And we are out of the door

So you think we can relax before we get picked up? Have you met Gabrielle Hadley? Last minute preparations are always the order of the day when we are about to leave on holiday. Today we have finalised packing, put on a last mixed load of washing - no, not lights and darks mixed! Gabrielle would never allow that. Two short loads and out on the whirligig for a couple of hours. We have of course been wearing our emergency clothes for the past few days, in order to ensure that the best clothes are ready to impress the other guests on the good ship Silver Wind.

Last gasp garden watering - yes, of course we are going away to rain and cold when the UK is to have its hottest days and the garden will get parched and the plants will all flower and we shall miss everything. Doesn’t everyone?

And. We have finished up all the bits and bobs in the fridge except for the plant milks which annoyingly ran out a couple of days ago and so new ones had to be opened. The cases have to be brought downstairs which may be more of a challenge than we care to admit. Talking of which, our original flights were booked with BA with a 23kg baggage allowance plus sundry extras. However, we are flying with a partner airline - Aer Lingus - to Dublin and they allow only 20kg. We shall try the “but the details said …” blag, but with little hope of avoiding the excess baggage charges. 

Before we are collected at 3pm we are wandering down to our local bakery for lunch so that will be pleasant, until we remember a list of jobs to do before pickup! And very nice it was too.

Our driver, Bagar, collected us from the door

Leaving the house is not quite Peter Kay’s mam, vacuuming backwards as she goes out the front door, but there will be exclamations of “If it isn’t done it’s not going to get done now,” as the key turns in the lock. 

So, you probably want to know where we are going?

Well, it's not just Iceland, as you can see from the map above. If you click the slide icon on the top left of the map, you can see the names of the places we are visiting. Zoom in and out by using the + and - buttons at bottom left.

We shall be visiting the following places:

• 18 June: Dublin Port - sailing 18:00hrs

• 19 June: Duart

• 20 June: Hirta - St Kilda and cruising by Boreray Island

• 21 June: Day at Sea

• 22 June: Djúpivogur - FJALLSÁRLÓN GLACIER LAGOON: EXPLORE THE ICE-CAPPED WONDERS

• 23 June: Tumavik and Þórshöfn - THE ARCTIC HENGE

• 24 June: Hofsós - NATURE & HISTORY OF THE NORTHWEST and Malmey Island

• 25 June: Djúpavík - THE SECRET VILLAGE OF THE WESTFJORDS OF ICELAND and Veiðileysufjörður

• 26 June: Húsavík - DISCOVERING LAKE MYVATN: NATURE'S UNIQUE WONDER

• 27 June: Eskifjörður - THE ICELANDIC GEOTHERMAL EXPERIENCE

• 28 June: Day at Sea

• 29 June: Kirkwall - ORKNEY TREASURES

• 30 June: Iona and Lunga

• 1 July: Belfast - DUNLUCE CASTLE & GIANT'S CAUSEWAY

• 2 July: Dublin - Disembark

Gabrielle will pick up the thread with what happens next, because we are about to go and have a glass of something cool and sparkling in the Premier Inn bar. See you on the other side!