Magic circle
Iceland is open for green list travel, so it’s the ideal time to hit the ring road, says Sarah Marshall
by hefty fishermen who used them to measure their might.
Nearby there’s an opportunity to replicate Jules Verne’s Journey To The Centre Of The Earth by descending 650ft into Vatnshellir cave, an 8,000-year-old lava tunnel accessed by a spiral staircase (£21; summit guides.is). Two coiling towers created by an expulsion of gas are highlights of the 45-minute tour.
For a quirky dose of local culture, visit the studio of pagan artist Liston in Grundarfjordur (Solvellir 6). Firmly believing every stone has a soul, his rocky works of art take shape according to their inner spirits.
Afterwards, pop into nearby slow food restaurant Bjargarsteinn House Of Food (Solvellir 15; bjargarsteinn.is), where chef Gunnar Gardarsson and his wife transported a 110-year-old wooden house 87 miles on wheels. ■■Stay: Hotel Budir frames the beach and coastline through its floor to ceiling windows (doubles from £223, room only; hotelbudir.is).
Hiking and hot pools
There are few forests in Iceland, but clutches of wind-stunted, dwarfed birch woodlands cover Husafell, a playground of hiking, biking, horse-riding and running routes through canyons and rivers. The park lies inland; turn off from route 1 and take the 50 and 518.
Options for walking are plentiful. Self-guided trails, which all begin at the visitor centre, range from a 45-minute stroll through ancient settlements, to a seven-hour glacier ascent. Or visit the Canyon Baths (£56; husafell.com), where a guided two-hour stomp is rewarded with a dip in geothermal waters.
Constructed using flagstone from the canyon floor, the environmentallysound site features three pools of varying temperature, all fed by hot springs. Hang your towel on a horseshoe hook recycled from a farm, and savour superb views of mountains and glaciers.
While in the area, stop at Hraunfossar, a 3,280ft wall of waterfalls, and Barnafoss, where ferocious flows have sculpted a slalom of twists and tunnels. Deildartunguhver, the most productive hot spring in Europe, is also close by, providing water to sleek spa Krauma (£26 plus £5 towel hire; krauma.is), where there is also a restaurant for refuelling.
■■Stay: Harnessing the power of the surrounding glaciers and hot springs, modern eco-hotel Husafell is in the thick of the wild action (doubles from £110, room only; husafell.com).
Viking battles and wild waterfalls
Far less touristy than the southern circuit, northern Iceland harbours a secret store of wild, untethered waterfalls and ancient paths few people tread. Diverting from route 1, head inland along gravel road 715 to find Kolufoss, a barrier-free waterfall cascading through a gorge, where it’s possible to sit right under the spray.
Further north along the Vatnsnes peninsula is the Borgarvirki; fortified by basalt walls, the hilltop construction could once have been a fortress. Its origins remain uncertain, but eye-stretching views of ochre valleys and inky lakes are guaranteed.
More insight into the past can be found at 1238 The Battle Of Iceland (£20; 1238.is), an interactive museum in Saudarkrokur on the neighbouring fjord. Recounting one of the country’s bloodiest battles, it features a VR room for an alarmingly realistic taste of those violent times.
■■Stay: One of Iceland’s oldest wooden houses, Hotel Tindastoll has its own hot spring (doubles from £110, B&B; arctichotels.is).
Beer baths and whale flukes
A roller-coaster ride of precipitous clifftops and tunnels, this section of the coastline is a thrill to drive. Taking the 76 towards Hofsos, head to Siglufjordur, once the centre of the country’s herring industry. The excellent Herring Era Museum (£10; sild.is/en) charts the history of the formerly thriving trade. Touching details include the scrawls of frustrated “herring ladies”, scratched into the walls of their factory dorms.
If the smell of fish scales is overwhelming, wash away any unpleasant odours with a soak in the Bjorbodin Beer Spa (£113 for a couple; bjorbodin.is) in Arskogssandur, a 45-minute drive south along the 76 and 82. Strip down and dip into a private tub of young beer, spring water, Vitamin B-rich brewer’s yeast and hops packed with antioxidants for 25 minutes of bevvie bliss. An unlimited supply of locally brewed Baldi beer is available on tap.
Stop for a snap at the two mighty horseshoe cataracts of Godafoss, the “waterfall of the Gods”, continue north on the 845 and 85 to Husavik.
Sightings of humpbacks are likely in this whale-watching capital, especially from May to September. See them on a carbon-neutral boat tour (£61 for three hours; northsailing.is). Or watch them breach and fluke from the clifftop Geosea infinity pools (£28; geosea.is). ■■Stay: Fosshotel Husavik might be part of a chain but it still has character (doubles from £78, room only; islandshotel.is)
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A two-hour stomp is rewarded with a dip in geothermal waters