Iceland Road Trip

PixelTrawler

Its a photographers dream... you really should look into a trip over if you haven't been. Finally got around to getting pictures up on pix.ie into an album.

I'm already provisionally planning the next trip, even if thats a few years away. This first trip was to get a lay of the land sort of feel for the place. Beautiful country to drive around (even when it rains... but less so!)

We covered about half the coastline and a bit inland. You really need a jeep to venture further in land and funds didn't stretch that far. September is a good time to go as the tourist numbers fall off a cliff, prices are a bit lower (we had many guest houses to ourselves) but the days are still pretty long, weather was very decent and from late August you have the northern lights.

The roads where paved are excellent, where gravel can be a bit of a nightmare. The landscape is extremely varied, it seems to change completely every 50kms or so.

There are a few companies renting old second hand cars and we saved a fortune that way. Do not rent a new car if you can avoid it. Its still expensive but much less so. No direct flights unfortunately, we had to go through gatwick.

Heres a few and theres more over on pix.ie if ye want a gander











For anyone thats been I'd love to see other photos of the place and for anyone that hasn't.. well a trip over... its the best present you could get yourself. I'm completely spellbound by the place now

If anyone wants any tips or names of places to go, stay or what car hire we used just ask away..

Das Kitty

Went there on honeymoon in 2008. A few photos in my flickr account, your photos are making me long for the place now.

the_doctor199

Some gorgeous images in there. I've been looking at a trip, I'll probably wait until the direct flight from Belfast begins though.

PixelTrawler

Wait wait wait... Theres going to be direct flights from Belfast? Any idea when?

Its funny when people ask over there if its your first time, kinda in a way that suggests you will be back anyway. They are very proud people, about an hour in the country you will start to see why. The place is gorgeous.

CatchLight

Love the pictures Solyad!

I spent 3 weeks in Iceland, camping near Skaftafell, for my dissertation fieldwork. The place blew my mind.

I have been planning the return trip since I lost all the photos I took when my laptop was stolen. :mad: Hopefully 2013 will be the year. I want to go for a longer stay this time. Cannot wait.

the_doctor199

Solyad wrote: »

Wait wait wait... Theres going to be direct flights from Belfast? Any idea when?

It was originally supposed to start with Iceland Express this summer but it was delayed until 2012.

PixelTrawler

CatchLight wrote: »

Love the pictures Solyad!

I spent 3 weeks in Iceland, camping near Skaftafell, for my dissertation fieldwork. The place blew my mind.

I have been planning the return trip since I lost all the photos I took when my laptop was stolen. :mad: Hopefully 2013 will be the year. I want to go for a longer stay this time. Cannot wait.

Nasty loss. I've just done the usual double backup but its getting big to store. 5d2 raws are very large.

the_doctor199 wrote: »

It was originally supposed to start with Iceland Express this summer but it was delayed until 2012.

We took Iceland Express from Gatwick. On the way over the plane was quite old and the air con didn't work. Air hostess quipped it would get us used to the heat of Iceland... at least they have a sense of humour!
The plane back was very modern though.

breadmonkey

Hi Solyad, your photos have me planning a trip to Iceland! Could you give me an idea how expensive the country is?

PixelTrawler

Hi BreadMonkey

It’s not that bad... The one thing major out of whack is car hire.
Let me see...

Accommodation
They have a concept of "Sleeping Bag" accommodation. Basically normal bed without linen. We used that a few times. Stayed in a range from very basic guesthouses to decent hotels. Cost varied between about €25 and €70 euro per person. Some very good value. Some of the places were as good as hotels with good breakfast from as little as €35 per person.

A few spring to mind to google. Hotel Hellnar over in Snæfellsjökull Peninsula, Hotel Anna, Hestheimer and Brunnholl along the south coast and Heydalur up in the Westfjords. Lovely place and very nice people. Oh Brunnholl gave me 50% off in exchange for a copy of some Northern Lights photos. Not too shabby.

Drink
First of all they have duty free on the way in and out of the country. Use it!
A pint is about 5.50 in a pub. Wine in a restaurant is very expensive. Off licences like Sweden are state run and beer is pretty expensive. No discounts for bulk buy either. They have short opening hours too. Bottles / cans are around 2.50 to 3 euro. We got some wine that wasnt far off Dunnes stores prices. High strength stuff is quite expensive a shot.

Food
They have a chain called Bonus which is like aldi. Most guesthouses had kitchens so we cooked a fair bit. Restaurants aren’t that much higher than Ireland price wise for main courses.

Car Hire
Mental prices. We used a second hand crowd called Sad Cars. It was an 11 year old yaris with 205k (km) on the clock! This cost was 650 euro for 15 days. Mind you it was bulletproof reliable. It had a fabulous 0.97L engine which was just perfect for those extremely steep mountain gravel roads.

A new car from Budget or Avis was closed to a grand. There are a few second hand rentals around. Sad Cars and Cheap Jeeps. Jeep hire is very expensive. We saw a lot of German, Swiss, Austrian jeeps around as people take the 3 day ferry from Denmark. Supposed to be a lovely journey too.

Oh the jeeps the locals have are nuts. Huge tires, sticking out wider than the body and the entire chassis raised. Our cars roof was just in line with their bonnets. They arent just for show either.

Fuel
Fuel was €1.47. Petrol stations are common on the west, south side. Ive heard it can be more of a problem on the more remote north west. We'll tackle that side again. Most fuel stops are credit card operated.

Blue Lagoon
Best €30 euro you'll spend in a long time. Make sure you plan for about 3-4 hours to spend there. Then its really good value.

I spent about 2 grand on flights, car hire, food and drink. We didn't go mad drinking but did treat ourselves to a few nices meals and hotels

Was it worth it... God yes..

One other thing. We bought the most recent version of the lonely planet. We found it pretty accurate and a useful guide to have.

Oh one final, final thing. I spent about 3-400 upgrading all my waterproof hiking gear. I wanted better gear for winter hikes anyway but thought the timing was apt. Didnt need it there at all. We got 13 lovely days and two foul ones that were driving days anyway. That being said, the locals said it was very unusual.

breadmonkey

Wow prices must have been ridiculous pre-recession! Thanks for the detailed post. So you spent 2k yourself (i.e. 4k for two people)? That's a fair bit more than I had hoped but it does look like a magnificent country so I'll have to get saving.

What would you say is the best time of year to go?

PixelTrawler

Yeah 2 grand per person... and that was being careful. Like I said we didnt go mad and we traded a few nights of very basic sleeping bag accommodation for some nice nights in hotels. It is worth it though.

As for the best time. Peak season is June to August but very busy. It seems early september was a good bet. We had a good few guesthouses completely to ourselves, tourist numbers are way down at the attractions, prices are lower (bear in mind our costs are off peak cost) but the days are still pretty long and the weather on fine days was lovely. 15c, sun. However it could be biting cold too but we had the gear for it.

We spent two weeks for much cheaper in the south of France last year and while that was also beautiful, and Iceland more expensive, I think it's Iceland I'll remember more in the years to come. Also it gets its bloody hooks into your soul. Ive heard a lot of people say it, now I understand it!

PixelTrawler

Oh on a photography note. Going june vs september. You are trading midnight sunsets for potential northern lights. We'll be going back for the midnight sun, however I think I'll also be back myself for the Northern Lights...

mervifwdc

It's definitly on my list of places to visit, I spoke to someone who shipped their motorhome there and spent 2 months going round. Amazing!

WastedSpace

Solyad wrote: »

Hi BreadMonkey

It’s not that bad... The one thing major out of whack is car hire.
Let me see...

Accommodation
They have a concept of "Sleeping Bag" accommodation. Basically normal bed without linen. We used that a few times. Stayed in a range from very basic guesthouses to decent hotels. Cost varied between about €25 and €70 euro per person. Some very good value. Some of the places were as good as hotels with good breakfast from as little as €35 per person.

A few spring to mind to google. Hotel Hellnar over in Snæfellsjökull Peninsula, Hotel Anna, Hestheimer and Brunnholl along the south coast and Heydalur up in the Westfjords. Lovely place and very nice people. Oh Brunnholl gave me 50% off in exchange for a copy of some Northern Lights photos. Not too shabby.

Drink
First of all they have duty free on the way in and out of the country. Use it!
A pint is about 5.50 in a pub. Wine in a restaurant is very expensive. Off licences like Sweden are state run and beer is pretty expensive. No discounts for bulk buy either. They have short opening hours too. Bottles / cans are around 2.50 to 3 euro. We got some wine that wasnt far off Dunnes stores prices. High strength stuff is quite expensive a shot.

Food
They have a chain called Bonus which is like aldi. Most guesthouses had kitchens so we cooked a fair bit. Restaurants aren’t that much higher than Ireland price wise for main courses.

Car Hire
Mental prices. We used a second hand crowd called Sad Cars. It was an 11 year old yaris with 205k (km) on the clock! This cost was 650 euro for 15 days. Mind you it was bulletproof reliable. It had a fabulous 0.97L engine which was just perfect for those extremely steep mountain gravel roads.

A new car from Budget or Avis was closed to a grand. There are a few second hand rentals around. Sad Cars and Cheap Jeeps. Jeep hire is very expensive. We saw a lot of German, Swiss, Austrian jeeps around as people take the 3 day ferry from Denmark. Supposed to be a lovely journey too.

Oh the jeeps the locals have are nuts. Huge tires, sticking out wider than the body and the entire chassis raised. Our cars roof was just in line with their bonnets. They arent just for show either.

Fuel
Fuel was €1.47. Petrol stations are common on the west, south side. Ive heard it can be more of a problem on the more remote north west. We'll tackle that side again. Most fuel stops are credit card operated.

Blue Lagoon
Best €30 euro you'll spend in a long time. Make sure you plan for about 3-4 hours to spend there. Then its really good value.

I spent about 2 grand on flights, car hire, food and drink. We didn't go mad drinking but did treat ourselves to a few nices meals and hotels

Was it worth it... God yes..

One other thing. We bought the most recent version of the lonely planet. We found it pretty accurate and a useful guide to have.

Oh one final, final thing. I spent about 3-400 upgrading all my waterproof hiking gear. I wanted better gear for winter hikes anyway but thought the timing was apt. Didnt need it there at all. We got 13 lovely days and two foul ones that were driving days anyway. That being said, the locals said it was very unusual.

5.50 a pint?!?!?!?!? :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Worth booking your hire car (and the insurance) online before you go otherwise they try to rip you off as is the case for you

thefizz

WastedSpace wrote: »

5.50 a pint?!?!?!?!? :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Thats not so bad, I paid similar amount ten years ago when in Iceland. Mind you I only had one or two.

PixelTrawler

WastedSpace wrote: »

5.50 a pint?!?!?!?!? :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Worth booking your hire car (and the insurance) online before you go otherwise they try to rip you off as is the case for you

Em, no we did book it online, months in advance. I'm just pointing out second hand is much cheaper. We used SAD cars (small Icelandic firm). This was after checking all the big companies and my GF who is German also checked a few German companies. She found them through a German car rental search site.

In the end SAD were cheapest after a very long search. Nice lads too... nice to support a small local company.

As for 5.50 a pint, its not that bad compared to Dublin pubs.

Freddie59

Those photos are absolutely breathtaking. I've always wanted to go - you've just convinced me!

PixelTrawler

And other reasons to go to Iceland...

JerryHandbag

Fantastic pics! Would April/May be another good time to see the Northern Lights?? Planning on heading there sometime next year, have wanted to go for years.

PixelTrawler

May could be too late plus the days are very long. I did hear it was visible in April this year but I don't think it would be as likely.

Best bet is to check sites online such as spaceweather.com for information

Captain Flaps

thefizz wrote: »

Thats not so bad, I paid similar amount ten years ago when in Iceland. Mind you I only had one or two.

I was there in early 2008, I remember paying €8 in a restaurant for a pint of Tuborg. I was brought a pint glass and a chilled can! This was a pretty nice restaurant too.

I'll post some of my pics here later when I get home!

kelly1

I had a look at your pix.ie album, great shots! Looks like a real photographers paradise.