Iceland in March - Advise me

[wiskey]

Ok so that was AWESOME!! except I came back ill and have taken a week to recover

Highlights included:

Seeing the lights!!
Accidentally climbing a glacier (accidentally as in we were supposed to be going ice caving but they weren't frozen so instead we got a private climb 15km up Skaftafell just us and two guides!!).
Waterfalls
Driving (and petrol not being too expensive)
Snow

Lowlights:
Not seeing any whales on a whale watching tour and being REALLY REALLY cold!
The Kex Hostel ... just not for me.

We rented a Rav4 through Sadcars and had no issues at all.
We stayed at the House of the Spirits in Reykjavik and I would definitely recommend it House of the Spirits Guesthouse - Luxury for Low Price - Reykjavik, Iceland.
Our chalet I booked through Owners Abroad and it was lovely.

Some pictures:

We will DEFINITELY be going back

ETA: the optical lens unit on my camera died an hour after we arrived so all pictures taken with my Z5 compact.

 

[catinthehat]

You were so close you should have dropped by for a cup of tea.

 

[wiskey]

You were so close you should have dropped by for a cup of tea.

Next time I shall take you up on that

 

[Addy]

Stunning photo's!
I hope your now well and it didn't ruin your trip.

How cold was it? What would you recommend in terms of clothing / layers?
Did you do the Golden circle tour?
Is 4x4 rental worthwhile? Is navigation easy?

Sorry for so many questions, but I want to get the most out of my visit.

 

[wiskey]

Stunning photo's!
I hope your now well and it didn't ruin your trip.

How cold was it? What would you recommend in terms of clothing / layers?
Did you do the Golden circle tour?
Is 4x4 rental worthwhile? Is navigation easy?

Sorry for so many questions, but I want to get the most out of my visit.

I was ill for a night whilst we were there (which probably added to me not liking the Kex much) but overall pretty much nothing could have spoilt the trip.

I was concerned that they were having a 'heatwave' before we went and it wouldn't be very cold at all (esp when we were told that the ice caves weren't frozen) ... but it was cold! It depends a bit on what you are doing though. The coldest I felt was sitting still on the top of a whale watching boat out at sea for 4 hours without moving, the warmest I felt was hiking up the glacier. We started off in jeans when we were in Reykjavik but once we got out of town for 5 days we soon moved up to thermals (Mountain warehouse had a BOGOF last time I was in there btw) and on occasion padded ski/snow trousers. It's the wind that bites. Good lightweight layers and waterproof boots are the key and a really snuggly hat. There's a lot of water! either falling from the sky or falling as waterfalls.

We didn't exactly do the 'tour' ... we did the Golden Circle on our way back to Reykjavik from our chalet near Hvolsvöllur so we started by driving to Geysir and then to Gullfoss and then to Thingvellir and then down to Reykjavik. There were a LOT of people on tours though, shuttling around. If I am completely honest the GC was probably the least impressive bit of the holiday ... except the bit of route 36 around
Tjaldsvæði which is just a magical and snow covered wonderland. Having a car made our agenda our own and we could leap out to take pictures wherever, I think the tours are a bit limited in that respect. Getting to Thingvellir viewing point at sunset is a must imo ... we missed it by about 15 minutes but it was still pretty spectacular.

WRT cars, we decided to go with SadCars as we didn't want the stress of worrying about stuff, and our chalet was in the Middle of Nowhere. We got a Rav4 (everything there is automatic to appease the daft Americans) and it was fine, we were looking at a Jimny but I wanted a bit more space to get changed/put boots on etc in the car, and that proved useful. Do you need a 4x4 ... if you are pootling round Reykjavik or just going up route 1 or 36 then you can probably get away without ... anything else I'd say yes, we went down some pretty funky roads (inc one they were actively still building). So it depends how adventurous you are feeling, definitely couldn't have coped with doing tours to someone elses agenda. Navigation was piss easy - there's very few roads and we basically went along route 1 most of the time. Googlemaps works fine, mostly has coverage as long as you aren't under a mountain and most of the roads are in a 'reasonable' condition ... and they seem to spend most of their time actively patching them up. Don't forget a car phone charger. Surprisingly petrol is about the same as the UK.

The only thing I might consider doing differently is booking on a tour to see the northern lights, we did it ourselves and actually having a bit of local knowledge about where to go etc would have been good. One night we failed to see them but overheard other tourists the next day saying what lovely photo's they'd taken on the tour. We did get to see them eventually.

The rest of the photo's: Iceland 2015

 

[Addy]

Awesome photo's, thanks for sharing. Really looking forward to going now.
I have thermals from working nights, good boots and merino wool socks.... and yaktrax in case its slippy underfoot.
I think my motorbike coat & trousers will suffice wind and rain.
I'll nick an incar kettle from work to take with me if I go the car hire route and see if I can negotiate a discount if I let them keep it
How much was car hire BTW?

Any tips on places to eat? (we will be stationed in Reykjavik)

I dont do selfies, but a stick might be on order if we get to see the NL

 

[wiskey]

Awesome photo's, thanks for sharing. Really looking forward to going now.
I have thermals from working nights, good boots and merino wool socks.... and yaktrax in case its slippy underfoot.
I think my motorbike coat & trousers will suffice wind and rain.
I'll nick an incar kettle from work to take with me if I go the car hire route and see if I can negotiate a discount if I let them keep it
How much was car hire BTW?

Any tips on places to eat? (we will be stationed in Reykjavik)

We didn't eat out so no advice there.

Think the car cost between £250 -£300 (for 6 days) ... we got gravel/windscreen protection but not sand/ash. We also paid for two drivers.

 

[wiskey]

Actually that's a lie! I had my very first ever KFC in Reykjavik

 

[baldylocks]

I went for a long weekend a few months ago. I booked the tours at my hotel, I think all hotels do this. Cost wise I found food and drink etc about double the cost of here. The Golden Circle tour is awesome, the waterfall for me was the best sight, loved it. Reykjavik is pretty small, and consists really of two streets (shops and bars wise). I will return, very nice place and decent people.

 

[sim667]

I went for a long weekend a few months ago. I booked the tours at my hotel, I think all hotels do this. Cost wise I found food and drink etc about double the cost of here. The Golden Circle tour is awesome, the waterfall for me was the best sight, loved it. Reykjavik is pretty small, and consists really of two streets (shops and bars wise). I will return, very nice place and decent people.

Its not quite 2 streets small...... I thought it was tiny, but as we travelled out of it, new bits kept cropping up.

 

[sim667]

This thread makes me miss paprika and salt mix.

I just can't recreate the perfect flavour back here.

 

[not-bono-ever]

sadcars are very good. pre book and its 15% off . the small 4x4s are very good value

if anyone is doing the GC,then def check out this place:

SecretLagoon - Natural Hot Spring

a few quid each, better than the blue lagoon- and it has its own geyseyr at the top end of the pool

 

[catinthehat]

Windproof items of clothing are good as the cold is ramped up when its windy..and ir can get very windy. The Lights can come and go so its not really about local knowledge in terms of where to look. If you look up and you are out of a light pollution area you will see them if they are there. Really if you have a car or there are two or more of you the trips ate a waste of money. If you have a really tight budget walk out to Grotta on the Saltjarnes peninsula where its pretty dark. As I say they come and go and can be hardly there one moment and spectacular the next...you can miss a good sight just undoing your thermos. Languvaur is a small main street but its more like a cluster of towns than one big city with a clear middle. There's uptown and downtown and then several areas around ...the malls and theatre are outside the center as are some of the good galleries and museums. Check the Reykjavik Grapevine online English language paper as it has tons of info on.where to eat and what's on. Golden circle is tourist mobbed these days and there is plenty of wonder outside that ..westfjords or snafellsness will be quieter and just as lovely. More so really as.you get the solitude.

 

[wiskey]

Its not quite 2 streets small...... I thought it was tiny, but as we travelled out of it, new bits kept cropping up.

our mountain guides were complaining that Reykjavik is really 8 towns which have blended together, and when you think of it like that it makes a bit more sense. It's a pretty place but I think perhaps I expected a little more in terms of a 'centre'.

 

[wiskey]

If anything I found the golden circle a little too easy ... it was like Iceland light, you didn't have to put any effort in to be rewarded by stunning geography. I would definitely like to go to the West Fjords.

 

[sim667]

our mountain guides were complaining that Reykjavik is really 8 towns which have blended together, and when you think of it like that it makes a bit more sense. It's a pretty place but I think perhaps I expected a little more in terms of a 'centre'.

Yeah there isn't really a centre as such..... but then thats how the "city" has changed over time, they're kind of stuck with it to be honest.

 

[krtek a houby]

Great thread, all. Off at end of Feb; can't wait!

 

[Spymaster]

Ok so that was AWESOME!! except I came back ill and have taken a week to recover

Highlights included:

Seeing the lights!!
Accidentally climbing a glacier (accidentally as in we were supposed to be going ice caving but they weren't frozen so instead we got a private climb 15km up Skaftafell just us and two guides!!).
Waterfalls
Driving (and petrol not being too expensive)
Snow

Lowlights:
Not seeing any whales on a whale watching tour and being REALLY REALLY cold!
The Kex Hostel ... just not for me.

We rented a Rav4 through Sadcars and had no issues at all.
We stayed at the House of the Spirits in Reykjavik and I would definitely recommend it House of the Spirits Guesthouse - Luxury for Low Price - Reykjavik, Iceland.
Our chalet I booked through Owners Abroad and it was lovely.

Some pictures:

We will DEFINITELY be going back

ETA: the optical lens unit on my camera died an hour after we arrived so all pictures taken with my Z5 compact.

Great pics. I've always fancied Iceland. This thread has bumped it up my to do list.

 

[sim667]

I really want to go to the Pharaoh Islands after visiting Iceland, but have never got round (basically because I'm too unsure of myself to go on holiday on my own...... )

 

[wiskey]

Faroe me too, although there's loads of Northern Scotland I've never explored

 

[not-bono-ever]

Great pics. I've always fancied Iceland. This thread has bumped it up my to do list.

do it !

 

[belboid]

Sod March, what we need to know (okay, what I need to know) is, were I to be going on, say, thursday, for, I dont know, three days, to stay mostly in reykjavikk with a mid-length Golden Circle tour as well, what kind of footwear would I need? Are snowboots really necessary? catinthehat

 

[krtek a houby]

Not sure. I'm bringing hiking boots, myself, in case. It's 2 degrees in London at the moment. The same as Reykjavik!

 

[catinthehat]

Sod March, what we need to know (okay, what I need to know) is, were I to be going on, say, thursday, for, I dont know, three days, to stay mostly in reykjavikk with a mid-length Golden Circle tour as well, what kind of footwear would I need? Are snowboots really necessary? catinthehat

No, Snowboots are not needed. Some sturdy walking boots are fine. Golden Circle tour takes well used paths and you dont go anywhere wild (well in Icelandic standards). It might be slippy but that is about it. I guess you will go to Geysir which has proper paths, Gullfoss - ditto and maybe Pvingeller - also proper paths. The snow will be cleared from those if there is snow.

 

[belboid]

brill, thank you!

 

[catinthehat]

brill, thank you!

Have a great time (you will!). Top tips - take the lift up Halgrimmskirk (the big church overlooking the city) for a great view of Ryk and surroundings. You have to pay for the galleries but one payment gets you into the main ones and there are some great exhibitions if you are artsy. Wander round inside of Harpa (its as cool inside as it is outside). Eat a hotdog at the harbour (Benji Bestu). Go to Bergsson Mathus for the best breakfast ever. Dont buy anything in the 'Puffin Shops' its overpriced tat. If you have a fancy for something knitted in Icelandic wool (the jumpers last a lifetime) get it in a charity shop for 1/10th of the price of a new one. If you really want a new one get it from the Handknitting Association as these are made by individual local knitters rather than the mass produced ones in the other shops. Kex Hostel has good music and relatively cheap food and a good atmosphere.

 

[krtek a houby]

Have a great time (you will!). Top tips - take the lift up Halgrimmskirk (the big church overlooking the city) for a great view of Ryk and surroundings. You have to pay for the galleries but one payment gets you into the main ones and there are some great exhibitions if you are artsy. Wander round inside of Harpa (its as cool inside as it is outside). Eat a hotdog at the harbour (Benji Bestu). Go to Bergsson Mathus for the best breakfast ever. Dont buy anything in the 'Puffin Shops' its overpriced tat. If you have a fancy for something knitted in Icelandic wool (the jumpers last a lifetime) get it in a charity shop for 1/10th of the price of a new one. If you really want a new one get it from the Handknitting Association as these are made by individual local knitters rather than the mass produced ones in the other shops. Kex Hostel has good music and relatively cheap food and a good atmosphere.

Is the lundi worth eating, at all?

 

[catinthehat]

If anything I found the golden circle a little too easy ... it was like Iceland light, you didn't have to put any effort in to be rewarded by stunning geography. I would definitely like to go to the West Fjords.

Westfjords, Snafellsness and Akyeri are stunning - and fewer people. The best thing to do to get a sense of the place is either a road trip around the country in one week then do the Westfjords in week 2. Or the bus across the highlands (if you can stand many hours of being bumped up and down). Its like a crazy desert interspersed with mountains, glaciers and waterfalls - but you can only do that in the summer when the roads are open. Tourism has increased so much that the Golden Circle is now a circle of coaches. Ten years ago you could go to Gulfoss in April and have it all for yourself - not now.

 

[catinthehat]

Is the lundi worth eating, at all?

No. Just take a bite of duck and a bite of sardine at the same time = ludi. Smoked is better - but still a bit eeew. Smoked lamb on the other hand is excellent.

 

[wiskey]

I really hated the Kex, it was cold, austere and angled (if that makes sense). The breakfast was good though and the bar was cosy enough ... just the bedroom was really meh.