An Icelandic Weekender

Reykjavik Town still lit up for Christmas

So shortly after I'd ate my body weight over Christmas, we boarded the plane to Iceland (which I surprisingly didn't need two seats for) clutching to the hope that the thermal socks we were wearing would brace us for what lay ahead. We were welcomed to Reykjavik with gale force winds, and a bus driver who told us that this weekend they were experiencing unusual blizzards due to a southern wind. But a blizzard didn't scare us, so shortly after arriving at our hotel - Reykjavik Lights - we threw on some more thermal layers and braved a 20 minute walk along the coast to Reykjavik, and forgot what it felt like to be warm for the majority of the rest of the trip. 

If your going to Iceland in winter pick an excursion company and stick to them, because its too dangerous to hire a car and impossible to get public transport to all the major sights. It's easy to snigger at that, but you'd regret being in a car when all main roads from the extremely remote, southern side of the island back to Reykjavik are closed due to a blizzard and you desperately need to pee. In that situation, you thank your lucky stars that you are on a tour bus with a driver who knows his way back around the island, and more importantly where the nearest petrol station is to pee and stock up on snacks, at least I did anyway. We used Reykjavik Excursions, who drove us to a multitude of places and told us stories of naughty elves and stone spirits all the way. Hear are my reviews of two of their most popular tours...

Northern Lights Tour - Around £30 and they take you to a tba location depending on wheres the highest chance of getting action, and you can retake the trip every night until you get lucky! Please wear lots of socks (I almost lost my toes at a pitch dark beach) and be prepared for faint flickers of lights being the most you see. The bright blues green and red's you see on a camera are a result of looonnnng shutter speeds and they almost never look that way to the naked eye. Even without the lights, however, the locations are amazing, and the stars are shining and if you happen to see a faint flutter of green in between the stars and horizons, you worry less about trying to magnify it on your camera. What's really amazing is that you can go on the trip for free for up to two years, so I look forward to going back and having another chance at seeing the lights in years to come. 

Not the lights...light pollution.

 Golden Circle with Fontana Baths -  This trip is a bit more expensive at around £50 for a bus between venues. But my god the venues are worth it. First we stopped at at a national park for sunrise where we were told the departure time and were free to explore. I might be obsessed with a sunset, but this sunrise was one of the most breathtaking moments of my life.

Sunrise at Thingvellir National Park

 After a drive through the beautiful Longavartn region, where the rising sun streams in between woodlands and quaint wooden cabins, you then stop at the Geysir, where there are also log cabin canteens with a legendary fish stew and volcano baked rye bread.

The Geysir 

The Gulfoss waterfall

To end a strenuous day hiking up stairs to waterfalls and waiting for an erupting Geysir, your dropped at the relaxing Fontana baths (where you dont pay to get in but you do have to pay for your towels!). With a selection of naturally heated saunas, jacuzies and pools all set in view of Fontana lake it would just have been rude of me not to swim in the lake too (although I had to get a member of staff to unlock the gate to the lake after her saying "are you sure? It will be cold" numerous times).

Overall Iceland was an amazing experience, a weekend full of intense hikes to natural beauties like waterfalls or glaciers that make you feel like your at end the earth (try the souther wonders tour for this) and contrastingly relaxing in what has to be the worlds best and most natural spa's (the best being Blue Lagoon, and yes, it is actually bright blue). The magic of its natural wonders, 'coolness' of up and coming Reykjavik and the captivating local myths and legends make Iceland a completely unique and magical encounter.