Iceland advice

[Moonshane]

Hi all

My amazing wife surprised me the other day by suggesting we find a way to save and fund a short 4 day break to Iceland to celebrate my 50th next February half term!

Obviously the Aurora would be the main interest for me as well as dark skies etc but I have always dreamed of going there since hearing of the geology of the place during my secondary school days. So even if the weather is pants there will be some amazing things to see.

I'd really welcome advice as varied as the type of clothing recommended for myself (a hardy astronomer) but more importantly my nesh (cannot stand the cold) but lovely wife, how much spending money we are likely to need and also even specific places / hotels / guides / the best way to have a good chance of Aurorae, albeit always weather dependent naturally. I hope people that have experienced this recently will be able to offer advice.

Cheers

Shane

 

[scarp15]

Hi Shane

Nice idea for a 50th,

My Sister and her family are just about to head out to Reykjavik on Friday for a four day trip as it happens, for my nieces birthday treat. It is their first time and I will get some feedback on their return and let you know. They are going as part of a structured tour. Perhaps you have been watching that drama on BBC4 Trapped set in Iceland, great stuff. 

[ronin]

Really a down jacket with hood is likely the best option, they are light, warm and compress down well. Although you still need some layering underneath but this can be fairly inexpensive fleece tops.

The drawback is the cost. Not sure where you are or what shops are around you. If there is one then have a look into a Decathlon store. They do some reasonable jackets, one of theirs is a sort of feather and insulation mix - have one for the reduced size/bulk and it is good. Think it cost £29.  If you added a fairly inexpensive body warmer to wear underneath then the pair would make a reasonable set up. Decathlon do a reasonable body warmer for £11, bought one 10 days back for the mountain bike.

For a straight jacket (2 seperate words) you could try Alpkit, they do a down jacket with hood at £130 - bought one for someone a couple of months back.

Other places to look are Mountain Warehouse, or Go Outdoors.

I would guess that the combination of jacket and body warmer mentioned with Decathlon would be least cost and likely the most versatile, no need to get from Decathlon.

Do not order Decathlon stuff online, reason is that everything is about one size smaller then you expect = if you wear XL then you will end up buying an XXL in their sizes.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I was in Iceland last May (coldest May in 35 years), and the best advice is to wear many layers of clothes, so you can adjust to rapidly changing temperatures. Indoors it is often very warm, outside the weather changes rapidly.

[dick_dangerous]

Iceland is probably my favourite place on Earth - it's so otherworldly and endlessly fascinating. Plus the people are friendly and sincerely believe in elves. My wife and I are going again in April/May, and we'll be visiting the north of the island which is an area I've not visited before.

If it's your first time there, you're probably best off staying in or near Reykjavík - it's a very user-friendly city, about the size of Southampton. The only drawback from an astronomical point of view is the light pollution! When we went a couple of years ago we stayed just north of Akranes, about 30 mins drive from Central Reykjavík, and with much darker skies. There's lots to see in the city in terms of museums, galleries etc. plus there are plenty of place to eat (The hot-dog stand on the harbour is reknowned as the place to get that Icelandic staple, a huge hot dog) and bookshops that are open until midnight - this is how you can tell it's the most civilised nation on Earth.

Must-sees around Reykjavík that would be open at that time include the famed Blue Lagoon (A glorified health spa forged from an ecological catastrophe) and the Golden Circle, the circuit of tourist attractions in the south-west that includes Geysir, the original geyser, and Thingvellir, the plain that lies right on the spreading zone and the location of the first Icelandic parliament. I also love the Snaefellsnes peninsula which is up the west coast - it's where they entered the Earth in Journey to the Centre of the Earth (If you like Jules Verne). You can also get tours along the South Coast, but February weather is pretty wild there and tours get cancelled. They do glacier walking and snowmobiling if you're up for it!

You'll need a lot of warm clothing, and you're going to need waterproofs because it rains there a lot. The main problem is the wind chill because it comes howling off the Atlantic. The Icelanders have a joke - if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes! It's a bit changeable. It's also very expensive, especially as since they've recovered from their economic disaster a few years back. Most locals will eat at American-style roadside diners which serve cheap burger meals.The aforementioned hot dog stand and others like it are also very reasonably priced. The best way to stay cheap is to self-cater - their out of town supermarkets are comparable to London in price, and the food quality is better. The food to try while there is Skyr, a yoghurt-style thing.

Finally, the aurora - I'd normally advise hiring a car but you'll need experience of driving on snow at that time of year. It does allow you to move independently and get away from Reykjavík's lights, and also to chase the best skies. There are plenty of tours available in Reykjavík where they'll do the hard work for you, but you do pay a premium for it. The cloud may be a problem too - we were very lucky to see it when we went in September which is supposed to be more stable for weather.

Good luck and enjoy - I'd be jealous but I'm going in about six weeks time. No aurora for us this time though - we'll be getting maybe four hours a night without sun?!

Paul

[Moonshane]

some great replies already guys - thank you!

I'll be doing a lot of thinking and research before we go but first hand experience is always better 

[scarp15]

Iceland and Scandinavia will of course when conditions are good, be potentially exceptional for Aurora activity. I have seen the Aurora when in the Rondane region of Norway.

Much closer to home, you might have possibly seen this time lapse video, posted else where on here by Robert Ince at the recent Kielder Starcamp.

 

 

As others have said, goes without say lots of good layers perhaps a down outer garment with a hood will be good for outdoors and indoors will definitely be very warm.