Greetings from Isfahan

[Medicus matt]

It would indeed be excellent to take a trip with you as a guide. Please keep us RATers posted on any possible developments. In the meantime, I will make my own plans to go solo to Libya (some time) - encouraged by the other posts.

Plan well in advance. Getting a visa is both costly (I think tourist visa's are £100, mine's £150) and a bit of a faff.
You've got to get an arabic translation stamp in your passport (you can get that done at Newport) and have it filled in by an authorised agency (details from the embassy).
You also need a letter from your host/hotel/travel arranger and you need to take 3 months worth of bank statements with you when you go to get your visa.
You have to apply at the embassy in person, between 8-10am Mon-Wed (they take your fingerprints at the same time) and you can collect a week later between 2-4 Mon-Wed.
You can (at the moment) give them a registered post envelope and they'll post your passport back to you. This service is sometimes withdrawn.
The rules change on a regular basis.