February 9th: Travel to London Heathrow and overnight accommodation Due to an 0800 flight departure the next morning we’d decided to stay at the Garden Inn by Hilton after dropping the car off at Purple Parking. Next stop was into Terminal 5 where we checked in and dropped our bags off. Taking the free Paddington Express over to the Terminal 2/3 Station I was able to get us to the wrong hotel before making good and eventually checking in to the Garden Inn Hilton. Early evening drinks up at the Runway Bar and then down to the restaurant for an excellent chicken Piri Piri. Early to bed ready for an 0430 wake-up call the next morning. February 10th: Early morning departure (0800) on BA894 to Reykjavik We were awake and checked out by about 0500 and the Paddington Express returned us to Terminal 5 where we passed through formalities with ease and went up to the lounge for breakfast. Not having flown for two years I was somewhat apprehensive about all the Covid-19 formalities but our paperwork was hardly looked at. Access to the T5 lounge was part of our BA Holidays package and the bacon rolls and coffee were very enjoyable. The flight boarded but was slightly delayed in taking off but the lost time was made up and I believe we landed more or less on time at Keflavik Internatonal Airport. Our airport transfer was waiting for us and delivered us to the canopy Hotel in Reykjavic City Centre. Having visited Iceland twice before I was able to offer Yolande a personalised city tour in the freezing temperatures which were prevailing. February 11th: Day at leisure in Reykjavik We walked from the hotel to the Europcar depot over near to the container terminal which was 5.5km mostly on snow covered pavements which made for slow progress in freezing temperatures. The first couple of kilometers were along the Sculpture & Shore Walk which passed the Sun Voyager and Höfơi House sites. We had a coffee in a petrol station cafe which was opposite the Cabin Hotel where I'd stayed previously. The second half of the walk was along Laugarasvegur, lined with some very expensive looking properties. Picking up the car was easy enough with a very comprehensive handover briefing. I’d booked a Kia Sportage as I have one at home but had opted for an 4WD version because of the winter conditions. The car we were given was a Suzuki Across 4WD which was very well equipped and easy to drive. I found driving in the area to be quite stress free with little traffic on our routes. We drove to the Grandi Harbour District to climb the Pufa mound but the path was too icy to risk so we drove on to the excellent Grandi Matholl Food Court where we enjoyed a great lunch. Yolande had lamb skewers from the Fjarhusid counter whilst I opted for plaice and chips from the Frystihusid counter. After lunch we drove over to the Grotta Fridland – Nature Reserve for a look around and to where we returned one cold night to look at the Northern Lights. On the way back into the city centre we visited the Maritime Museum. Dinner was at the nearby Hard Rock Cafe which was very good but we'd enjoyed a M&S Margerita Cocktail (highly recommended) in our room before that. February 12th: Self-drive Golden Circle Tour This was to be a big day out on one of Iceland's classic tours and I was glad we had 4WD capability as it was very wintery. We were soon out of the city centre headed north on Highway 1 before leaving that and turning eastwards onto Highway 36, for Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Hot Springs and the Gullfoss Waterfall. Thingvellir National Park: No single place epitomizes the history of Iceland and the Icelandic nation better than Þingvellir by the river Öxará. At Þingvellir - literally "Assembly Plains" - the Alþing general assembly was established around 930 and continued to convene there until 1798. Major events in the history of Iceland have taken place at Þingvellir and therefore the place is held in high esteem by all Icelanders. Today Þingvellir is a protected national shrine. According to the law, passed in 1928, the protected area shall always be the property of the Icelandic nation, under the preservation of the Alþing. There is a small visitor centre here with gift shop and a small cafe - pay and display parking. Geysir Hot Springs: A favorite stop along the Golden Circle is the highly active Geysir Hot Spring Area with boiling mud pits, exploding geysers. A favourite is lively Strokkur geyser, which spouts water 30 metres (100 ft) into the air every few minutes. There is a good gift shop within the visitor centre and a large cafe and free parking - take care crossing the road to the geyser area though! Gullfoss Waterfall: In volume, Gullfoss is the largest waterfall in Europe. The average water flow is around 49,441 ft³/s during its peak season of summer and only 2,825 ft³/s during the winter season. Gullfoss is fed from the wide Hvítá river as it travels from Langjökull, Iceland’s second-largest glacier. During a flood of the Hvítá river, Gullfoss broke records at a water flow of 70,629.33 ft³/s. There is a very large visitor centre here with plenty of food options and an equally large gift shop and plenty of free parking. Kerid Volcanic Crater: Geological Aspect of Kerið Crater - With distinctive volcanic red rock slopes, the crater measures approximately 558 feet (170 meters) in width with a circumference of 886 feet (270 meters) and it is 180 feet (55 meters) deep. Kerið Crater in South Iceland is a volcanic crater that is believed to be 3,000-year-old, which seems to be approximately half of the age of other volcanic calderas found in Iceland. We returned to Reykjavik after the Kerid Volcanic Crater and the south coast highway. For dinner we went back to the Grandi Matholl Food Court for another great meal and then drove over to the Grotta Fridland – Nature Reserve, to view the Northern Lights but it was very cold and it took some time for them to appear and it wasn't the greatest display. Locals we talked to said it was the first sighting for a long time. February 13th: Self-drive tour of the Reykjanes Peninsular Reykjanes is a small headland on the southwestern tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, giving the main peninsula its name. The region is about nine kilometres from Iceland's international airport. Driving out of the city centre was easy enough from the multi-story car park next to our hotel as our route would take us past the main interational airport. We arrived at Suðurnesjabær where we enjoyed a coffee in the nearby motel as the lighthouse cafe was closed. This would be a great spot for viewing the northern lights. We continued southwards, stopping briefly to see some Icelandic Ponies before continuing to follow the coasline eastwards. The peninsula’s surrounding steam and the natural Reykjanes hot springs is a good indicator of the immense natural energy found in the area. Covering the whole of the peninsula is rough and outlandish dark lava with mossy tops. The colours of the peninsula are truly fascinating and are in an array from dark grey to red to turquoise blue, although most of the lanscape was snow covered. We reached the very quiet fishing village of Grindavik where we found the Café Bryggjan on the dockside so went in for lunch. The lobster soup was amazing with a second helping included in the price - big lumps of lobster too if you stirred the pot! Yolande was lucky enough to order Gluten Free food but the choice was limited. I'd watched a large fishing boat tie up next to the Café Bryggjan so went over to take some photos and the crew, busy offloading their catch, came over to talk to me. They'd landed 50 tons of cod the day before and were a happy bunch. We returned to Reykjavik to drop the car off at the domestic airport and get a taxi back to our hotel as heavy snow started to fall and we later walked through blizzard like conditions to find a restaurant for dinner. February 14th: Day at leisure in Reykjavik Without a car we'd decided to further explore Reykjavik on foot for the day before a Valentine's Day dinner in the hotel restaurant. Our Rohan clothing kept us warm and dry from the continuous snow which fell all day. Yolande led us to a nice warm coffee shop before we returned for a picnic lunch in our hotel room. After lunch we went for our final walk around the city centre and at one stage I had to pull her to safety as the snow plough clearing the pavement wasn't even slowing down for us so we ended up in two feet of snow. Down at the Viking Ship the wind was so strong it was difficult to stay upright. We later took the lift to the top of the Hallgrímskirkja (“Church of Hallgrímur” in English), one of Reykjavík’s main landmarks. The impressive church towers over the city’s skyline, rising out of the capital’s center like a concrete geyser. Dinner in the hotel was excellent - best Cod and Chips I've ever eaten. February 15th: BA flight back to the UK.
Our airport transfer was a bit delayed because BA Holidays had sent the driver to a different hotel. The flight back to LHR was comfortable (after the aircraft was de-iced) with bangers and mash on offer which was really good and a tasty GF meal for Yolande too.
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2021 OnwardsFollowing on from retirement, more time will be available for hill and mountain walking on a personal basis with friends. Categories |