Finding the perfect destination for me and my ten-year-old daughter is not easy. We have very different tastes and interests – my daughter likes walking around shops slowly, desserts and swimming, I love the great outdoors.
But we’ve finally found a solution – Iceland. It’s wild and rugged, but calm and gentle too.
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However, with its waterfalls, searing geysers, magma-spewing volcanoes and black sand beaches, planning a trip was overwhelming. Where do we go? What will the elements bring?
I did have something of a head start – I studied Old Norse and the retreat of glaciers in college (I’ve no idea why). Now, finally, the twain would meet.
We flew to Keflavik with Play Airlines. If you book ahead, flights are as little as €130 per person and it’s only a 2.5-hour flight from Dublin.
Iceland is vast, so you need suitable wheels. We got a Mitsubishi Eclipse 4X4 at Lava Car Rental, which was very smooth, considering the elements. It can get really windy so you need something sturdy.
The roads are very safe, but on any given day, we got snow, sun, rain, ice and everything in between. Rentals are relatively well priced, from €400 for the week.
We drove to Reykjavik, which is around 40 minutes away along the coast. I parked the car in the green zone in the town for a few days at a cost of about €8 per day. Be aware that there’s 24-hour parking charges around town.
We stayed at the cool Sand Hotel on the main shopping street and picked up city cards there. These are fantastic for free entry to local swimming pools, museums and transport.
On our first day, after sampling Iceland’s native Arctic Char fish, local lamb and Icelandic pancakes at Hja Joni restaurant, we went on a Northern Lights bus tour. As a keen photographer, I had hoped this would be a highlight but alas, it wasn’t to be.
As John Steinbeck said in The Pearl: ‘It is not good to want a thing too much. It sometimes drives luck away.’
Indeed it did. Despite the valiant efforts of our guide to drive to the furthest spot he could, clouds got in the way. Thankfully, we got the best hot chocolate known to humanity, according to my daughter Romi, so it wasn’t in vain.
The good thing about these tours is, if you book one and there are no lights, you’re invited to try again on a another date.
We spent two days in Reykjavik, a quaint little town of 245,000 people in the greater area, where most of Iceland’s population resides.
A walking tour brought us up to the Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran church, where we learnt about Leif Erikson, also known as Leif the Lucky, a Norse explorer who discovered America, and we also visited the local prison.
As part of the tour we tried Fly Over Iceland, a simulator in which you are suspended in front of a 20m spherical screen, subjected to wind, water and smell, while you’re flying through epic valleys and cobalt blue glaciers. A great activity when the weather is bad, which is often is.
We also went swimming in one of Reykjavik’s 17 pools, free with our city card, which costs from €35. They are part of Icelandic culture, and no matter how cold it is, you sit in the cold plunge pool then run into the hot pool to do lengths.
We had a fancy dinner in Apotek, where my daughter tried Wagyu and lobster – and dessert, of course. The food is top of the range, so fresh and really excellent.
Iceland provides even when the weather is bad, which it was for our trip to the Golden Circle. The popular tourist route south of Reykjavik, covering a loop of around 300km, is a must.
We went to the geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall, before swapping buses and heading off with the Mountaineers of Iceland into the Langjökull glacier. Apocalyptic rain turned to snow and we couldn’t see a thing.
After landing at basecamp, we got suited and booted in overalls and gear, which they provide. Looking like Michelin men, the bright orange also helped us see in the snowstorm. Just about.
I admire my daughter for sitting on the back of our snowmobile with me. It’s not actually dangerous as there’s loads of snow and the crevasses are all filled, but I regularly went off like a rogue shopping trolley into the great white yonder.
The instructor kept trying to usher us back but all we could do was laugh. I love trying new sports with my daughter but due to the whiteout, I would love to return to actually see the glacier, as it looks amazing.
We went to stay at the Edition Hotel afterwards, which was a real treat. It’s so cosy when you come in from the wilds to open fires. Iceland gives you savage nature and cosy comfort in equal measure.
For dinner we had mussels and gnocchi. I never usually eat dinner, but when you’re outside in the cold all day, dinner, hot baths and warm cosy hotels with a few games of UNO are so welcome.
The next day, we went on a drive ourselves, passing meadows, beastly mountains and weird formations in the snow, ice and rain. Iceland is like a rollercoaster of the natural world, spewing out crazy stuff. I was glad for the big tyres on the car, but you don’t go above 90km much. We stopped at Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi waterfalls, before heading to Sólheimajökull glacier, around a 2.5-hour drive.
Here we got crampons and ice axes for our tour with Icelandic Mountain Guides. The weather was nice and we could see something at last. As a glacier aficionado, I loved this, especially the part where we roped up and looked into the crevasse.
We headed to Vik Myrdal afterwards. The seafront village is close to the famous black sand beaches. We had dinner at the ultra-modern Hotel Vik, local fare of fish and chips and salmon.
A walk along the beach afterwards reminded us not to trifle with the Icelandic shoreline. I advise you to stay well back, I’ve never seen waves like it.
The famous Reynisfjara volcanic black-sand beach is even more wild. It’s a short drive from Vik and the waves were so scary and the sand is formed from cooled lava that flowed into the ocean during eruptions, it was a sight to behold.
We took refuge in the Black Beach restaurant and had amazing turnip soup and cake courtesy of wonderful staff, before going to the famous Lava show in Vik. It recreates a volcanic eruption by superheating real lava up to 1,100C and pouring it into a showroom, much to our delight.
Seeing real lava up close is thrilling – and warm. We especially enjoyed learning about the 1918 Katla volcano eruption. We went to Smidgen Brugghus afterwards for a chilled atmosphere and fabulous food.
On our last day, we went horse riding on Icelandic horses at Hestar Og Fjöll. The horses are smaller than other breeds, but they are long living and hardy, just like their humans. Interestingly, you can’t import horses to Iceland as they want to maintain the Icelandic breed.
Spending time with the horses was so lovely and host Martina was really personable. She runs the stable with her husband, offering beautiful guided experiences in the area. We took a gentle 1.5-hour riding tour down towards a black sand lake against the backdrop of Eyjafjallajoekull, the most famous volcano in Iceland, which erupted in 2010 and caused a massive dust cloud, disrupting air travel globally.
Romi loved the horses, and we toyed with the idea of running away to work at a stable – kind of like a kitsch 1980s novel.
After a short drive, we stopped at Selfoss, a town of 10,000 people en route to Reykjavik for dumplings at Menam Thai restaurant at the Old Dairy Building in Selfoss Centre. We loved the interactive exhibition about dairy inside the building.
A post shared by Mjólkurbúið – The Old Dairy Food Hall (@mjolkurbuid_selfossi)
We then made our way to the Blue Lagoon, which is right by the airport. With its unique geothermal seawater, found nowhere else on earth, rich in silica, algae and minerals, it exceeded our expectations.
We got a face mask each and headed across the water to avail of our free drink. I had a beer as the sun set, while Romi drank something neon blue, then we had dinner at the Lava Restaurant beside the lagoon, a last hurrah.
Iceland always rates well in best places to live polls, because it’s so safe, hence it’s a dream for children and adults. We’re not done yet though – it’s like our Iceland journey is only just beginning.
Fly Play has flights from €130 one-way, see flyplay.com. Lava Car rental at Keflavik airport has 4X4s from €400 for a week, lavacarrental.com. Sand Hotel, Reykjavik, rates from €200 per room, keahotels.is. Reykjavik Edition Hotel from €460 per night, editionhotels.com.
Hotel Vik Myrdal, €219 with breakfast, stayinvik.is.
Courtyard by Marriott at Keflavik Airport, €189 B&B, marriott.com. For more go to visiticeland.com.
