On a recent business trip to Iceland I found myself humming this famous Beatles tune on more than one occasion. For those who have already been on a self-drive holiday there, you’ll know why!
If you are familiar with this website I probably don’t need to tell you about all the fantastic things there are to see and do in this larger than life island. My reasons why Iceland makes the perfect destination for those who enjoy adventures on four wheels: out of the city the roads are traffic-free; roads sweep, twist, turn or disappear straight into the horizon; from the comfort of your own vehicle you’ll come across view after incredible view! That doesn’t mean you can’t stop and get out from time to time as you’ll no doubt want to get busy with your camera or stretch your legs with some walking amongst some fascinating scenery. And there are plenty of delightful places where you’ll want time to explore. On our short trip time was pretty limited so make sure you allow for a reasonably paced itinerary – our travel consultants will be able to advise you on this.
The end of summer is a great time for exploring the Icelandic countryside, especially as major attractions are that little less busy. Heading south out of Reykjavik on Road 1, we took in the iconic waterfalls, glaciers and black sand beaches which make this area so popular, especially with first-time visitors. Road 1 here is mostly flat, skirting around towering former sea cliffs and traversing wide open plains. This is definitely ‘Top Gear’ country – in fact the whole country is and it’s common knowledge that a certain Mr J. Clarkson has an affinity for this north Atlantic jewel.
Onwards and upwards – literally! The glorious East Fjords are blessed with picturesque fishing villages reached by mountain roads made up of a series of amazing switchbacks that wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond movie. Fortunately there were plenty of places to stop and soak up all that amazing scenery.
We cut inland to Egilsstadir then west towards Lake Myvatn, experiencing an unpaved road through a vast, dry desert. The stark lavascape, edged by incredible mountains made it feel like we were driving on the moon. A 4WD vehicle is a must but you don’t need a big jeep – we had a Skoda Octavia which performed brilliantly plus it had plenty of luggage space! Whether driving on tarmac or unpaved roads, the ride was smooth, comfortable and the Octavia was spacious enough for four.
The long and definitely winding road tracing the shores of Lake Myvatn demonstrates just how enormous this piece of water is and there are plenty of interesting natural wonders to visit. From here it was off to Akureyri via Husavik on a rollercoaster of a road – great fun!
As ours was a rather quick business trip, countless fuel stations with the obligatory hamburger and hot dog offerings when filling up became rather tedious but the wonderful evening meals where we stayed overnight, more than made up for that! As soon as we were away from the pumps, the views and simple joy of driving soon got our minds back on track, albeit in places, a rugged track!
Fortunately our range of self-drive itineraries allow for a much more relaxed way of experiencing Iceland. Check them out here…
Jo Bower
We were actually driving along such a road when this tune came on our CD!! Out came the camera and we videoed the road along with background tune!
Posted by: Angela Taylor | November 16, 2009 at 05:03 PM