2014 Iceland
Iceland 2014.
I have just returned from a 4 night break to Iceland and I am trying my best to re-describe it.
It has been described as raw, natural, beautiful, powerful, friendly, mesmerising, astonishing, wonderful and fantastic and many more. All I can add is multiply all of them together as it can’t be described in any current word in the English dictionary as yet. It’s like nothing on earth……...on earth. I am happy to say I have now found my new No: 1 country in the world.
Reykjavik: In the sense of the word ‘City’ is quite small, in UK terms it is around the physical size of the town of Middlesbrough (where I live) but with lots more streets. A wonderful place with plenty of shops, curios, restaurants, bars etc. Astonishingly friendly place and people genuinely can’t help you enough; you’re like a stranger, but at home, if that makes sense. We went as a party of 2 men (not a couple) looking to enjoy ourselves and see the nature and beauty of the place. We ate and drank in 2 bars, The Dillon Whisky bar, rock music, good beers and friendly people. Also the Lebowski Bar, more middle of the road music, Sky TV, good beers, good food and again friendly, both bars are located on Laugavegur which is the main street in Reykjavik and all the people we met speak fluent English in Iceland. We also ate at ‘American Style’ burger bar near the harbour on the way back from whale watching it’s just like a McDonald’s restaurant if you have fussy kids.
After extensive research I decided to book all of our excursions via a website called Tiny Iceland http://tinyiceland.com/ Inga the owner was very helpful and can be contacted via Twitter @tinyiceland her recommendations proved very fruitful. The tours are organised via Iceland Travel (Grey Line Travel) who are unbelievably punctual, we were never picked up by more than a minute late providing our watches were correct that is. Some of their more adventurous trips are seconded out to 3rd parties but it is run with military precision, excellent value for money and all of the staff, guides and drivers we met speak excellent English.
I did look at booking all tours separately but when you spend hours searching you will realise they are much the same price all over; hence as Inga was helpful I chose to book through her site and all her prices include hotel pick up and usually drop off with the exception of Whale watching, NB: this is applicable to the trips we chose.
The tours we booked:
Day 1. Reykjavik City Tour.(Morning)
I have realised these tours are invaluable for seeing the things you would only normally see on your last day on the way back to the airport and usually miss out on. It is not a city tour in the sense of a drive around the city centre streets; it takes you further afield of the centre to the Presidents house, The Perlan Geothermal building and restaurant places that are outside of the centre but they do take you to the central church Hallgrímskirkja which dominates the city skyline. If you want a city centre guide, get a map and walk around it, it can be done in a little over half a day as it is so compact.
Whale Watching. (Afternoon)
This tour is through Elding Whale watching tours. You are taken to the harbour after pick up from your hotel, board a comfortable boat with refreshments available, indoor and outdoor viewing. Once out of the harbour the lookout is searching for all wildlife with a tannoy system to alert you. We saw White beaked Dolphins, Minke Whale and several Humpback whales. Fantastic value for money.
Day 2. Golden Circle Tour.
This is half day or a full day tour (around 8-9 hours). Pick up at hotel and transfer to relevant bus at Grey Line office. Good English speaking guide and you will be taken to Thinglevir National park, Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir, Geothermal Power plant or Skalholt church**.
Thinglevir (Phonetic spelling)
Here you can walk between the American and European Tectonic plates which are being pulled apart at around 20mm per year. Natural beauty area but be aware of slippery wooden bridge conditions in winter, snow + ice on wood = potential slips.
The weather at Gullfoss waterfall was lousy, low cloud, snow flurries, cold and visibility was quite poor so be aware that nothing in nature is guaranteed. Still it did make for ‘atmospheric’ photographs. There are wooden steps to the viewpoints but these we very slippery as they were covered in snow and ice so care is needed but well worth it.
Geysir: We arrived on the 1st day they started to charge for it at 600 ISK (around £3.20) per person. This is being looked at as being illegal as the government say you cannot charge for natural phenomena, the land owners say different. Anyway you have travelled all this way so you will probably pay it. You can actually see the Geysir from the roadside but you don’t get the bubbling water experience and the smell of Sulphur.
Skalholt Church**.
Unfortunately due to a problem with the bus we were unable to see this but instead we were taken to a Geothermal Power plant where you can see how they tap into the land to use its abundance of natural heat to produce their hot water and electricity. Worth taking the added educational tour at 600 ISK (£3.20 per person). Whilst in there the buses we changed over and we went back to town.
Day 3. Blue Ice tour.
For me this was the highlight of the trip. It is a 2 hr.+ drive to the Solheim Glacier which featured in the film ‘Chasing Ice’. You pass through the most amazing scenery I have ever seen, a photographers and walkers paradise, past the Big E volcano, that is Eyjafjallajökull the volcano that erupted in 2010 and caused chaos across Europe with flying. Walk on the Glacier with 2 guides, Crampons and hard hats are provided, boots and waterproofs are provided by booking in advance. Take good quality hiking boots with you if not hiring them also warm clothing is absolutely essential. We went through several weather systems in 3 hrs. In the 200m from the bus to the foot of the glacier, it was warm and sunny, then grey and drizzle / rain and by the time we put our Crampons on our boots we were in a snow blizzard and this continues on. Make sure you follow the guides’ footsteps and stick to the ice, do not stand on anything that looks white and fresh snow as these may be crevasses which can be a few inches, few feet or a few hundred foot drop and it has been known to swallow people. Perfectly safe if you listen to the guides. You are not guaranteed to see the ‘Blue Ice’ cave featured in brochures as the ice changes daily and nature has no pre-planned agenda. The glacier itself is the blue ice. 100% value for money, fantastic day out. A reasonable level of fitness is required and there is a disclaimer to sign. The slope is gentle and there is an optional chance to do some ice climbing towards the end of the tour. As I had suffered a back injury 5 weeks earlier so I chose not to.
Day 4. Blue Lagoon.
Pick up at hotel via shuttle bus, change at Grey Line office for coach. Once you get closer to the Blue Lagoon the landscape changes to what I can only describe as ‘Lunar’. You could be on the moon; it is remote to say the very least, middle of nowhere. It costs and extra 35 Euros, 6000 ISK or £30 per person for the standard ticket. Relax in the geothermal spring pools, natural hot water at a little under normal bath temperature. The spring has a barrier around it but you won’t even get close to that as the water gets hotter and hotter. We got around 3m from it and that was too hot for comfort, there is security to alert you anyway but you won’t need it unless you have Asbestos skin. There is a pool bar and all drinks are bought by an electronic wristband that also records your locker number. Make sure you strap it on correctly as if it comes of you will not find it as the water is opaque, 2 inches under the surface and your hands disappear. There are also tubs of free mineral face packs around the pool to cleanse and exfoliate your skin; all in all it has to be experienced. End the day with a nice meal or sandwich in the bar / restaurant area and a nice drink. You can stay here as long as you like you just need to log a pick up time with the coach driver as you get on. We left at 9am and got the 12 noon bus back spending around 1 hour in the Lagoon.
I defy you not to fall in love with Iceland; I am already planning my extended trip back for 2015.
More photos to follow.
Read MoreI have just returned from a 4 night break to Iceland and I am trying my best to re-describe it.
It has been described as raw, natural, beautiful, powerful, friendly, mesmerising, astonishing, wonderful and fantastic and many more. All I can add is multiply all of them together as it can’t be described in any current word in the English dictionary as yet. It’s like nothing on earth……...on earth. I am happy to say I have now found my new No: 1 country in the world.
Reykjavik: In the sense of the word ‘City’ is quite small, in UK terms it is around the physical size of the town of Middlesbrough (where I live) but with lots more streets. A wonderful place with plenty of shops, curios, restaurants, bars etc. Astonishingly friendly place and people genuinely can’t help you enough; you’re like a stranger, but at home, if that makes sense. We went as a party of 2 men (not a couple) looking to enjoy ourselves and see the nature and beauty of the place. We ate and drank in 2 bars, The Dillon Whisky bar, rock music, good beers and friendly people. Also the Lebowski Bar, more middle of the road music, Sky TV, good beers, good food and again friendly, both bars are located on Laugavegur which is the main street in Reykjavik and all the people we met speak fluent English in Iceland. We also ate at ‘American Style’ burger bar near the harbour on the way back from whale watching it’s just like a McDonald’s restaurant if you have fussy kids.
After extensive research I decided to book all of our excursions via a website called Tiny Iceland http://tinyiceland.com/ Inga the owner was very helpful and can be contacted via Twitter @tinyiceland her recommendations proved very fruitful. The tours are organised via Iceland Travel (Grey Line Travel) who are unbelievably punctual, we were never picked up by more than a minute late providing our watches were correct that is. Some of their more adventurous trips are seconded out to 3rd parties but it is run with military precision, excellent value for money and all of the staff, guides and drivers we met speak excellent English.
I did look at booking all tours separately but when you spend hours searching you will realise they are much the same price all over; hence as Inga was helpful I chose to book through her site and all her prices include hotel pick up and usually drop off with the exception of Whale watching, NB: this is applicable to the trips we chose.
The tours we booked:
Day 1. Reykjavik City Tour.(Morning)
I have realised these tours are invaluable for seeing the things you would only normally see on your last day on the way back to the airport and usually miss out on. It is not a city tour in the sense of a drive around the city centre streets; it takes you further afield of the centre to the Presidents house, The Perlan Geothermal building and restaurant places that are outside of the centre but they do take you to the central church Hallgrímskirkja which dominates the city skyline. If you want a city centre guide, get a map and walk around it, it can be done in a little over half a day as it is so compact.
Whale Watching. (Afternoon)
This tour is through Elding Whale watching tours. You are taken to the harbour after pick up from your hotel, board a comfortable boat with refreshments available, indoor and outdoor viewing. Once out of the harbour the lookout is searching for all wildlife with a tannoy system to alert you. We saw White beaked Dolphins, Minke Whale and several Humpback whales. Fantastic value for money.
Day 2. Golden Circle Tour.
This is half day or a full day tour (around 8-9 hours). Pick up at hotel and transfer to relevant bus at Grey Line office. Good English speaking guide and you will be taken to Thinglevir National park, Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir, Geothermal Power plant or Skalholt church**.
Thinglevir (Phonetic spelling)
Here you can walk between the American and European Tectonic plates which are being pulled apart at around 20mm per year. Natural beauty area but be aware of slippery wooden bridge conditions in winter, snow + ice on wood = potential slips.
The weather at Gullfoss waterfall was lousy, low cloud, snow flurries, cold and visibility was quite poor so be aware that nothing in nature is guaranteed. Still it did make for ‘atmospheric’ photographs. There are wooden steps to the viewpoints but these we very slippery as they were covered in snow and ice so care is needed but well worth it.
Geysir: We arrived on the 1st day they started to charge for it at 600 ISK (around £3.20) per person. This is being looked at as being illegal as the government say you cannot charge for natural phenomena, the land owners say different. Anyway you have travelled all this way so you will probably pay it. You can actually see the Geysir from the roadside but you don’t get the bubbling water experience and the smell of Sulphur.
Skalholt Church**.
Unfortunately due to a problem with the bus we were unable to see this but instead we were taken to a Geothermal Power plant where you can see how they tap into the land to use its abundance of natural heat to produce their hot water and electricity. Worth taking the added educational tour at 600 ISK (£3.20 per person). Whilst in there the buses we changed over and we went back to town.
Day 3. Blue Ice tour.
For me this was the highlight of the trip. It is a 2 hr.+ drive to the Solheim Glacier which featured in the film ‘Chasing Ice’. You pass through the most amazing scenery I have ever seen, a photographers and walkers paradise, past the Big E volcano, that is Eyjafjallajökull the volcano that erupted in 2010 and caused chaos across Europe with flying. Walk on the Glacier with 2 guides, Crampons and hard hats are provided, boots and waterproofs are provided by booking in advance. Take good quality hiking boots with you if not hiring them also warm clothing is absolutely essential. We went through several weather systems in 3 hrs. In the 200m from the bus to the foot of the glacier, it was warm and sunny, then grey and drizzle / rain and by the time we put our Crampons on our boots we were in a snow blizzard and this continues on. Make sure you follow the guides’ footsteps and stick to the ice, do not stand on anything that looks white and fresh snow as these may be crevasses which can be a few inches, few feet or a few hundred foot drop and it has been known to swallow people. Perfectly safe if you listen to the guides. You are not guaranteed to see the ‘Blue Ice’ cave featured in brochures as the ice changes daily and nature has no pre-planned agenda. The glacier itself is the blue ice. 100% value for money, fantastic day out. A reasonable level of fitness is required and there is a disclaimer to sign. The slope is gentle and there is an optional chance to do some ice climbing towards the end of the tour. As I had suffered a back injury 5 weeks earlier so I chose not to.
Day 4. Blue Lagoon.
Pick up at hotel via shuttle bus, change at Grey Line office for coach. Once you get closer to the Blue Lagoon the landscape changes to what I can only describe as ‘Lunar’. You could be on the moon; it is remote to say the very least, middle of nowhere. It costs and extra 35 Euros, 6000 ISK or £30 per person for the standard ticket. Relax in the geothermal spring pools, natural hot water at a little under normal bath temperature. The spring has a barrier around it but you won’t even get close to that as the water gets hotter and hotter. We got around 3m from it and that was too hot for comfort, there is security to alert you anyway but you won’t need it unless you have Asbestos skin. There is a pool bar and all drinks are bought by an electronic wristband that also records your locker number. Make sure you strap it on correctly as if it comes of you will not find it as the water is opaque, 2 inches under the surface and your hands disappear. There are also tubs of free mineral face packs around the pool to cleanse and exfoliate your skin; all in all it has to be experienced. End the day with a nice meal or sandwich in the bar / restaurant area and a nice drink. You can stay here as long as you like you just need to log a pick up time with the coach driver as you get on. We left at 9am and got the 12 noon bus back spending around 1 hour in the Lagoon.
I defy you not to fall in love with Iceland; I am already planning my extended trip back for 2015.
More photos to follow.