An Icelandic Road Trip | The Golden Circle

30 Nov 2016

Golden Circle, Iceland

Hey babes, how’s it hanging? I’m currently wrapped in a blanket because THE FROST IS HERE. The bedroom window has frozen shut so my morning has consisted of clearing up all the window condensation pooling on the windowsill with kitchen roll.

Hashtag living the dream.

Anyway, back to Iceland (first post on Reykjavik here).

I’m going to say from the outset that, even in ten days, there were plenty of other places to explore that we didn’t have time to fit into our trip so don’t hate on me if you think I’ve missed out some key places. But do hit me up with suggestions of different road trips for my next visit (lol why do I always like to pretend I’m rich?).

If you’re going to Iceland, ya gotta do the Golden Circle. That’s what everyone, literally everyone, says. And they’re right. If you’re on it, you can do the key stops on the Golden Circle in a day and there are loads of coach trips that will take you so you don’t need to worry about hiring a car. However, if you can hire a car and have a bit more time, then I would absolutely suggest doing so. We decided to split the Golden Circle up over more than one day, and intersperse it with extra stops on the south coast. If you have the time, dear lord, you gotta do this. Hands down, my favourite days of the trip.

And these are the places you should be going.

Stop 1: Thingvillir National Park


Thingvillir National Park, Golden Circle, Iceland
Thingvillir National Park, Golden Circle, Iceland

First stop of the Golden Circle should be this little babe which is so flippin’ pretty that you won’t know what to do with yourself. You’ll probs be so snap happy that you’ll use up all your camera battery and get finger cramp. Worth it though right?

Thingvillir (English spelling) National Park is the place where the national parliament of Iceland was first established and is home to the largest lake in the country. I wanna tell you how gorgeous it is but I’m worried you’re gonna get bored af with me talking about pretty lakes in Iceland. Just go okay?

Top tip – if you can go in the evening, and wander round that lake when most people have headed home, I’d absolutely recommend. It’s all sorts of peaceful; the kind of quiet you can never find back home.

The other big, exciting thing is that it lies in rift valley which marks the place where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. You can actually stand/walk in the canyon where the plates have hit and shifted the earth. HOW COOL?!

Thingvillir National Park, Golden Circle, Iceland
Thingvillir National Park, Golden Circle, Iceland
Thingvillir National Park, Golden Circle, Iceland
Thingvillir National Park, Golden Circle, Iceland

Stop 2: Alright geezer?

Geyser, Golden Circle, Iceland
Geyser, Golden Circle, Iceland

I guess if I absolutely had to pick one thing that amazed me the most about Iceland, it would probably be the boiling water exploding out the ground. I mean, as a Brit, how often do we see something like that?

Srokkur geyser goes off every few minutes and it’s utterly insane. It’s so hard to describe unless you’ve seen a geyser, because there’s nothing quite like it. There’s no barriers or safety precautions cos, lol, Iceland is hardcore so what you essentially get is a load of tourists standing in a huge circle around this smoking bit of ground. Right in the middle is a churning pool of water which everyone stares at on tenterhooks. It’s surprisingly quiet and you find yourself laughing unnecessarily cos omg the tension and then BAM, boiling, steaming water explodes out the ground and shoots over 20 metres up in the air. No matter how many times you watch it, you will jump every.single.time and also kinda wonder if you’re gonna get soaked in boiling water and get third degree burns cos seriously, there are NO SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.

There’s also mini geysers, and mesmerising, magical pools of bright blue, opaque water. Steam everywhere and the intense smell of eggs. Goddamn you pesky sulphur; putting me off boiled eggs for life.

Geyser, Golden Circle, Iceland
Geyser, Golden Circle, Iceland
Geyser, Golden Circle, Iceland
Geyser, Golden Circle, Iceland

Stop 3: Gullfoss waterfall

Gullfoss Waterfall, Golden Circle, Iceland

You hear this little fella (lol try really, really big fella) before you see it. It thunders. That’s the only way I can think to describe it. The noise. And the spray. You’ll need a waterproof jacket (and trousers if you’re that much of an adult) and a lack of care over your hair or make up. Think frizzy. And your make-up is not staying on. On the plus side, you’ve saved on a face wipe. Win.

I so want to do the Golden Circle again in the winter and see this mighty babe when it’s frozen over. I’m imagining magical, Narnia-like scenes. Plus, I bet in comparison, the silence is really eerie.

In the meantime, seeing all that water thunder over the edge and the sheer amount of spray that follows back up… urgh there really are no words. It was something else, and made you feel very, very small compared to what nature can produce (soz for the lameness).

If someone could put a waterfall in my back garden, it would be muchos appreciated. Please and thank you.

Gullfoss Waterfall, Golden Circle, Iceland
Gullfoss Waterfall, Golden Circle, Iceland
Gullfoss Waterfall, Golden Circle, Iceland
Gullfoss Waterfall, Golden Circle, Iceland

Stop 4: Kerid crater 

Kerid Crater, Golden Circle, Iceland
Kerid Crater, Golden Circle, Iceland

A volcanic crater lake. That’s right, you heard.

Approx 3000 years ago, the ground exploded (happens a lot in Iceland) and left behind this flippin’ huge crater. And in the middle is this deep blue, opaque, shiny mini-lake (I can only apologise for the amount of times I’ve tried to describe the colour of water in these Iceland posts). You can walk around the top of the crater, and then one side is slightly more sloped so you can actually walk down into the middle and stare at that incredible water colour (soz, I can’t help it) up close.

Kerid Crater, Golden Circle, Iceland
Kerid Crater, Golden Circle, Iceland
Kerid Crater, Golden Circle, Iceland
Kerid Crater, Golden Circle, Iceland


There are three more stops on this road trip but girl needs her lunch. Check back tomorrow!

Comments