Iceland: Part Three
I woke up feeling really excited for this particular day in Iceland, I was starting the morning off horse riding for several hours and later in the afternoon a round trip around the famous Golden Circle. Out of the entire week I spent exploring Iceland, luckily this was the only day where I experienced very intense weather conditions, we’re talking all four seasons in less than an hour.
I spent the morning traversing the countryside with the Icelandic horses, a beautiful and hardy breed known for their calm nature. After gearing up for the worsening weather outside I was paired with a horse, my horse’s name in Icelandic translated to ‘golden’. By the time we set off on our ride it had begun to hail, sleet was falling on the ground and the wind was absolutely brutal. Regardless of this I was more concerned with taking in the landscape and the ride itself. We were riding through the farmlands where the stables were located, which was surrounded by large snowcapped mountains. the horses were so comfortable to ride and followed along one after another. Throughout the ride we followed a long trail which took around two and a half hours, even crossing small rivers. Though the wind was worsening and I was feeling it through four layers of clothing I loved the whole experience and would happily do it again!
We arrived back at the stables where we returned the horses to their grazing and replaced our gear. There were several groups riding during the morning session, however only a few of us remained waiting to join the afternoon segment of the day. Our lunch consisted of a warm Icelandic soup with tea and cake – one of the best meals I’ve ever had, given the insane weather we’d just endured. It took me a while to be able to get the feeling back in my hands and legs! During this time I met the lovely Jennifer and Denise visiting from America (shout out to you both for a very fun day braving the Icelandic weather elements!) We got talking over various travel related topics and ended up hanging out for most of the day.
The afternoon began on a bus to the Golden Circle, one of Iceland’s most famous attractions. A road that travels around to several different iconic locations. We visited three of them, the Stokkur Geysir, Þingvellir national park and the amazing Gullfoss waterfall. We had joined the rest of the tour group and with limited time at each stop, we had to make sure that we made the most of it. The weather definitely took a turn for the worst as the afternoon wore on, but this didn’t deter my spirits. I was on day four of my visit to the country and just as excited as ever! In the above images you can see more of beautiful Þingvellir national park. This time I visited an area further along that my first trip earlier in the week. The white buildings form part of the oldest parliament in the world, founded in 930 AD and has a fascinating history behind the site which is well worth reading into! The park is also home to the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian Plates, you can even scuba dive there.
By the time we had arrived at Gullfoss it was beginning to snow fairly heavily and whilst I was freezing I was pretty excited to see snow again. To be honest the novelty of it still hasn’t worn off (much like my affinity for squirrels in England). After a short walk down the boardwalk the roar of the falls quickly becomes apparent, as does the power of the water as it comes into view. I’ve now seen many waterfalls during my European travels, but Gullfoss is still one of my favourites. You can easily access many expansive views of the falls with several different viewing platforms to choose from. An incredible site and one you really can’t miss on an Icelandic holiday.
Our final stop for the tour was to visit the Stokkur Geyser and geothermal springs. This was a completely new type of geography to me. I’ve always been fascinated with geysers since I received a postcard from a family member years ago from New Zealand featuring them. The sleet was very sporadic by this time, which made it difficult to see as this was thrown in with the plumes of mist from all the geothermal activity. We were really excited to watch Stokkur erupt right in front of us, as the geyser features regular activity erupting every 5-10 minutes. We decided to keep exploring the other areas and luckily the weather started to clear up, with the sun coming out for a few moments. The colours of the soil are stunning in this area, with rich reds and browns mixed in with green moss cover. A really interesting location as I had never seen anything like it before.
These last two images were taken during the bus ride, as much as I wanted sleep the country side is incredible and it’s so different to anything I’ve seen before. I pretty much spent the entire bus ride just trying to take it all in, you could watch the weather patterns change and transform the landscape in a short period of time. Although the weather was very intense over the course of the day, if you asked me to do it all again my answer will always be a resounding yes! Keep an eye out for my next post featuring more of the stunning Icelandic countryside.
Kathleen Freeman is a graphic designer and freelance writer; she is currently undertaking a Media and Communications degree. In her spare time she continues the search to find the book/coffee shop combination store throughout the globe.
All images, unless otherwise stated, are copyright of Kathleen Freeman, and may not be reproduced without express written permission of the author.