CANCELLED - Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

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PAUL O
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CANCELLED - Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by PAUL O » Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:43 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

For the last year or so I've been toying with the idea of running a Large Format Photography workshop in Iceland from 26th June to 6th July 2010.

I've been lucky enough to visit twice in the last 3 years - in July 2007 and in March/April of 2009 and have spent a total of 5 weeks and over 6000 km travelling around, scouting locations, trying different types of accommodation and places to get fed and watered. I have completed a circuit of the R1 Ring Road and survived to tell the tale! I have a good knowledge of the South-West, Southern coast, South-Western coast and the interior (via the Eastern R1 road) to the North. I can confidently lead a group to visit the "must-see" locations in these regions but I've also managed to find a few special places too! I have complete sets of maps that cover the island.

The plan would be to fly from Heathrow to Keflavik (with Icelandair) and drive a route over a period of 10 days that would take in a variety of locations ranging from deserted farmsteads, glaciers, waterfalls, fishing villages, volcanic deserts, fantastic coastal areas, lighthouses and areas of high thermal activity (geysers, mudpots, fumaroles and sulphur-stained hills) as well as volcanos and glacial lagoons. Optional visits could be made to less accessible locations by prior agreement with the group and could include the Westmann Islands, Grimsey as well as the Western Fjords. However, previous experience means that the most productive way of utilising the time available is not to try and "do" Iceland - rather to select a realistic route that will allow for time to photograph and if necessary re-visit areas if weather conditions are poor.

I would drive the group in a 4-wheel drive minibus and the group would consist of a maximum of 6 persons (including me). The minibus seats 9 but space will be needed for equipment and gear.

Accommodation would be in a series of chalets and rooms at working farms along the route and accommodation includes a hearty Icelandic breakfast.

The sole purpose of the visit is to take photographs! To this end the 10 days will be tiring as at this time of the year Iceland experiences almost perpetual daylight - the "golden hours" last a long time!!!!!! It is not a "sightseeing/tourist" visit so we will keep away from Reykjavik! However, it is not "hardcore" either!!

I would arrange flights, vehicle rental and accommodation and the cost for each person is likely to be in the region of £1300 for 10 days.

The only additional cost is for personal insurance and food. Herein lies a "problem" - Icelandic food is by and large ... boring/bland/plain horrible/hard to find (apologies to any Icelanders listening). The majority of the population eat at home or at a few roadside diners. The population is largely restricted to Reykjavik and Akureyi the remainder is sparsely spread around the Ring Road (the interior is uninhabited). However, this is not insurmountable as I am also happy to "cook on the hoof" for the group (purchasing provisions at supermarkets in areas of habitation).

Before plans get "serious" ... is anyone interested?
Last edited by PAUL O on Thu Aug 13, 2009 6:54 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00, edited 1 time in total.

joolsb
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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by joolsb » Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:56 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Iceland has been on my 'must-see' list for a while now so I'm definitely interested. Sounds like a great idea!

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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Nigels » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:50 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Yes Paul. I would be very interested. Its great that someone is prepared to put in the work to arrange something like this. I'm sure people will find it in themselves to reward you for that too -however that might be. Need to start saving I suppose. Oh, and better get a passport.
Like others, Iceland has always been on my wish list but always seemed so expensive to get too. But it sounds like your knowlegde of the country would make this a trip of exceptional value and productivity. Look forward to it.
P.S. Whats Icelandic beer like?
Regs, Nigels.
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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Charles Twist » Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:57 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Whats Icelandic beer like?
Answer:
boring/bland/plain horrible/hard to find
Mostly the latter, actually. The alcohol flow is strictly controlled by the gorvernment and is available from government-run off-licenses called VinBud (WineBooth, in English) during very restricted opening hours. Oh and you'll probably need an Icelandic mortgage to buy some. Sorry. :(
The food is actually not that bad if you buy from supermarkets and cook yourself - just avoid vegetables which mostly have the consistency of boulders. Fish is cheap. Lamb is expensive but tasty - quite different to British lamb.
I went to Iceland with Mark Setchell and Mervyn Deighton in 2006 and after 17 days there, I can say it's a wonderful/ wondrous place. I'd love to go but I doubt I can join the trip. However, if you need any info or a couple walking maps, or hints on locations, I'd be happy to help.
Best regards,
Charles

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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Lynne Evans » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:17 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi Paul. Definitely interested if I can scrape together the dosh! and I'd even help with the cooking (though you may not be that desperate!!)

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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Paul Arthur » Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:23 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi Paul

It's been on my list for years - I'd definitely be interested in coming along.

Paul

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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by jennym » Fri Jul 17, 2009 3:07 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

I think this is a great idea. I have been thinking of arranging something similar in Malawi where we lived for 3 1/2 years before I got the 'big' camera. I'd love to come but don't know if I'll get the nod from Cal at that time. Do keep me informed though! Many thanks for all your thoughts and plans.

Jenny

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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by TimH » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:29 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi Paul - count me in too - I'm very keen. I do notice that there is a lot of interest. If and I stress if it gets to the point where you'd conteplate making a bigger party up then I would be amenable to driving a n other minibus etc. I've not been to Iceland before but Nigel and I have done several alpine (mountaineering) trips so I'm quite happy with interesting roads etc :-) Thanks in advance Tim........
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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by PAUL O » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:31 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Just a bit of an update on approximate costs:

There seems to be a bit of interest in this trip so I've done a bit more "serious" costing. We are limited to numbers by the size of the vehicles available for rent (and the fact that we will be carrying personal gear as well as photographic kit - which will take up seat space) as well as room availability in farm accommodation. The maximum number of people in the group would be 8 - this would allow one vehicle and accommodation in farms; there are very few large hotels that could cater for larger groups but those that are available are EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!

If we can muster 6 of us then the cost per person is £1350.00 - this includes; return flights from Heathrow to Keflavik; 10 nights accommodation (bed and breakfast in farmhouse accommodation); vehicle rental and insurance and fuel for 10 days.

If 8 people are interested then the cost is reduced to £1100.00 per person.

The only additional costs will include: meals and personal cash. The cheapest option is to stock up with food at the supermarkets found in the few towns en route. This is likely to be basic! However, as I said, the purpose of the trip is photography and the scenery will more than make up for the poor choice of food for a few days! I will plan the route to include fuel stations that also have a diner attached - the food here is (again) basic but edible and not too expensive! I am willing to cook basic pasta-type dishes whilst on the hoof - again just to keep up the calorie intake as I'm certainly no Gordon Ramsey! The good thing about Iceland is that there is VERY LITTLE to purchase by way of souvenirs so nothing to tempt the krona from your pockets!

I have kept my kit lists from my visits to Iceland and will be happy to advise on what clothing and equipment is needed; likewise the lists of photographic equipment I took might prove useful.

Dave Tolcher

Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Dave Tolcher » Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:51 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Paul, I am up for this and have necessary approvals from the comittee....

Paul Arthur
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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Paul Arthur » Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:53 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

It turns out I probably have to bring the better half too - providing non-LF photographers are allowed?

She wants to come, but she isn't interested in LF....

What do you think?

PAUL O
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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by PAUL O » Fri Jul 17, 2009 7:53 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Paul, non-photographers are welcome as long as they fully appreciate the purpose of the trip :D

I also need to mention the delicate matter of er ... toilet stops :oops: Iceland is pretty unique in that there is a distinct lack of trees/bushes/shrubs/undergrowth and as such calls of nature are literally roadside affairs! There is also little traffic which makes it a bit easier! But ... participants will need to realise that "privacy" is pretty difficult at times :D

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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Joanna Carter » Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:16 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

PAUL O wrote:Paul, non-photographers are welcome as long as they fully appreciate the purpose of the trip :D
Including just how long they are likely to have to wait around until the light is juuusst right :roll: To my mind it would take an exceptional digi-snapper to "keep up" with the output of a good LF photographer :wink:
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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Patrick Dixon » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:50 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Paul Arthur wrote: She wants to come, but she isn't interested in LF....
Does she cook?

I've wanted to go to Iceland ever since reading Desmond Bagley's 'Running Blind' about 35 years ago. Sadly not this time though ...

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Re: Anyone fancy Iceland in June 2010?

Post by Emmanuel Bigler » Sat Jul 18, 2009 8:33 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hello all !

I'm really tantalised by joining the party next year since I've been to Iceland 4 times in the past but due to family obligations during summer holidays, I'll probably never been able to join such a group in the foreseeable future... too bad since I've never been to Iceland with a large format camera.

Regarding beer, you should not complain because when I first visited Iceland at the beginning of the eighties of the last century, all beer sold in Iceland was virtually non-alcoholic.
The "prohibition laws" have been lifted since, but I do not have any recent feedback about progress in alcoholic beers in Iceland ; however breweries do advertise as usual in the promotional magazine "Iceland Review' which I've been subscribing for 10 years or so in order to keep in contact with what is going on in Iceland.
Last news about Iceland is that there is a high degree of probability that the country will join the European Union. I have no idea whether this is a good or a bad thing for Iceland & Icelanders, but I remember in the past that another group of Islands wishing to join the Common Market had to suffer delays originated from the Continent (just across the Channel, to be precise, at a time when the local head of state was a general ;) )

However, even if Iceland joins the EU
- it will not make living costs lower ;)
- the weather, usually terrible & unpredictable, will still be terrible & unpredictable even if the local currency is the euro. But the wheather is not terrible every day, this is the key-point of the discussion.
In '83, I joined a party of Bristish guys to go to the Northwest fjords, the trip was organised by a typically eccentric English tour organiser named Dick Phillips. I do not know if he is still in operation today...
The Northwest fjords are one of my favourite places in Iceland although there are no volcano, no lava fields and only a small ice cap (Drangajokull) threatened by global warming.
In '83 I was the only Frenchman in the group and I was impressed by the sense of organization of Bristish campers in wet conditions (I learned a lot ;) )
For example : all your stuff in your backpack should be individually packed in plastic bags and all bags re-packed in a big plastic bag inside the rucksack, since no rucksack is waterproof, except special models for rafting & canyoning.
However, one morning under the tent installed on a very wet ground, after 3 days raining cats & dos plus heavy fog prohibiting to take pictures and making any climb a "blind experience", one of the British members of the party said :
"Damn' coutry ! Ok for fog & rain, but they have no beer !"

Well ! I do not want to deter our readers to go to Iceland, on the contrary, since the wheather is actually very unpredictable ; the problem is to dare going out in the wilderness before the rain stops in order to be at the right location where sublime rays of sun will illuminate a magic landscape when clearing up !
And this is rewarding ! But all of you at the UK LF group are already well-trained to this !
And to finish with an optimistic note : in '89 on my 3-rd trip, we climbed above Skaftafell in shorts & light shirts, bright sunshine no clouds, a fantastic landscape of glaciers all around, rainbows at all waterfalls ; we went to the West Fjords and recorded the best photos of all my 4 visits to Iceland, went to the tour bus to the Askja desert by bright sunshine the day after a snowstorm, clear views to 100 km away, etc.. and Landmannalaugar & hot baths .. and puffins by hundreds you can touch at Latrabjarg... and seals you can approach 20 m from you on a beach not far from Latrabjarg ... etc.... all in one trip, a real dream made true !
Good luck !
Last edited by Emmanuel Bigler on Sat Jul 18, 2009 8:41 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00, edited 1 time in total.

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