoon rich in silica and sulphur, the water averages 37–39 °C and is just bliss to float the day away.


I've been curious about Iceland since studying tectonic plates and volcanoes at school and visited the country for the first time in 2002 with my father. I then took Andrew there in 2007 for our honeymoon staying in Reykjavik where I probably spent more time dragging him round the tourist sights than doing any other typical honeymoon activities!

I think it's an amazing country - the geography, the people, the lifestyle, the culture - even the country's national sport is swimming (which is my favourite type of exercise). To live somwhere that's actually alive under your feet, where you can see the Earth leaking out all over the place must be fascinating.

I would love to visit again someday; spend longer in Reykjavik, travel to Akureyri on the north coast, eat dinner at The Pearlan and see the Vatnajökull glacier.

It's a thoroughly recommended place to experience.

Iceland

The Sun Voyager Sculpure, Reykjavik - The Great Geysir - Skálholt Cathedral
Öxarárfoss Waterfall, Þingvellir National Park - Reykjavik City Centre - A Distant Glacier
Hallgrímskirkja Church, Reykjavik - Gullfoss (Golden Falls) Waterfall - Icelandic Ducks! 

 
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