Iceland is my perfect place to warm up!
Kay Burley skips the snowmobiles and whales and heads straight for a perfect steam bath and the Northern Lights
ICELAND seems to be on everyone’s bucket list. Or at least that’s how it appears. Every time I mentioned I’d spent a few glorious days in this curious country, I was met with: ‘ I’ve always wanted to go there.’ Followed swiftly by: ‘Did you see the Northern Lights?’
The answer is, yes I did. Sort of. But, there really is so much more to Iceland than looking upwards.
Whale-watching, Icelandic horse riding, snowmobiling, all-terrain vehicle tours, caving… they’re all available for the more energetic traveller.
Or, for visitors more like me, there’ s breath taking scenery enjoyed from the sanctuary of the tranquil Blue Lagoon – a spa created from a nearby geothermal power plant (almost all of Iceland’s hot water is generated from the Earth’s core) developed into one of the country’s biggest tourist attractions.
I visited on a freezing November day and the tentative sub- zero steps from the main building to the water’s edge took my breath away, but the shivers quickly melted as I eased into the 37C biothermal lagoon. The waters are said to work wonders for the skin and, in addition, a silica mud mask is a must. I was a little embarrassed about wallowing around sporting the brilliant white mask, but everyone else in the lagoon was doing the same.
With the steam gently rising from the crystal- clear waters it was so relaxing I wanted to stay submerged forever, so I compromised and treated myself to a halfhour in-water massage. Lying on a floating yoga mat in those surroundings while having my shoulders manfully manipulated by a brilliant masseur will, without doubt, be a life memory for me.
Of course I wanted photos, too, but was worried about keeping my phone dry. I shouldn’t have been. There are plenty of staff who will take souvenir snaps on an iPad and email them to you, free of charge.
If you’re planning a trip to the lagoon, then go early would be my advice. It becomes very busy later in the day. I went at 9am by shuttle bus – it’s about 50 minutes from Reykjavik – and had the waters almost to myself for an hour or so. Travelling by bus is an excellent way to get around the country.
Fewer than a third of a million people live in Iceland, with about 120,000 in Reykjavik.
However, business is booming and, after the challenges of the financial crisis brought the country to its knees, it’s rebuilding quickly and tourists are flocking there. Two million visited this year and that number is predicted to grow by 40 per cent next year, so go soon.
Hotels in Reykjavik cater for all wallets, though Iceland is expensive. A G&T cost me £14 and supper for two more than £100. Do not buy bottled water. Tap water is excel- lent, and it’s free. The new harbour is a bustling part of town and there’s a strong party scene. Restaurants are plentiful and there’s lots of fabulous food to choose from, including a ‘world-famous’ hot-dog stand where tourists and locals alike queue around the block. Architecture in the capital is not so much of a draw, if I’m honest, but I enjoyed strolling around the small city and a two-hour walking tour conducted
by a local historian was informative and fun.
However, I wanted to see much more than geothermal swimming pools – even if Ryan Gosling and the cast of the Game Of Thrones had been seen wallowing in one of the outdoor public baths while I was there. So, I left behind the heated pavements of the capital – no necessity to shovel away snow – for a Golden Circle Tour of geysers and waterfalls.
The scenery is second to none. Hot, old geysers putting on a regular show are a popular stop for tourists. We visit Pingvellir, a national park that sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of two tectonic plates and the site of the oldest parliament in the world. It’s also said to be one of the best spots for diving in Iceland.
At the Gullfoss waterfall, the power of nature sees chocolate-milk-coloured water flow over the precipice at 2,000 cubic metres per second. Don’t stand too near the edge, though. Some have, with fatal consequences.
Of course, I couldn’t not mention the Northern Lights. Tour operators are geared up for the spectacular phenomenon and, on a daily basis, they measure magnetic activity to predict what might happen on any given night.
Be prepared to stand in the freezing cold for a long time waiting for Mother Nature to put on a show. I was in the US in August waiting with eager anticipation as a total eclipse was promised. The moon nibbled at the sun the second it had been predicted to, right on cue. That doesn’t happen with the Northern Lights. There’s a lot of looking up in eager anticipation. It was freezing, and just when I could no longer feel my toes and thought I needed to call it an evening, the magic came.
So, if the most you knew about Iceland previously was that it was home to an unpronounceable volcano that caused flight chaos in 2010, then now’s the time to visit this stunning part of the world.
The phrase locals used to me time and again was: Take nothing from us and leave nothing behind.
I think I may have left a little part of my heart there.