Land of ice and steam

A volcanic landscape, glaciers, hot springs, not to mention trolls, elves and tales of Viking battles: Iceland has much to offer, says Vidar Hjardeng

Possibly on account of my Nordic ancestry, Iceland has intrigued me for some time, so on discovering that the specialist holiday company Traveleyes was organising a week’s trip to this increasingly-popular destination, I had no hesitation in booking a place.

Traveleyes is the brainchild of Amar Latif, winner of last year’s inaugural Stelios Disabled Entrepreneur Award, and offers customised holidays to blind, partially-sighted and sighted holiday-makers.

For the week-long trip, our group (12 visually-impaired and 12 sighted) were based in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik.

Before we met at Heathrow Airport, Traveleyes had provided us with a detailed itinerary and the chance to reserve places on a number of optional tours, in addition to the sightseeing included in the package.

They also arranged optional insurance and provided information about Iceland’s climate, currency and culture. Equally useful was the list of fellow holidaymakers, who included travellers from Paris and LA.

The information was sent out in a Word document, and is also available as an audio CD or in large print.

In line with the Traveleyes ethos, every day each visually-impaired person (VIP) teams up with a different sighted companion, which guarantees that you spend time with a good number of your fellow travellers.

Among the highlights of the week were two tours, which allowed us to enjoy Iceland’s amazing geysers, spect­acular waterfalls and rugged scenery.

The Golden Circle tour is said to be a “must” for any visitor to Iceland. It features a visit to Thingvellir National Park, where the world’s first parliament was founded in 930, and also includes Gullfoss (the “Golden Waterfall”, pictured, previous page), the Geysir hot spring (above), the Kerid extinct volcano, and the ancient Skalholt church.

The optional South Shore tour also made the most of Iceland’s spectacular and rugged scenery, taking in glaciers, black sands and the opportunity to stand behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

During a tour of Reykjavik we were introduced to local sculptors whose work we could appreciate by touch, and visited the house where Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev met in the mid-1980s, for what proved to be the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

The Saga Museum was another highlight, and it was great not merely listening to a pre-recorded audio-description but also to feel the life-size figures from the country’s medieval sagas. Iceland is steeped in folklore and our guide entertained us with many a gruesome tale of fearsome trolls, Viking battles and Norse gods.

One of our trips took us to where the legendary Hidden People are supposed to live. Hidden People is the collective term for Iceland’s elves, trolls, fairies and other mystical creatures.

Other optional tours included a riding session on one of the many Icelandic ponies, and an invigorating walk in the dramatic countryside. Unfortunately, a whale-watching and fishing trip had to be cancelled due to some extremely rough seas.

Although comfortable and the provider of a good buffet breakfast, our hotel, Hotel Vik, was a 45-minute walk from the centre of Reykjavik, but we did find a couple of decent bistros with some surprisingly good prices within a ten-minute walk.

Some of our party found a typically Icelandic restaurant and were pleased with their fish meal – even though it worked out at about £35 a head. Things are pretty pricey in Iceland, although not as much as I had initially feared, and unlike some Scandinavian countries, it wasn’t a question of having a second bottle to get over the price of the first. One traditional dish, often available at lunchtime on our trips, was a tasty and good value lamb soup (there are twice as many sheep in Iceland as people).

As for the locals, they were friendly and helpful, with excellent English. We benefited from the free bus travel enjoyed by visually-impaired passengers, and we also valued the concessionary rates at a number of sightseeing attractions, such as the Settlement Museum, which tells the story of a Viking building that was discovered in 2001 and dates from about 930AD.

I am not sure whether Iceland would win any health and safety prizes because on a number of occasions we were faced with some terrifyingly sheer drops, with very basic protection, such as those encountered by people intrepid enough to walk behind one of the splendid waterfalls.

I really enjoyed exploring Reykjavik and its brightly-painted, corrugated iron houses, its churches and the Parliament building (now of course coping with Iceland’s financial turmoil).

The incredible geological phenomena with which Iceland is associated were awe-inspiring, and for me the highlight was indulging in a morning’s leisurely bathing at the Blue Lagoon, the popular attraction where guests can bathe and relax in geothermal seawater, and enjoy a sauna or even a steam bath carved into a lava cave. It was luxurious to step into the delightfully warm water and relax in the open air. The Blue Lagoon’s skincare products also make excellent souvenirs.

Icelandic Airlines looked after us very well, and on the return flight the cabin supervisor even took the trouble of introducing herself to each of us.

Owing to airport congestion, we had to hover over Heathrow for almost an hour, but it was a chance to reflect on a highly enjoyable week.

Information:
For more information about Traveleyes, visit www.traveleyes.co.uk email info@traveleyes.co.uk or tel: 08448 040221. The cost for this trip was £599 per person for a sighted traveller and £899 for a visually-impaired person. The next trip to Iceland will be in August 2009, although prices may change.