Iceland - Two people one car and a lot of road

Our trip to Iceland, which has been on both of our bucket lists for so long, had finally arrived. A country famous for its many natural wonders, from hot springs and waterfalls to active volcanoes and glacier lagoons, we were excited to see all that Iceland had to offer.

After a short fight we arrived, picked up the car from Iceland 4×4 car rental and headed to our accommodation just outside the centre of Reykjavik. We stayed at the Árós Guesthouse, a cute little apartment set within a pretty residential area. It was clean and comfortable with a good sized kitchen, homely bedroom and lounge area. We never met the hosts but they replied to any queries we had over email straight away. We made good use of the kitchen for breakfasts and dinners on some occasions, as well as preparing pack lunches for our days’ adventures. This was not a holiday of eating out, despite hearing great things about Icelandic restaurants and food, we spent most of our days on the road exploring the natural wonders while keeping an eye out for the northern lights.

Day 1: Glymur, Grundarfjörður, Kirkjufell Mountain

Day one was a trip to North West corner of the island to Grundarfjörður and the Kirkjufell Mountain with a stop at Glymur Waterfall. Glymur was the first stop from Reykjavik, down a narrow dirt track off the main road to a car park that looked like a wasteland site. From the car park we set off on foot to find the waterfall. There are no signs so simply follow the path for 30 to 40 minutes making your way across small streams. You will then see a sign for Glymur, pointing to what used to be a log that worked as a bridge to cross the river to the waterfall.

Glymur – Waterfall Walk

Unfortunately this has now disappeared and the river was fast, deep and wide so we were unable to cross safely, despite a lot of contemplation. This destination is worth a visit as I’m sure they will mend the bridge at some point, and it may have been due to bad weather conditions that it was down. I can only imagine that the beautiful scenery on route was making way for a spectacular waterfall.

Glymur – Impassable River

We then made our way to Grundarfjörður and the Kirkjufell Mountain, which when we got there could only vaguely see through the masses of wind and rain. We had hit a storm. When you pick up your hire car and they say that the wind can blow the car doors off and you think to yourself “really?” – well they are not exaggerating. The wind was unreal and at such high speeds it shook the entire car as we were driving. So be prepared! Unfortunately due to the bad weather conditions we could not take any pictures here. Also the time of year we visited was not ideal for whale watching but apparently this is the best place to see orcas whales and one of the reasons we had it on our list.

Day 2: Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, Jökulsárlón Glacier

Day two was the long drive along the south coast. After reading and receiving strong advice from everyone online not to do it in one day, we did it and smashed it. This was by far the best day we had in Iceland with some of the most amazing views and natural beauty that will never be beaten.

The drive was a 10 hour round trip, which meant getting up when its dark and getting home when its dark, but wow was it worth it. Two people one little jeep and miles and miles of open, and at times, completely empty roads. The first two stops were two incredible waterfalls; Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. We got soaked at the first waterfall as the wind pulled the waterfall into the crowds of tourists. Everyone seemed to be prepared with waterproof clothing, not us! It was fun however. The next one had a stair case up to the top of the waterfall which was a nice walk with gorgeous landscape views.

Seljalandsfoss

After leaving here we arrived at the dramatic Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach which was super cold and had a strange “we are on another planet” feel. It was well worth a visit and gave the first opportunity to grab a hot drink from the tourist shop.

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

These first three stops are on a tourist trail so are very busy, not our cup of tea, so from this point onwards we managed to get away from the masses of coaches and enjoy a drive along an empty road into the lava fields. The lava fields go on for miles and miles. The amazement and wonder of how old they are and how they were formed is mind boggling, you just want to explore and touch them. It’s worth grabbing yourself a piece of Icelandic lava as it’s sold everywhere back in Reykjavik, and at a hefty price.

Eldhraun Lava Field

As we continued to drive along the one main road we took in the amazing views as the sunshine came out and took lots of pictures along the way, getting out of the car at times.

En route to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

We then started to approach the glacier lagoons, seeing the snowy mountains and getting very excited. We ended up turning off a bumpy dirt track, not on our schedule but we saw another car head that way and were curious. There we discovered the most stunning isolated view of a glacier lagoon. It was such an impressive sight and the pictures really don’t do it justice. From here it was a short drive to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon where we managed to catch a beautiful sunset over the lagoon, with the glaciers bobbing along the water with the sounds of clicking and crunching as they cracked and melted in the sunset.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

We had reached the end destination and it was time to tackle the 5 hours drive back to the hotel. We took it in turns to drive while the other searched the sky for the northern lights, something we were keen to see while out in Iceland. Unfortunately we didn’t see anything but were cheered up by the vibrant and colourful sunset along the way.

The never ending Route 1 road

Day 3: Gulfoss, Geysir, Blue Lagoon

Another fully packed day but slightly more relaxed with a lot less driving. Day three was the Golden Circle tour day. Pretty much the exact route as if you booked one of the many tour guides available but at our own pace. It was a good day with a first stop to see the impressive Gullfoss. The pictures make it look empty thanks to my great photographer but in actual fact it was very, very busy with queues of people to wade through to get a great view.

Gullfoss Waterfall

From here we visited the Geysir, a periodically spouting hot natural spring known as the Great Geysir. It was very surreal to see. You stand amongst the tourist crowds awaiting the great spectacular and once the natural gas pressure reaches a certain level a massive gush of water erupts from the surface. It only lasts a few seconds so once you’ve seen it once there is not much more to take in but all in all an extraordinary experience, especially with the knowledge that changes in the activity of the Geysir are strongly related to earthquake activity.

The Great Geysir

Our next stop was a lava field cave in Raufarholshellir on route to the Blue Lagoon. To our dismay the cave was closed for maintenance but don’t let this stop you. You can either climb down or sneak through a hole in the front to have a quick look inside these natural wonders.

The final stop was of course the Blue Lagoon, one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. This was an interesting one for us as we were unsure if it was going to be good or just an overcrowded tourist attraction. In fact it completely outdid our expectations. It was absolutely amazing and done really well. We picked a slot for late afternoon which meant we were able to enjoy it in the daylight as well as in the evening with all the pretty lights. The water was lovely and warm at about 35°C, which felt even more given the outside temperature was at best 2°C. Our package included a complimentary drink and silica and algae face masks, which was a really nice touch. We spent some time here enjoying the geothermal spa experience and natural setting. We highly recommend visiting here.

Blue Lagoon

Day 4: Reykjavik

We spent our last day exploring the capital city Reykjavik, renowned for its arts, culture and history. We parked up near the main central streets and had a nosy around. We started off with the famous Hallgrímskirkja church, a striking and imposing structure that stood out at the top of the hill in the city centre. The interior was impressive on a grand scale with a soothing presence but was extremely simplistic and bare in contrast to a church you would find in England. We walked through the town, stopped off for a bite to eat at a lovely little café with a relaxed hippy feel, and then headed to the marina.

We visited the well-known sculpture, the Sun Voyager, which was surprisingly one of the few striking Viking historical features we found in Iceland. On the whole Iceland doesn’t have an abundance of Viking memorabilia as I assumed it would. There is a very modern mall on the marina which is a stark contrast to the rest of the buildings and architecture. We visited the Kaffibarinn which is famously part owned by Blur’s frontman Damon Albarn but after further investigation and from talks with the locals and bar staff we are not sure this is entirely true. However the bar was a cool spot to hang for a few hours before boarding our flight home.