anybody taking their tent to Iceland. Considering travelling around with my two boys 11 and 8, it seems I have to go to Denmark then across to iceland.. it its actually cost effective to camp there?
------------- Taffy
2012 Planned
Easter - Cornwall
July scout camp
August North Wales
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I went on an organised camping tour 30 years ago (ie they looked after us and provided all the equipment) and thought then that if I stuck to the main routes I could have gone back under my own steam but never did. Certainly back then we were able to sort of wild camp in some amazing locations (eg right on the edge of Gullfoss) - I don't know if it's changed now though. If you do go make sure you have some very good gear - even in August it got very cold at night. You've obviously gone into the details of how to get there, but I thought the Camping and Caravanning Club a while ago talked of going via the Shetlands and Faroes?
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
C and CC club do an organised caravan treck there though it is very expensive. It might be worth looking at their itinery and then see if you can nick the ideas and do cheaper by self booking!
Went on hol there this year (Jan) and loved it with our teenage sons but that was flying and a hotel for a short break with Iceland air. Would absolutely recommend that. Not as dear as we expected and managed to eat out at night for similar prices to here. Day trips not cheap but if you are going that far then you really must do as much as possible.
Can I be the first to say - 'Are you out of your mind??!!'
'Iceland' - the clue is in the name. With a tent??! Does the name 'Scott' and term 'hypothermia' mean anything to you? I assume you're going this month and not in August, like those other namby-pambys?
Sorry, only kidding...have a great time...
nutter...
------------- 'In later life, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than with the things you did.' - Mark Twain
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Can I be the first to say - 'Are you out of your mind??!!'
'Iceland' - the clue is in the name. With a tent??! Does the name 'Scott' and term 'hypothermia' mean anything to you? I assume you're going this month and not in August, like those other namby-pambys?
Sorry, only kidding...have a great time...
nutter...
Don't be put off. In August we were in T shirts during the day. Nights in the tent were quite manageable as long as the sleeping bag was a good one. Iceland was named that to put other Vikings going there - that's why Greenland is named that!
I would definitely recommend taking the tent over to Iceland, in fact I plan to do the same next year. We will be doing it differently however, will be flying and taking a light weight tent with us. My partner is from Iceland with his family still living over there so we can borrow the essentials from them rather than drive on the ferry, I think there are two that depart from Denmark.
I was there in the summer and food was pretty expensive compared to home (£3 for a single pepper in one supermarket ) but campsites from what I have looked at seem very reasonable. Like a previous poster said some sites are in some pretty amazing locations, one right next to Skogafoss for example. Make sure if you are touring the whole country to check out the glacier lagoon at Jokulsarlon, simply breathtaking.
Thanks for all your posts... we camp in uk at Easter so i'm sure we can manage Iceland in August,I'm not a sun person anyway ( coming from wales i'm used to rain!) planning 3 weeks there and wanted to go for years so its my 40th treat! ( i've lost out somewhere my oh went to Peru for 3 weeks on his own for his 40th!)
------------- Taffy
2012 Planned
Easter - Cornwall
July scout camp
August North Wales
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Quote: Originally posted by suzan111 on 25/11/2010
Thanks for all your posts... we camp in uk at Easter so i'm sure we can manage Iceland in August,I'm not a sun person anyway ( coming from wales i'm used to rain!) planning 3 weeks there and wanted to go for years so its my 40th treat! ( i've lost out somewhere my oh went to Peru for 3 weeks on his own for his 40th!)
If you're there in August you might just see the Aurora Borealis - we saw it for one night and it was a sight worth seeing although we had to stay up quite late. (If my memory is right it doesn't happen during the summer and August is the earliest you can expect it.)
Don't let the thought of nice weather in August fool you. We went in August (22 years ago) on an organised tour (hotels - not camping) and flew up to Husavik in the north and then came back to Reykjavik on a mountain bus over the glacier on August Bank Holiday Monday. It snowed whilst we were on the way back and it was the last bus over the glacier for that year. It was warm in Husavik and Reykjavik though.
Best holiday I have ever had and would go back anytime (if I could afford it now).
I went to Iceland for a month mid-July to mid-August. Camped the whole time as I was part of an organized expedition looking at glaciers etc.
One of the campgrounds was near Lake Myvatn which translated means 'midge lake'...and believe me, you have never had a problem with midges until you have camped here! We had to have mesh over our faces in order to breathe without having a lung full of the little blighters. Not a very pleasant experience as they get absolutely everywhere (and I mean everywhere!)
In summer it doesn't go properly dark either - it's much like dusk right throughout the night and can mess with your sleep pattern a bit but you soon get used to it.
The weather in Iceland is unpredictable to say the least - as I say, we were there in the summer, but one night (whilst camped at the bottom of a glacier) the wind picked up and we all secured our tents expecting gale force winds throughout the night. When I woke the next morning, I unzipped the tent to a complete wall of snow and the tent poles creaking under the weight of the snow on top. It was pretty hairy as we were unable to dig ourselves out and had to be rescued - it took 5 hours to get us out! We were taken to a local rescue hut for the next night due to the severe snow...it was a surreal experience, but not uncommon in Iceland.
It was very expensive but I don't know what it's like since the banking crash, things have changed a lot.
Great place - would love to go back but I wouldn't camp.
------------- Claire x
Jan 2013 - Skiing, Kühtai, Austria
May - Swiss Farm
Fforest Ffields
Aug - Saumur, France
Oct - Somewhere...
Jan '14 - Skiing, Les Houches
I'm not sure about ferries to Iceland, I know you used to be able to get one via the Faroe Islands but I don't know any more. If you do get a ferry, bear in mind that it's a long journey and the sea up there is notoriously rough. I've never dared do it myself (I get seasick on a fine day from Dover-Calais!) but a few friends of mine have taken the ferry to Iceland and one of them said he got to the point where he was so seasick that just flinging himself into the sea started to look like a more appealing option than staying on the ferry!
Things to think about:
- in summer it's light more or less 24 hours a day, which can get in the way of sleeping when you're in a tent, so I'd recommend getting those sleeping masks that people take on planes to make sleep come more easily.
- midges! Take plenty of repellent and preferably one of those mad-looking hat things to protect your face.
Iceland will be an amazing place to go camping, I lived there for a while and it's like another planet, it'll be memorable trip. A lot of Icelandic people go camping in the summer, both on campsites and wild camping. I'd recommend this site for finding campsites - http://www.nat.is/camping/camping_sites.htm
We went to Iceland about 3 years ago when the ferries ran from northern Scotland, but they have cut back now and you have to start from Denmark. It is certainly recommended, but unless you have a land rover, stick to the ring road that goes round the island. Some of the roads are corrugated gravel, and best tackled at either 10 or 50 mph, the latter is best for flying over the indentations! Campsites are very good, all with electrics, considering they only have a 3 month season. Weather can be variable, but we found it as warm as English spring, and little rain. Were we lucky? It is expensive, so take your own food, and especially drink, but their currency has collapsed from 125 to £ to 250 to£ since their crisis. You will certainly have the best hoiday ever.
If you get the chance to stop off in the Faroes for 3 days on your way, do so - they have the best roads in Europe and some fascinating little fishing villages scattered around the islands, most of which are connected by bridges and tunnels.
the car ferry Norunna is very big and very stable, but you will need a bit of persistence in booking, the timetable and fare stucture is very complicated.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Iceland
) was a regular visitor but now finds it very expensive. 
Does the name 'Scott' and term 'hypothermia' mean anything to you? I assume you're going this month and not in August, like those other namby-pambys?
) but campsites from what I have looked at seem very reasonable. Like a previous poster said some sites are in some pretty amazing locations, one right next to Skogafoss for example. Make sure if you are touring the whole country to check out the glacier lagoon at Jokulsarlon, simply breathtaking.
