Iceland Winter WonderlandWe helped to put together a bespoke trip to Iceland in search of glaciers, northern lights and even some ice fishing. Pam and Alan Ball share some of the highlights.....
Winter Wonderland ( even without any fishing !!!)
The trip to Iceland in January was a lovely surprise ( especially as we had planned to go to the sunshine in Morrocco but the temptation of seeing a few rivers and the Northern Lights took over !!)
Iceland has many natural attractions the scenery the wonderful northern lights the food ( more of that later ) and above all the people. The airport is efficient and welcoming and Reykjavik is a lovely little city.
Because we had to change our plans due to the weather ( we seemed to take the snow with us from England ) we spent a little more time in the city than we had expected.
Whilst it is small it offers some of the best food we have had anywhere in the world. The fish and lamb are exceptional ( especially if you avoid the fermented shark ) but it is worth experimenting with the tasting dishes some of the restaurants offer. We didn’t expect to eat minkie whale, reindeer or puffin but all were a pleasant surprise.
We were taken out some nights to “hunt the lights “ but to no avail. We did however get the chance to meet a very nice Icelandic horse ( whatever you do don’t call them ponies ) in a cosy stable at midnight --- it is a long story !
Reykjavik also has it’s Latin side. We found a delightful café full of locals who meet every Wednesday to perform the Argentine Tango and most welcoming they were.
Leaving Reykjavik allowed us to see some of the most magnificent scenery with volcanoes, frozen waterfalls, geysers, hot springs ,glaciers and even a beach. The glacier trip was undertaken in the largest 4x4 vehicle know to man and we have the photos to prove it ! The glacier is blue and to driving on the ice is a very disorientating experience but fun.
Our plans changed frequently due to the weather and it was down to Throstur and his team that everything worked so well. He kept in touch with us whilst we were in town and on the move. He is a real gentleman and did everything he could to make our trip a success ( even organising fireworks !!!)
It was really helpful to see the large relief map of the island in City Hall to make sense of the geography. Driving in winter in Iceland is an adventure the black ice and new snow does make you a little anxious but confident drivers and studs in tyres meant we had an uneventful journey.
We travelled south first hosted by Christian who not only kept us up to date with geography history and his culinary expertise but also kept Alan hanging on a hook with his tales of fishing in the long summer days. He proved a really lovely companion who suffered our sense of humour without complaint. We stayed in the small cosy lodge at Minnivallalaekur and got a chance to see the rather cold and windy river ( mainly through the window ) but here we did get to see the Northern Lights and that really is very very special.
The rivers we passed although rather icy in January look inviting and some of them small enough to tempt the sight fisherman. We moved further along the north east coast and met up with our next host Suddi. He is a larger than life character ( who certainly has seen life !!) He took us to our next stop the lodge at Breiddalsa.
This certainly presented a stunning snowy picture as daylight dawned. The lodge is extremely comfortable and Suddi’s cooking lived up to our experience of Icelandic food and hospitality.
We ventured out of the lodge to see the fish hatchery and some of the wonderful landscape. ( and Alan has now become an ace reindeer spotter )
The ice fishing was fairly brief because of the weather but a unique experience first to drive onto the lake then to fish through holes with the smallest rods you ever did see. The most essential piece of ice fishing equipment? A soup ladle! (To scoop the reforming ice from the hole).
Our return to Reykjavik was a little sooner than expected but the weather played it’s part again and thanks to Siggi we arrived at the airport and a brilliant pilot took us safely back to Reykjavik.
Iceland is a land of stunning scenery wonderful food and some of the most hospitable and flexible people we have ever met. They have one great selling point for any would be fisher person and that is ‘no biting mosquitoes’ even in summer.
So would we go back probably yes but we might give January a miss !
Our thanks go to everyone involved in the trip but Throstur made sure it all happened and a big thank you to him and his family.
Many thanks once again to Mat and Fly Odyssey for providing yet another adventure but this time in the snow. We’re now re-packing for another fly fishing odyssey to Mexico hopefully for some saltwater fishing and sunshine and no more furry hats!!
