Iceland – The Travelling Ginger

Day 10 – Reykjavik 🇮🇸

July 13, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

So today was our last full day 😭 and before we headed for the capital we had a little drive around Akranes where we stayed last night. It has two lighthouses; one of the oldest concrete lighthouse in Iceland, and a newer bigger one which is open to the public. The town even has an Irish Day in July where they have a competition to see who has the reddest hair. Unfortunately both times I’ve been here, I’ve just missed out on definitely winning this prize 🤣

I’m very lucky that I’ve been to Iceland before, in fact this is now my third visit to Reykjavik! Mark is a Reykjavik virgin, so was excited to show him the best it has to offer. We started off by visiting a highly rated bakery – Brauð & Co. The cinnamon buns here are beyond incredible. Fresh, warm and delicious. The vanilla and raspberry croissant was also a taste sensation.

We also chose to toast the trip with a few beverages, and Reykjavik is full of Happy Hour’s, which is handy due to the price of alcohol (and everything else!) here. We headed to Lebowski Bar for wine, beer and cocktails, and a basket of mozzarella sticks just to keep us going. They were playing Jurassic Park on the big screen, which made us laugh as it reminded us of the farting man is Husavik.

When I came with momma back in 2014 we had the most amazing fish and chips, so after walking around we finally found the same restaurant, and again had the most amazing fish and chips.

There is so much to see and do in Reykjavik and it is a perfect base to explore Iceland if road tripping isn’t your thing. Our original plan for our last night was to stay at the Happy Campers campsite and then taxi it to the airport in the early hours, however we decided to treat ourselves and book a hotel by the airport. We have loved the campervan life, but being in a proper bed with our own shower was beyond heaven. Thank god for booking.com

The airport run this morning was relatively smooth, however I got accused of pushing in when I got into the speedy boarding queue (which I had paid for!) by an awful lady I’m going to call Karen. I even apologised that I was going in front of her, to which she replied ‘Sorry! You’re not sorry at all’. Ok Karen.. next time pay and then you can get through quicker. I very happily walked past Karen and boarded the plane before she did, in my speedy boarding queue.

Day 9 – The Snæfellsnes Peninsula 🇮🇸

July 13, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

We were in for another day of clocking up the miles, so after a couple of pots of Skyr and a bowl of frosties, we prepped the flasks with plenty of coffee and hit the road to get us back out the Westfjords. On the drive yesterday we spotted a shipwreck, but we’re unable to get a closer look due to someone blocking the entrance to the parking area, however today it was empty so we had a quick investigate. It is thought to be the oldest steel ship in Iceland and has been at this location since 1981. It is now in a bit of a sorry state and is far too unsafe to actually get on, but it still makes for some dramatic photography.

We left the Westfjords and headed to familiar territory for me.. the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. It was also time for another diesel run, and again the PAYG pump refused my card.. such a pain! It was therefore only right that to ease the stress, we got a service station hottdog 🌭 The first stop on the peninsula was Kirkjufell, said to be the most photographed mountain in the country. Again another GoT location – Beyond the wall from season 7. It’s distinctive shape and Kirkjufellsfoss at the front makes the whole area very dramatic.

Next stop was Saxhóll crater, which was much easier reach the top in comparison to the crater earlier in the week. The landscape it has created is incredible and the views over the mossy lava fields below are mind-blowing.

As the peninsula is a relatively small area, there is so much you can see and do in a day, and so our next stop was an ancient fishing village called Hellnar, with views over to Mt Stapafell. Some Icelanders believe this place is a favourite for elves! It’s the perfect place to sit with a picnic (when the weather allows) and watch the world go by. There is also the option to do a coastal walk to the next village – Arnarstapi, however as we both exhausted we decided to just drive it instead.

It was back to the van for our next stop, a giant crack you can see from the road. Rauðfelsdsgja gorge is easily accessible in the summer months and is a short hike from the car park. It’s another small scramble to get into the gorge itself, but its well worth the potential soggy shoe. On our way back to the van we noticed a group of people, and one of them dislocated his shoulder! Luckily the ambulance was just pulling up (although who knows where the nearest A&E is 🤷‍♀️) so Mark didn’t have to jump in and be a hero.

Our last stop on the peninsula was the black wooden church Búðakirkja. Located within a lava field, it is a fantastic building to photograph whatever the weather. I have been here twice and both times have been totally different and I can’t decide which conditions I prefer. Again it’s another peaceful location and somewhere you could spend all day exploring the surroundings.

Tonights base is another campsite overlooking the sea in the town of Akranes. Whilst doing the washing up we spotted the campsites local resident curled up on top of the dryer getting shelter from the rain. After a quick fuss it was back to the van to get some sleep before our last full day in Iceland 😭

Day 8 – The Westfjords 🇮🇸

July 13, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

This morning was a slightly earlier start than usual as we were in for a long day of driving. The Westfjords was somewhere we were both keen to visit, as only around 10% of visitors actually make it here due to its vastness and distance from the main ‘tourist attractions’. Its also only somewhere you can visit during the summer months, as the roads are a lot less maintained and snowfall is incredibly heavy during the winter. The scenery here is beyond stunning but there are very few places to pull over and actually admire it properly. We did manage to find one, however Mark was very quickly attacked by a group of Arctic Tern (a very angry bird!) and after running around the van a few times, he decided that they had won and returned to safety. After a bit of research, it turns out that they are notorious for attacking people, and scratching you with their talons!

Our first proper stop of the day was the mighty Dynjandi waterfall, which means thunderous, and is often referred to as the jewel of the Westfjords. It’s also known as the bridal veil falls due to its distinctive shape. Thanks to a group of volunteers, it’s so easily accessible from the car park meaning more people can enjoy the beauty. It is definitely one of our favourite falls and the photos really don’t do it justice. As a treat, there are also 6 smaller falls on the way up to Dynjandi, making it a foss heaven 💦

Driving the Westfjords involves lots of arse twitchy twisty roads that are full of potholes, so this is something to bear in mind if you want to add it to your trip. As the area is so big we had to decide what was most important to see, and as we hadn’t yet done a ‘side of the road hot spring’ we chose to add this to the itinerary, and headed to Krosslaug. It’s well hidden and Google promised minimal people know its location. Turns out the day we went, lots of people found it! But it was still so lovely to sit and enjoy the views with a cold drink to hand. The only small issue was when I went back to get changed, I found a pair of someone else’s knickers in my shoe!

Home for this evening was probably one of our favourites so far as it had a waterfall and a ‘normal’ coloured beach, which is very rare for Iceland. We fired up the BBQ tonight because it was just too nice not to, and had yet more hot dogs with crispy onion and that fabulous sauce. As Rauðisandur beach was right next to the campsite, we decided to have a midnight sun walk to enjoy the sound of the crashing waves, whilst looking on at the moody clouds over cliffs in the distance.

Day 7 – Continuing the North 🇮🇸

July 11, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

As the trip so far as been very full on with lots of walking, we decided to have a relaxing morning and do something we had seen during our YouTube research – a beer spa! The experience starts in the outdoor wooden hottubs with views over Hrísey island, the mountains and Þorvalds valley. Then the fun part – bathing in a big tub filled with beer, water, hops and yeast. You cannot drink this water, but you get your own beer tap and it’s drink as much as you can in half hour. Bet Santa is gutted he’s missed out on this 🎅🏻 After the bath it’s to the relaxation room for a further half hr where you get wrapped up in a blanket and left to chill. This is a shared room so I had to try and be quiet for 30 whole mins! As we were in a beer establishment it would be rude to not sample any, so Mark got himself a beer flight and I enjoyed a Pepsi Max as the nominated driver 🤣 his favourite was the IPA. I had a taste of the sour and it was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever had in my mouth.

After the spa we headed back towards where we stayed last night to explore the town of Akureyri, the 2nd largest city in Iceland and known as the capital of the North. Although we have eaten well this trip, we decided to treat ourselves to some lunch and stopped at a lovely cafe for eggs, bacon and avocado. As it was a Saturday, it meant the parking was free! So we used our saved small fortune to get a slice of carrot cake as well.

Akureyri is full of cafés, bars and shops, as well as street art, botanical gardens and an interesting looking church. It has its own airport and you can get to pretty much everything in the North in a day’s worth of driving. Just as we were leaving I spotted a discount 66°N shop, the brand all the locals love.. so I treated myself to the cheapest hat!

As the plan is to head to the Westfjords tomorrow we decided to get as close as possible and find a campsite there. But with so much driving it was only right that we had a few stops along the way. The first one being Grafarkirkja – the oldest turf church in Iceland (much to Mark’s delight!) You can no longer get into the church due to preservation purposes, but you are able to walk around the turf ring site. You can still smell that ‘old church smell’ in the air. It looks so tiny with the towering mountains behind and there is something so charming about it that you can’t help turning round every 5 minutes on the walk back to the car for another look.

The last stop on the agenda was Hvítserkur – a 15m tall sea stack. Legend has it that it’s actually a petrified troll, turned into stone by the daylight as he tried to ruin the local church bells. Whether it’s this, or just sea erosion, it’s a fantastic place to visit, especially in the evening as you get the most beautiful light.

We finally made it to our home for the night, a lovely little campsite next to the water, equipped with 2 hottubs to sit and enjoy a beer after a long day driving.

Day 6 – The North 🇮🇸

July 10, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

We woke to drizzly morning, and after the daily chores of moving cases and putting the bed back to seats, we headed to our first stop – Hverfjall. This tuff ring volcano was created about 2,500 years ago, and has an incredibly impressive crater approximately one kilometre in diameter. The walk to the top is pretty hard going due to the loose surface, but when the rain and mist cleared we were treated to views for miles. There were a few groups heading down into the crater, but as they were equipped with poles and the proper gear, we decided it wasn’t worth joining them.

A rare treat for this trip was the next stop was literally 5 minutes down the road. The Grjótagjá cave features a beautiful geothermal hot spring which cannot be used to swim in to try and protect this unique pool from damage. There are lots of stories and legends surrounding this cave, however it was ‘that scene’ with Jon Snow and Ygritte in GoT that prompted our visit. The lad chose well!

During the drive to Mývatn last night we noticed lots of steam coming from an area, so again as it was close we decided to check it out. The smell of egg in the air is overwhelming thanks to the sulphur, but if you can handle that, you’re treated to smoking fumaroles and boiling mud pots.

Our final leg today was to Húsavík, made famous by the fantastic Eurovision film Fire Saga 🤣 and definitely not because it’s the Whale capital of Iceland.. by this point we were starving, so chose to eat at JaJa Ding Dong cafe (named after one of the songs from the film) and enjoyed some pizza whilst overlooking the sea.

We hadn’t planned on going Whale Watching, but with a 98% success rate we decided to give it a go. We were given super thick all in one suits to keep warm and headed to the rib boat. We were joined by just 2 other couples, meaning it was like having our own private tour. The bloke in front was the spitting image of Richard Attenborough in Jurassic Park, who half way through the trip had the audacity to stand up out of his seat and fart really loud!! We were literally sat directly behind him.. filth! Very soon after leaving the radio went telling the captain of a sighting, and we had our first glimpse of a humpback whale, which was amazing.

We had also booked the tour that included seeing Puffins, so we headed to the island where they’ve made it their home. Just like Skomer, there were 1000s of them, and being able to see them up close swimming around and diving for fish was so cool.

As we still had loads of time left we went further out to sea to see if we could see anymore whales. We were there a while and hadn’t seen anything, but just as we were about to give up and head back, we spotted a spouting, and then came the most incredible experience of seeing 4 humpback whales. It really was the most fantastic thing. As we were heading back there was a really loud bang and the rib boat stopped, and we were all convinced we would be stranded with the whales! It turns out there was a huge log which the boat had hit, which was very likely to be from a tree.. but also could have been from what one of us had produced with our terrible diet of car snacks and pasta 🤣

The drive to our next campsite was another scenic one. The light here, especially very late evening is just magical. We arrived at the huge site and found a place to park up, however it turns out it’s a favourite with gulls, who spent the next hour shagging on and sharting down the van!

Day 5 – Entering the North 🇮🇸

July 9, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

This morning we woke up and decided to try some Icelandic food, so after a shower in water that was at least 1000°, we headed to the local N1 for a hotdog – the best way to start the day. They’re topped with raw white onions and crispy fried onions, ketchup and a sweet brown mustard called Pylsusinnep – this sauce is the DB and we will definitely be using our remaining weight limit to bring plenty of bottles home 🌭

After gobbling on our sausage, we drove to our first stop of the day – Stuðlagil Canyon. Unfortunately we read the AllTrails wrong, and ended up in the campsite car park rather than the canyon car park, which happened to be on the other side of the canyon.. so it was back in the van to find the correct car park. By this point the beautiful weather we had been having had decided to leave, and the wind and rain had arrived. The wind was so bad that within minutes my face was brown from all the dust that had been blown into it. It was even stuck to our teeth! After battling the elements we finally arrived at the canyon – The basalt columns tower over a turquoise glacial river, making it one of the most stunning places we’ve been. We decided to climb down to the bottom using a rope that someone had kindly installed, and we were rewarded with a much more spectacular perspective.

As we arrived back to the van, the wind had died down and blue sky was peeking through the clouds, which meant we should have had a glorious drive to Dettifoss. The majority of the drive was glorious, but we decided to do the East side of the falls as you get much closer to it. The road leading to this side however was one of the worst roads we have driven on, and I thank God for a decent pelvic floor. It was 30km of unmaintained gravel, boulders, volcanic rock and anything else you can think of. Although we did make it (about 30 mins extra to what Google Maps says) the van isn’t built for speed on these types of roads, so we were left in the dust of the Dacia Dusters that flew past. We eventually got to the car park and began the walk to the falls. As it’s one of the most powerful in Europe, we could hear it way before we could see it. The thunderous fall has an average water flow of 193 meters cubed per second (6,186 cubic feet). It is 100 meters (330 feet) wide and plummets 45 meters (150 feet) down. It really is mind blowing.

After visiting Dettifoss, we decided to extend the walk and head to the often overlooked Selfoss. There is a town in the South also called Selfoss which we nearly drove all the way to thinking it was the waterfall! The walk involves a bit of clambering over boulders but it’s nothing too strenuous, and again we were rewarding with another amazing waterfall.

Walking back to the van we had one thing on our mind.. we had to tackle that road again. Luckily it seemed slightly easier on the way back, but still not one we want to drive on again any time soon. As we’ve done so much walking on this trip we decided we were due some relaxation, so headed to Mývatn Nature Baths, the Northern equivalent to the blue lagoon. Floating around in hot water, with mountains in the distance and beverage in hand.. what more could you want. It was the perfect end to the day, and luckily our planned home for the night was only 5 minutes way.

Day 4 – The East 🇮🇸

July 8, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

After a very much needed sleep, we woke to glorious morning number 4, and headed to Netto to stock up on car snacks and other bits and bobs to keep us going. After shopping in Bonus and Kronan, that’s all of Iceland’s ‘discount’ supermarkets now ticked off the list, although prices are more similar to those in Waitrose. We then had the next difficult job of trying to work out how to fill the van with diesel, as the pump system over here isn’t the easiest to navigate. Even the bright yellow Happy Camper next to us couldn’t work it out! Luckily the lovely lady in the shop helped, so £120 and half a tank later we headed to our first proper stop of the day.

We arrived to Stokksness beach and paid the fee to drive down to the 3 parking places, the first one being a Viking film set. It was built in 2010 for a film by universal studios, however it couldn’t be made due to monetary issues, and now lies in wait for all the tourists to come and explore. Grass topped wooden buildings lie waiting with the incredible mountains as a backdrop, and over time they have been hit with the elements, giving them a more authentic look.

Further down the road and you arrive at another black sand beach, with Mount Vestrahorn standing proud. There was a lot of cloud cover today so we were unable to see its iconic peaks, but it did give it an eerie feel. The beach is also covered in little green dunes giving little bursts of colour against the jet black sand.

The rest of our time spent in the East was mostly driving, and dodging sheep who just stand in the middle of the road staring at you. Although I have to say, its clear why the wool here is so expensive! The drive is incredible and the landscape changes every minute, with waterfalls, mountains and miles of moss covered land. Its so hard as the driver to keep your eyes on the road and not the amazing scenes going past.

We did have one last stop before we reached our camp for the night and that was a small hike to the 3rd tallest waterfall in Iceland – Hengifoss. In between the basaltic layers are thin layers of red clay (thanks Google) making a really striking falls and one we had been looking forward to seeing. Again we were really lucky as there was hardly any people there so we were able to sit and enjoy our surroundings.

This evening the home for the night was in the pretty town of Seyðisfjörður, home to the church with the rainbow road. This campsite was super busy due to the ferry leaving the following morning, but we were able to squeeze the van in by the bins 🤣 and still get a great view of the town to wake up to.

Day 3 – The Southeast 🇮🇸

July 7, 2022July 7, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

We woke up to another glorious morning and started the day with an Icelandic tradition – a communal shower bollock naked! The first campsite had cubicles however this one was very much everyone in and let it all hang out. It was one for males and one for females fortunately. After a cheeky wash we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast in the converted school bus on the campsite. The bagels and proper coffee definitely set us up for the way, although like everything else in Iceland, incredibly pricey.

The first stop of the day was Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon. At 2km deep and 100m it’s incredibly impressive! I decided to buy a drone for the trip, however buying one for 40 quid off eBay rather than spending a bit more for a decent branded one was a massive mistake as the instructions are in Chinese and we cannot work out how to make it fly! So I sat and watched a man with his definitely expensive drone fly it into the canyon instead (I’m not jealous.. honestly!)

Whilst driving around Iceland you need to keep your eyes peeled at all times as there’s often places to stop on the side of the road, and we came across a fabulous little waterfall. The one downside to having a minibus sized vehicle is you can’t just whip it easily into the often tight spaces on the side of the road.

Our next stop was another waterfall, and the drive to it meant we got our first glimpse of the spectacular Vatnajökull National Park. In 2019 the park was given UNESCO status which meant I had another to tick off my expanding list. The walk to Svartifoss definitely got the heart rate going, but it was a great little falls and the ideal place to sit and have a thermos of coffee. We obviously chose the best time as there was hardly anybody else at the falls for the majority of the time, meaning we got to properly take in the beautiful surroundings.

If one canyon wasn’t enough, we decided to hike to another! Múlagljúfur Canyon isn’t signposted so getting to the car park can only be done after a bit of research, and what a hidden gem it is! The hike to the top is pretty hard going. At one point I didn’t think I’d be able to carry on (mostly because we’d already walked about 26000 steps) and my tired little legs felt like lead.. but once we got there – words cannot describe the view 😍 it was beyond stunning, even with the rain, and so so worth it. We then met a very enthusiastic American man who suggested we climbed a bit further, saying the view is like you’ve had ‘a big bang of coke’ so with that, we carried on. I can’t say if the view is a comparison to a coke hit, but I can say it was like you were looking into another world.

As it was now pretty late we decided to find a campsite, not realising the closest one was miles away. So we decided to make good use of the constant daylight and stopped at diamond beach. This gets its name due to the icebergs which fill the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon washing up on shore, creating a stark contrast with the volcanic black sand. We were also lucky as there was a rainbow, which meant we got some incredible images. As you usually associate the beach with hot weather, it’s so bizarre to see have lumps of ice washed up on the shore.

Opposite diamond beach is the lagoon itself, where the still blue waters are full of enormous icebergs. As it was now way past midnight and we could not be arsed to cook, we sat down with a carbonara in a pot and enjoyed the fantastic scenery, as well as watching the seals swimming around – they have no idea how lucky they are that this is their playground.

We eventually arrived at the campsite just before 2am, so it was a quick set up and straight to bed ready for the day ahead.

Iceland Day 2 – The road to Vik 🇮🇸

July 5, 2022July 5, 2022 gingertravellerblogLeave a comment

Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice… but also ridiculous winds and constant rain even in the summer months. However this morning we woke up to the most glorious sunshine and blue skies. Our first night in the green machine was a surprisingly comfortable one after we eventually worked out how to set the bed up. Being night shift workers also helps with getting to sleep when it’s still daylight outside.

We were going to stock up with lots of traditional icelandic snacks for the road ahead, however it’s mostly liquorice.. and as we didn’t want 10 days of the shits, we settled for Milka, peach rings and Happy Shopper 2D jaffa cakes. Our first stop of the day was Seljalandsfoss – the waterfall you can walk behind. The falls drop 60m and I would highly recommend that you wear waterproof clothing, including trousers to experience this. There were so many people in jeans and hoodies who were soggy doggies as they came out the other side. A short walk from here is Gljufrabui – the falls in a narrow canyon. To access this you have you climb over rocks and cling on to the side of the canyon, but it is well worth it. Again due to how close you can get to the falls you get absolutely soaked- thank god for the wanker hat. Unfortunately there is only one way in and out of these falls, and some people don’t seem to know the etiquette of one in and one out. These were largely the people in the wrong attire, so it was ok to laugh when one slipped and got their Nike trainers soaking wet.

Next stop was Skógafoss – the waterfall you walk above. As we were lucky and the sun was shining, it created lots of rainbows in the spray which meant we got some fantastic photos. There are some steps of the top of these falls, however I clearly need to do more cardio exercise as my heart was going like the clappers!

After 2 waterfalls it was time for a change of scenery, and we headed to the Sólheimasandur plane wreck – the 1973 United States Navy DC plane that ran out of fuel and crashed on the black beach. Don’t worry we’re not being morbid, everybody got out alive! It’s a long, and pretty boring walk to the plane – there is a shuttle but that’s at an eye-watering £10pp!! The walk is worth it as you can get some great photos, however another etiquette issue of mine is photo hoggers. We all want that perfect insta photo.. but some people just do not get out of the way, or just stand right in front of your camera! It really grinds my gears…

4 years ago exactly I was in Iceland with my parents and we had the pleasure of thick Icelandic fog, so today I was beyond excited to finally see Dyrhólaey and Reynisfjara with bright blue sky. The landscapes here are beyond breathtaking and the photos do not do it justice. You could sit here all day watching the Puffins and various other sea birds flying about. It was the perfect end to a fantastic day exploring the Southwest.

Iceland day 1 🇮🇸

July 4, 2022 gingertravellerblog1 Comment

Back by popular demand… I will try to keep this going daily!

After months of planning, highlighting Lonely Planet guides, watching YouTube videos and trawling the Internet for inspo, the day had arrived for us to head to one of my favourite countries – Iceland!

It was another stupidly early start thanks to the joys of an airport at the moment. When we arrived and saw the queue for Easyjet we knew that would be our breakfast time gone.. however it turns out I had booked speedy boarding! This fabulous discovery meant we flew through. Unfortunately I hadn’t done the same for security, but in all fairness that was relatively smooth as well. So it was off to Pret for breakfast, via the Duty Free for a cheeky squirt (top tip.. find the most expensive perfume and cover yourself in the tester 🤣)

On the plane and we had another discovery – extra leg room seats! Obviously Mark being the BFG was delighted. I was expecting to find I’d booked a meal with real china plates.. however as this is Easyjet I had to make do with a can of Coke and a Crunchie.

The airport in Reykjavik was quite simply… a nightmare! Everyone was squashed in trying to get through a tiny gap in the wall to get up the stairs to passport control. Everyone was pretty chill about this.. apart from John (learnt his name thanks to his poor annoyed wife) John was quite simply.. a massive arsehole, who liked nothing more than to moan, try to push in and take people out with his big massive bag. We than had another wait for the cases, and it was a massive twitchy arse moment as mine decided to be one of the last off and I was getting myself mentally ready for the same pair of knickers for 10 days. TOP TIP for anyone heading to Iceland – buy your alcohol in the Duty Free in baggage reclaim.

It was then off to meet our home on wheels for the next 10 days; the mighty green machine. After getting familiar with all his knobs and gadgets, we hit the road to start with the golden circle. This is a staple for all who visit Iceland and is well worth doing. As it was getting quite late, it was a lot quieter, so we really got to appreciate the beautiful surroundings a lot more. Geysir put in another wonderful performance and Gulfoss was as magnificent as ever.

We found a lovely campsite for the night and decided to treat ourselves to a first night beverage in the bar. This will be our first and last if we don’t want to remortage the house 🤣 As its constant daylight here in the summer, we decided to have a super late tea and Mark fired up the BBQ around 22:30, where we enjoyed burgers and much more reasonable beer thanks to the duty free.