“Oh you’re going in winter? That’s brave.”
Sure, it averaged around -7°C the entire time we were out there, but when you book a holiday to a place called Iceland I would have hoped you’d have given up your idea of a relaxing beach holiday a long time ago. Might as well go the full hog and go in the dead of winter, right?
Honestly, I couldn’t recommend visiting this beautiful place in winter enough. I’m sure it’s as beautiful in summer and we probably would have seen a lot more as we only have roughly five hours of daylight a day, but there was just something about winter that seemed to seize the whole country in this magical atmosphere that went beyond the typical yuletide festivities. It was like something straight out of my books.
We ended up spending seven days in this wonderful country and in this piece I’ll outline some of the best sights, restaurants and things I would recommend doing that just felt so Iceland, you’d be doing the country an injustice by not doing or seeing them.
Day One: Reykjavik
The boyfriend and I got a very early flight out to Reykjavik with the mentality that we could actually make the most of our first day rather than arrive in the evening and have it written off. If you’re travelling to Iceland in the winter I would definitely recommend this more than anywhere else I’ve been – and I hate early mornings. This is because Iceland is on GMT time, same as the UK, and so the sun doesn’t actually rise in Iceland till around 10.30am. If you get an early flight you’ll be arriving when you can start to do things – like explore the capital, which is exactly what we did.
A lot of the hotels are a little out of town but we managed to walk to the start of Downtown in about 20 minutes from our hotel Reykjavik Lights. I don’t tend to give hotel reviews because I’m hardly ever in them but honestly for location this is one of the best hotels – if you book tours all of them will pick you up from the hotel front door, it’s an easy walk, and it’s surrounded by some of our favourite restaurants. It also has free parking for hotel guests which made our self-drive days a whole lot easier. If you are staying round here I’d recommend checking out Askur Brassiere and Bombay Bazaar, two very reasonable and delicious restaurants.
Anyway, back to Reykjavik.
You’ll know when you hit downtown because the houses on the walk into the town center make you feel as though you’ve stepped into What’s the story in Balamory. They’re an assortment of colours and there is street art everywhere on the houses which haven’t conformed to the life of colour. It made the walk feel like a stroll in an art gallery, so I really recommend not taking public transport and missing this experience if you don’t have mobility issues.
Reykjavik is not like any of the capitals I’ve been to – it’s tiny. There also aren’t a lot of ‘grand’ buildings a lot of Europeans are accustomed to in their cities and it resulted in many tourists walking past these great historical places with barely a glance. It would be beneficial if you like history, but don’t want to read all about it before you go, to get a guide. As a history buff I’d already figured out what places I wanted to see just for the warm inner glow nerds like me get from standing in the footsteps of those before me. If you just keep walking down the main street (you’ll know what I mean by main street when you go… there is just one main street I promise. It’s always blue on the tourist maps) you’ll see everything you need to see including Aðalstræti 10, the oldest house in Reykjavik. If you’re use to going to capital cities to visit grand pieces of architecture like Westminster Abbey and Notre Dame, then you’re out of luck.
Apart from Hallgrimskirkja. Hallgrimskirkja is probably the most well known structure in Iceland and is one of the tallest – you can see a lot of the city from simply standing on top of the hill it’s built on and if that isn’t enough for you then you can get tickets to go to the top of the church and see even more. It was designed by Guðjón Samúelsson and is said to resemble the ice fields and mountains of Iceland. It’s a rather stunning piece of architecture and is a must see whilst you’re in the city. If you’re hungry, just down the hill from the church is also the best bakery in the city: Braud & Co. Recommended to us by a friend, I shall recommend it to you – get one of their rolls which come in cinnamon, vanilla and liquorice flavour. Take your hot rolls and then wander past Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík – the oldest junior school in the city which traces its origins all the way back to the 11th century – and past Parliament House down to Tjörnin, a small lake in the middle of the city.
Now this is one of the reasons I was instantly glad to have come in winter. The whole lake freezes over enough that you can easily skate, run and slide around it to your hearts content – which is exactly what we did. The locals tend to occupy one half of the lake with serious games of ice hockey and figure skating, but they’re happy to let tourists hang out with the local kids to play on the slip’n’slides. This was my first experience of walking on a properly frozen lake so it was kind of magical for me.
The city is bursting with museums and quirky shops – you’re constantly just popping in to one or the other to explore the strange shop windows. I would definitely recommend checking out their main museum Saga, which tells you the history of the city and their Viking inhabitants. It’s right by the harbour which is also a beautiful place to go and take a stroll around.
In terms of eating and drinking there are lots of places to pick from. I must warn you the rumours you’ve heard about the country being expensive are true – there’s no getting away from it unless you want to starve or are self catering. Here are some of my recommendations for bars and food in the city:
- Durum Restaurant; this is a lovely fast food place on the main high street – very reasonable for Iceland and their kebabs will make you never want to touch an English sweaty kebab ever again.
- KebabHusid; another take away place which is quite reasonable and do absolutely mouth watering oven baked pizzas that they cook right in front of you.
- The English Pub; if you’re missing home this is a great place to go. You’ll find all the lost British, American and Canadian tourists in here who are feeling a bit over-whelemed from the city. They also have a great Happy Hour from 4 – 7 with 2-4-1 drinks so a great place to stop and warm up.
- Pablo Discobar; honestly my favourite find in the city. Firstly, it was open on New Years Eve so that was a big plus, and secondly they have some amazing music. There’s a Tapas restaurant on the first floor and on the top floor there’s a bar with lots of cozy booths to chill out in.
New Years Eve
So. I would definitely recommend coming to Iceland for New Years Eve – it is such an amazing atmosphere in the city from about 10.30pm. However, Icelanders celebrate the NY with their families and eat together. The big party doesn’t tend to start until after midnight, that’s when most of the bars open. There were a lot of tourists looking rather lost until the late evening when it started to heat up. I’d recommend booking somewhere to eat – the prices are going to be even worse than normal on this night so be prepared for a £70 meal for two, easily, even in a greasy burger joint.
When the party starts to kick off head back to the hill with the church on I mentioned earlier. This gives you a full 360° view of the cities skyline and the fireworks. Note that Icelanders don’t have access to fireworks apart from this one week every year so they go all out. Your neck is going to hurt from looking at it all but it is such an amazing feeling. Everyone has sparklers in the street and the different neighbourhoods try and outdo one another.
Day Two: The Golden Circle & Northern Lights
I’ve been asked if you need to book these tours or if you can do them solo. Honestly I think it’s entirely up to you – we got this one free with our booking along with the Northern Lights tour so we just enjoyed being driven around everywhere.
The Golden Circle is a beautiful part of the country and a 100% must see. It compromises Thingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall and the Geysir hot springs – all of which are breathtaking parts of Iceland. I could have stayed for hours at each one to enjoy them but the downside with a guided tour – or perhaps the upside – is you’re kept on a tight schedule to cram in as much as possible in the limited daylight hours.
We started with the Geysir hot springs – which was beautiful at sunrise. The Geysir became active around 1000 years ago and the local restaurant attached to the information center bakes all of its bread over these hot pits. We were lucky enough to get a glimpse of the cooks collecting the morning loaves when we were there. Geysir is the island’s most famous exploding hot spring but its eruptions are rare. However, its neighbour Strokkur boils over every few minutes. If you see a bubble begin to form you have about 3 seconds before it will erupt.
My favourite stop of the day was Gullfoss waterfall, which is actually two waterfalls separated by a few meters of cliff face, but with all the steam it looks like one whole waterfall. The waterfalls are another reason I was glad to visit in winter as they are completely frozen over. This doesn’t mean they
don’t run, it just means the water runs under this shield of ice which is the case at all the waterfalls we visited. It’s absolutely mesmerising. At the information centre you’ll learn all about Gullfoss’ local hero, Sigridur Tómasdóttir. Until her death, Sigridur and her family were the owners of the waterfalls, and had been offered large sums of money to sell the waterfalls to use them for a power source. Sigridur fought most of her life in order to keep the waterfalls and surrounding areas preserved including walking all the way to Reykjavik and threatening to throw herself in the waterfalls. With the help of her lawyer Sveinn Bjornsson, who later became the first president of Iceland, however, they managed to keep Gullfoss a protected area.
Thingvellir National Park is another beautiful area of Iceland and a place you could probably spend a whole day exploring. A lot of scenes from Game of Thrones were shot around here too, so fans amongst you might want to keep your eyes peeled for White Walkers. This was a perfect site to come to for my boyfriend and I – he being a geographer and I a historian. In fact, our degrees have never met so peacefully before as they have here. For the geography nuts, this is the place where you can see the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian Plates – all of the cracks in the earth are where they are constantly moving. The unique geography is actually the reason why Iceland exists at all. For the historians, the site was deemed as the best meeting ground for the Chieftans of Iceland and was the seat of Parliament from 930AD to 1798, as it was the only neutral ground after its owner was found guilty of murder. The area is also home to the first Church, one of the first schools outside of Reykjavik and the site of public executions.
In the evening we headed out in search of the Northern Lights. This is the only thing I would 100% recommend getting a tour for. Firstly, these guys are trained to find the perfect spot and time to see the lights. Secondly, if you don’t see them on your designated night it will keep running until you see them.
Now, for those of you who are expecting to see the most dazzling light show in the world, reign in your expectations right now. The science behind this phenomenon means you will very rarely see what you see in photos with the naked eye. We were extremely lucky to be able to see them with our own eyes and watch them dance – it was a truly beautiful moment – but you might need to watch them through your camera.
When you’re taking photos, unless you know how to use a good camera don’t bother taking one. You’ll spend more time fiddling with it than enjoying the show. I took all my photos with my Samsung S7 on auto and it picked out the lights better than half the DSLRs in the hands of the inexperienced. If you’re not a photographer, trust your phone, sit back, and enjoy the lights. In Iceland the lights are always green unless there’s a solar storm, so make sure to keep an eye out for a green glow!
Day Three – Four: The Southern Coast
This is another popular destination for tourists and after our couple of days down here I can understand why: every turn of the road made us want to pull over and take a thousand photos.
For three days of our trip we hired a car and went solo, two of those days we ended up dedicating to the south coast of Iceland. I think we could have done the whole thing in one day if we had limited our time more at each site and hadn’t encountered a snow storm on the first day of our exploration, but it was worth every second and I’m glad now we spent the time taking two days to finish the route. If you plan to do it in one day make sure to be strict with your time at each stop.
The South Coast refers to the drive between Reykjavik and Vik. Along the way you’ll see frozen waterfalls, trek up hidden ravines and walk along beaches of ash. All of this is along Route 1, the ring road that runs around the whole country, so it is also a very easy drive (unless you encounter a snow storm like we did).
Your first stop will be Seljalandsfoss. You’ll be able to see this from the road as you approach it over the bridge of a frozen river, and you’ll be able to hear it as soon as you park up. In summer you can walk behind it into the caves but in winter it’s an icy hell – you wouldn’t even want to attempt it. The waterfall is a part of the Seljalands river which originates in the volcano glacier Eyjafjallajökull. You can, however, climb up beside the waterfall. On recollection the steps were probably roped off at one point, but a torn off bit of rope didn’t stop many of us from attempting the icy stairs which take you half way up into the waterfall. Do NOT attempt this unless you are confident and have good shoes – we watched one tourist nearly fall into the waterfall trying to climb this and in
hindsight we probably should have worn spikes on the soles of our boots. But it is exhilarating to be so close to it all you can hear is the roar of the water. If you choose to take your time, hike along the route to a second waterfall – Gljúfrabúi. Not many people know about it, there was only a small group of us who dared to do the mile and a bit walk there. It’s tucked into a little ravine you can wade in if you’re feeling brave, or you can just enjoy seeing the glimpses of this frozen waterfall through the cave opening. There’s quite a few little caves early settlers would have lived in along here too which was very interesting.
The next stop is Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that errupted back in 2010 that sent ash clouds all over Europe. You can stop on the side of the road and take some pictures here (you’ll see all the other buses and cars stopping there). It’s also the starting point of several treks up to the volcano. You can’t get to the top, but there is a hot spring a lot of people go and have a dip in.
After the volcano you’ll be heading onto another waterfall: Skógafoss. Thor fans will recognise this from The Dark World, especially if you manage to visit on a sunny day when the double rainbow is often
visible. We ended up arriving just before a snow storm so no rainbow for us, but that didn’t take away its beauty. This waterfall is nestled among the cliffs that used to be Icelands coastline and it is said that behind it are vast amounts of treasure left by the first viking settlers. You can climb up the steps cut into the rock face beside it that go all the way to the top and provide a heart stopping view of the waterfall from its lip. If you have an active imagination, it gives you a real good taste of fear for what it would be like to plummet down into the abyss below.
Budding photographers, or lovers of anything apocalyptic will just love our next stop: Sólheimasandur’s Plane Crash. On Saturday Nov 24, 1973, a United States Navy Douglas Super DC-3 airplane was forced to land on Sólheimasandur’s black sand beach in the south of Iceland after experiencing some severe icing. Luckily the whole crew survived but nobody came to clear up the wreckage and since then it’s turned into every creative persons dream. I’d done a lot of research on this before I left as it isn’t on any of the official tours of the South Coast – and it was one of the reasons I wanted to hire a car. A few years ago you could actually drive down to the beach and then you had to park up on a dirt track and walk down the dirt track, hoping you were heading in the right direction. When we visited there was a special car park and a clear pathway down to the wreckage. After you visit Skógafoss you’ll go over a bridge with yellow flashing lights on it – the car park is 1km after this on your right.
Dyrhólaey is the next logical stop after the wreckage (though we came back to it when it was darker). There are some fantastic views of the beaches and natural archways, but the main attraction is the lighthouse on the top of the hill – which you can drive right up to – and hence why we came back when it was darker. The light on the sea was a very spooky but exhilarating view; just be careful as the wind is bad here.
One of the more popular stops however is Reynisfjara black sand beach, which is the turning after Dyrhólaey. Game of Thrones fans may recognise it as Eastwatch-by-the-sea (you know, where they’re trying to save all the Wildlings but the Night King says ‘hell no’?), and some of you music fans may recognise it from Beyonce music videos, but
honestly this beach should be visited simply for its beauty. I will warn you it is windy here. Not Yorkshire windy, not even Scotland highland windy, even on a good day. There was no wind anywhere along our journey until we got here and it had the force enough to knock young children off their feet. They even have a sign here telling you how many tourists die from getting too close to the ocean. The waves easily came above mine and my partners heads before breaking on the beach, so could easily drown and drag someone out to sea within seconds. For geography lovers there are some lovely rock formations and caves for exploring (a nice distance away from the water) and if you crane your neck up you can see the puffins huddling together out of reach of the noisy tourists. The cafe here does a really lovely soup that will warm you up for any onward journeys you make.
The next stop is Vik, which is the perfect little postcard town. We didn’t stop as the drive through it was enough to appreciate its beauty, but there are some good restaurants we were recommended here so it might be worth a stop.
We, however, wanted to go a little beyond Vik where the landscape changes into this beautiful snowy wasteland. In the summer you can probably tell it’s a lava field, but in winter and after the fresh snowfall it looked like pictures I’ve seen of Siberia and Canada. We drove through it at sunset which made it even more breathtaking as everything was tinged pink and looked like candyfloss. Along this route you’ll pass Hjörleifshöfði – a mountain with a viking tomb on the top which you can easily make out from the road – and a lot of beautiful rock formations created from past volcanic eruptions. There’s plenty of stops on the side of the road you can pause to just take in the view.
There’s plenty of places to stop and eat along the way, and all the sites I’ve listed had cafes or fast food stands selling paninis and cakes. However, the real gem of a restaurant we found along the way which I cannot recommend enough is Kaffi Krús. You kind of feel like you’re walking into someones house or just a coffee shop, but there’s an upstairs as well, and the food here is to die for. If you’re looking to try Icelandic fish I would highly recommend the fish and chips here it was the best we had all trip. You also have to try their freshly made cakes – you won’t need a slice each as they are so big.
Day Five – The Snæfellsnes Peninsula
This isn’t a touristy part of Iceland, though I think it is becoming more so. We saw very few tour buses and at our stops locals seemed a lot more surprised to find Brits turning up in their cafes. It’s to the north of Reykjavik and it couldn’t be more different to the south even if it tried.
We left early to try and make the most of the sunlight and so arrived at our first stop Eldborg volcanic caldera as the sun rose. It was eerily different from our previous two days as nobody was around as we sat on the bonnet of the car and enjoyed watching the sun rise behind the caldera. You can hike up and into the caldera in summer but in winter it’s not advised due to the conditions so we were content with a quick stop here. You drive down a really rocky road but you feel like you’re driving on mars with the weird craters and rock formations, it’s definitely worth a stop along the way of any tour up here.
Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge was the highlight of our trip up north. It’s a beautiful ravine cut into the side of the Botnsfjall Mountain that you can climb into. The going is steep but you can easily do it in about an hour. There’s a pretty sheer drop into the river below once you get higher so just be careful in the snow if you do hike up there. We had the place entirely to ourselves so we were able to sit and watch the water running under the frozen cases and slide down the mountain side instead of walk down. It also provide breathtaking views of the ocean once you get to the top.
About a five minute drive down the road is Arnarstapi, a viking trading point. It’s a quaint little village and the ocean views are fantastic. The water has worn away the rocks to create little pools and coves which you can see into from the mountain top. There’s one in particular that reminded me of the Dark Pit in the latest Star Wars film. I would recommend stopping here for something to eat – there’s only one cafe and the sign was so worn I can’t remember if it was called anything other than Cafe, but you can get unlimited stew and bread in here which goes down a treat after playing in the snow.
Head across the mountains, passing the Snæfellsjökull Glacier, to get to other side of the peninsula. The drive through the mountains where you can see people have come to ski, is a wonderful experience. The sun disappears behind the mountain face and you’re enclosed in this shaded little valley. The snow provided all of the light so even though you’re in the shade you’re not in the dark.
On the other side of the glacier you’ll want to head for Kirkjufell mountain. This mountain has become famous for its appearance in Game of Thrones – like with a lot of places in Iceland – and you can hike up it. However, because everyone is focused on the mountain, a lot of people miss the beautiful waterfall opposite. To get to it in the winter months you have to walk across the frozen lake that is usually the pool all the water goes into, and then you can walk up the side and over the top of it. In summer you have to walk up it from another angle but if you’re coming in winter I’d recommend taking a trek across the frozen pool. Once you get to the top of the waterfall you can also make some furry friends as a herd of Icelandic Horses live just to the right of the waterfall if you approach it across the frozen
lake. These guys are the friendliest things ever and just love a good scratch. Please do NOT feed any of the horses you see alongside the road – the farmers get really upset if you do as they are all on very strict diets to keep them healthy. The horses here do not get vaccinated either so if you are wearing something that has come in contact with horses anywhere else, do not get them near these horses as it could make them sick.
To round off your trip north, I recommend checking out Gamla Kaupfélagið in Akranes. Akranes is a very quiet little town and is on a protruding bit of the country into the sea, so there are some lovely views to have by taking this detour. The food is 5* but even better are the toilets – especially for the women. Both toilets are candle lit which was a very odd experience for my partner and I, but he didn’t get any of the benefits the girls will get from their bathroom. They’ve got a small basket of everything you could want – perfume, hair spray, nail clippers, nail polish remover, lip gloss, tweezers, antiseptic cream… the list goes on. Honestly it was the highlight of my visit here and the food was a pretty high bar to hit.
Day Six – Horse Riding & Lava Caving
Whenever you go away with your partner there’s always some compromise on the activities you do. Before we had even booked the hotel and flights I had made it very clear I wouldn’t be leaving Iceland until I had ridden an Icelandic horse – their five gaits have intrigued me for a long time. My partner isn’t a great lover of having his feet off the ground, so I think he was hoping he could sit it out while I had my fun. Instead, I found a fun combination excavation which involved horse riding and lava caving. I love caving perhaps as much as I would living in the fiery pits of hell so I thought this would be a fair compromise.
We started with riding which was an absolutely amazing experience, though I wish I had been able to do a more advanced riding course. The stables we were with split the group off into beginners and the more advanced, and the beginners (including the boyf) went for a nice little walk around this beautiful moonscape national park outside of Reykjavik. My group got to go at a faster pace and Princess (my pony) and I managed to get a little bit of cantering in, though not nearly as fast as I think we’d have both loved to have gone. Still, it is something I would recommend to any horse lover as even the Icelandic Horses’ walk feels entirely different to the horses I’m used to in the UK. It looks uncomfortable when you see another rider going past and all the video footage I took with the video tucked into the horses mane makes it look like a jarring journey, but it is actually the smoothest thing I’ve experienced.
Caving… I was not as big of a fan of but my partner enjoyed it immensely. The guide we had was very knowledgeable, the cave was clearly one he loved and knew and was excited to share with as many people as possible. This was no leisurely walk in the caves other tours were, we ended up on our stomachs at one point wriggling through the crevasses. I can appreciate this was an amazing experience for someone who loves this sort of thing, and it was a different experience for sure, but I don’t think it’ll be something I jump to do again!
Day Seven – The Blue Lagoon
Of course we wouldn’t skip out on the Blue Lagoon whilst we were there. We had decided to leave it till the last day after all the hiking and the riding and caving, so we were nice and relaxed for our flight home the next day and returning to work. I’ve been to quite a few of these outdoor hot springs and the Blue Lagoon is one of my favourites. With a swim up bar, free mud masks, a steam room and sauna, and lots of little nooks and crannies you can snatch up to get some privacy, it’s a really lovely spa. There are different packages to choose from. We paid for a Premium Package, which we both immensely enjoyed. If you book through the Blue Lagoon website, the difference between Premium and the Standard is about £10/£15. In that difference you get a free robe, free towel, free flip flops (which you get to keep), two free mud masks, a reservation as the LAVA restaurant, some free drinks in the swim up bar and champagne in the restaurant. The restaurant itself was a lovely end to the day and our whole week, you can see everyone relaxing in the spa and its built into the side of a cliff face so the interior is stunning.
My top tip for you if you are visiting, especially the ladies, is to take some good conditioner with you or to make sure you don’t get your hair wet. It sucks all the moisture out of your hair and it will hate you for it.
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As always I hope my quick low down on what to see helps you pick and choose what to cram into your time here in the land of ice and fire. Just remember, this is not a holiday of relaxation. It’s an adventure type holiday and you will be hiking, climbing mountains, scaling frozen rivers – all in freezing temperatures. Make sure you take thermals, good walking boots and a proper coat and you’ll be sure you love every single second.
From Iceland, with love xoxo
These are just a few of the reasons the first day of our tour focused on the Somme. It gave a background to what the soldiers had seen only six months previously, had survived, only to go into what we would see in the following days. No battlefield tour is complete without a visit to Thiepval Memorial. As you round the gravelled path, the looming arched structure surrounded by poppies is rather beautiful. It is only when you get closer and realise every side is covered in names, does the real loss of the Somme hit you. Around 72,000 names are etched into the marble, to commemorate the lost. These are just the men whose bodies were never found, never returned to their native lands. There are further graves at the foot of the memorial of the unknown, bodies that were found but were so beyond recognition no name could be put to them. French and British, side by side, row upon row. You could spend hours here trawling through the names. What really struck me was the amount of families who were eradicated. Brothers often signed up together, or whole towns of friends, and in battles like the Somme it left households and villages without their entire male population. Efforts to split brothers and friends up came into play in order to reduce this problem later on, and Thiepval is a perfect illustration as to why this was a necessary step. If a whole family or local regiment were destroyed in one catastrophic battle, it would have harrowing consequences for after the war.
Some other recommendations for your day on the Somme would be the Devonshire Commonwealth Cemetery, which is a beautiful small burial site for some of the men killed during the Somme by Mametz. It’s quite a popular site with school trips and literature fans as this is the final resting place for quite a few WWI poets, such as Lt. William Noel Hodgson who wrote ‘Before Action’. From the sunken position of the cemetery you also get a beautiful view out over the rest of what was the Somme. Siegfried Sasson was positioned just over the top of the hill you’ll be able to see from here.
Newfoundland Memorial was one of my favourite stops along the Somme trip. Favourite sounds a bit morbid given what I was visiting on this trip, but if you visit you will see why. It’s beautiful. There are no harsh concrete constructions here to remember the dead. Wild flowers attract a mass of butterflies, the still visible trenches are slowly being reclaimed by mother nature, and alone in the flat lands that used to be no man’s land, stands a lonely tree who weathered the storm of the Somme. It feels wrong to call a spot where thousands died beautiful, but I personally prefer the more subtle memorials like this. It reminds me of many poems from the soldiers who would talk about how birds still flew, flowers still grew, how the sun shone, despite the horrors. With the knowledge of what happened in your mind, you appreciate the beauty of a place like Newfoundlands far more than you would back home. And, personally, I believe it does more to honour the fallen’s memory than to shed a tear or two.
I would start with Vimy Ridge. If, like me, you decide to do a quick trip around France and you stop off at Vimy this year you will have the honour of visiting this site not only on it’s 100th anniversary but the 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation. The battle of Vimy is regarded by historians as the birth of Canadian nationalism which started their journey to becoming an independent country. You can take a tour of the tunnels the soldiers dug, and the walk to the striking memorial is pleasant in the summer – though you can drive. The tour guides are absolutely fantastic here and they are all volunteers from Canada. The passion and love and pure admiration they have for the history is intoxicating. As it is entirely free you have no excuse not to take advantage of their knowledge.
I’m suggesting these sites are done together because a lot of the battles work well with one another and they are also very close to one another, so it limits your time in a car or on the coach. Start in Monchy-le-Preux, where is a tiny village you could almost blink and miss as you travel through. What happened here was probably one of the most upsetting things for me to hear given my love of horses. The town, which was held by Germans was won in an amazing performance of cavalry skill. It is one of the examples historians point to when saying the cavalry was still a valid and important part of the make up of the Allied forces. However, after the capture of the town it suffered heavy bombing from the Germans, who decided the town should be obliterated rather than held on. The attack saw the obliteration or abandonment of most of the cavalry forces. The Germans then attempted to take what remained of the town with their infantry but the line was held by just 12 Brits. It’s a fascinating story which is better told as you are standing where they stood so I shan’t go further than this.
At the time of writing this Tank Deborah is probably on her way to her new home, but we were very fortunate to know Philippe, who is practically her lover, and so we were able to visit her before she was moved and have lunch in her shadow. Deborah is a Mark IV tank who was used in the battle of Cambrai – only three of her eight crew survived the fight. If you ever get a chance to visit, try and ensure you can talk to Philippe too, who found, excavated and then researched her history. You can actually visit the graves of the other five missing tank members right next to the new museum, and pay homage to them. It is a fantastic opportunity to see Deborah as so many of the tanks from WWI were scrapped or stolen to be reused in WWII. She is in near perfect condition apart from the gaping hole that caused her demise. She stormed the town she lives in during the battle of Cambrai and was destroyed by heavy German fire, then abandoned by her crew. Miraculously none of them actually died in the vehicle, but rather trying to make their way back to the British front line. You can even read the letters sent by the commander to the families of those who did not survive, and their harrowing story.
Firstly, Arras is a beautiful city and I would actually recommend staying here for the duration of the trip. It’s hard to imagine that the whole city had been completely razed to the ground during the war. Today, there are lovely hotels very well priced, the restaurants are fabulous, and drinking in the plaza feels like you’ve landed in one of those retro movies where artists perform on cobbled corners as people sip on martinis wearing big hats. But underneath the city is a network of tunnels dug throughout the war for the soldiers to get as close to the Germans as possible. In parts of the tunnel, the allies were so close to the Germans they could actually hear them singing. The Wellington Quarry allows you access to a section of these tunnels. In there you will see the drawings, the last minute etchings and prayers of the men who waited for the order to go over the top. You do get to wear a very cool WWI tin hat when you go under, but the merriment ends as soon as you descend into the tunnels. This is a very hard hitting and gruelling place to visit. The tourist center has done itself proud with the audio guide and visual clips of the men during the period. It gives you a flavour for what it would have been like for the men stuck down here at lengths of time.
Dunluce is considered the most romantic castle in the whole of Ireland, though we never did find out why whilst we were there. It is however a delight for anyone who is a fan of history. It’s an old medieval castle that was owned by the clans of Northern Ireland and eventually fell into ruin during Cromwells take over of Ireland. It then sadly fell into ruin. However, you can still make out the amazing tactical advantages it provided against attacks from the Vikings by sea.
This is a beautiful piece of the Irish coast and is worth the visit just for that. For a little bit of extra money however, you can cross the rather perilous medieval rope bridge. The bridge connects the mainland with a little island fishermen used to store their boats and catch the best fish from. For anyone afraid of heights this will take a bit of convincing to do. As someone who feels like crying when they go up a ladder, this was a bit of challenge for me. The whole time across I felt like Donkey in Shrek when they’re crossing that boiling pit of lava.
A lot of people will drive down the road and wonder why on earth people are climbing into the follow trees or pretending to throw a sword around. For the nerds amongst you however, you may recognise this as being the Kings Road from Game of Thrones. The set locators actually compiled a list of sexy trees to feature in the series, and of course the Dark Hedges here were top of the list. It takes about 10 minutes to walk the full length and back, but it’s a really nice stop on your way back from any of your coastal day trips.
Marble Arch Caves are one of the finest show caves in Europe and features an under water cave straight out of Lord of the Rings, and a series of limestone formations that made all the geographers in our group make a similar noise to the one I make when I see an adorable puppy. If you are touring around the island on a weekday you should be fine with just turning up to book onto a tour, but if you are going in peak time, then I would phone in advance.
That’s right – why not turn your trip into two holidays?! There’s a soft boarder between Northern Ireland and Ireland which means you won’t get stopped for your passport details as you cross over (though I would recommend taking it just encase). Dublin is a fantastic city rich in history and buzzing nightlife. Some of my main recommendations, and bare in mind I am a historian, are the General Post Office – where you can see the Irish Bill of Independence – and Dublin Castle, which was once called the worst castle in all of Christendom. This is especially funny when you take into account it was considered one of King John’s greatest achievements. Awkward.
If you are a fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones, then it seems natural to book onto one of the many Game of Thrones tours they have to offer. You’ll meet your guide in Belfast, and he’ll then take you across the Narrow Sea to the land of Westeros. On the way you’ll see Winterfell, The Twins, Robb’s Camp, Beyond the Wall, the bridge under which the Starks found their Direwolves, and actually get to meet the puppies! Well, two of them, and they are a lot bigger now.
No trip to the green isles is complete without a visit to the capital. Much like Dublin, it has its own rich and wonderful history and nightlife. I would highly recommend taking one of the hop on hop off bus tours which is a great way to get an over view of the cities history and main attractions in the space of two hours. You can then hop off and explore them in greater detail if you so wish. Of particular interest, which you might want to check out, are Belfast Castle and the Titanic Centre. Oh and there’s a giant colourful fish that if you kiss, grants to knowledge of everything.
Start the first day off feeling incredibly cultured in the Louvre, which is the largest museum in the world. Last year I did five museums in one day in Berlin, but even that did not prepare me for the amount of history I would need to absorb in this museum. True, it is mostly full of art rather than teaming with information on this battle and that battle, but each corner you turn round holds another rare artefact from a long forgotten age. This museum not only showcases France’s turbulant history, but protects the delicate threads of histories across the world and throughout time. From ancient Egypt, right through to China during WW2. My favourite bit was discovering the Louvre was actually built on top of the old medieval foundations of a fortress, which the museum is positioned around in order to allow visitors to see what remains of this fascinating structure.
At the end of the gardens you’ll hit the Paris Eye, which is worth a trip up in order to get some good skyline selfies, but if you don’t want to pay the 10 euroes, hold off until you get to the Arc de Triumph. As you stand with your back to the eye, you will think to yourself the Arc looks incredibly close. It is not close. It is not a ten minute walk, even at a good pace. That is a good half an hour hike, yes hike, because once you do first leg you start to go at a steady but definite incline. You will sweat. It will be nasty. You won’t look at your significant other who warned you that it was not a ten minute walk and is giving you that “I told you so” look. Once you stagger your way across the roundabout to the Arc, you will then find yourself faced with the chance to go up to the top, which will provide you with those lovely skyline selfies I mentioned earlier. The staircase is perhaps the worst thing I have ever been up, it is formed in the tightest spiral I have ever had the misfortune of climbing, and leaves you feeling disorientated when you get to the top. But it is worth it. There’s even a perfect spot for pretending you can hold the Eiffel Tower in your hand.
After you’ve suffered the stairs on the way down, it’s time to head on over to the Eiffel Tower. This is probably the whole reason you’ve come to Paris (not really, I mean there’s still Shakespeare & Co to go yet), but it is definitely on that list of things you most probably should do whilst in Paris. There are two levels you can visit, the normal viewing platform and what they call the ‘Summit’. If you are scared of heights you will cry no matter which level you’re on so you might as well go to the top and appreciate the ground that little bit more when your feet meet again with it. If you’ve stuck to the plan I’ve outlined you’ll hit the top just as the sun is setting, which is absolutely breathtaking. I think it was the only time throughout the trip I felt even a little bit romantic. And if you don’t, there are some helpful kissing reminders around the place.
I recommend eating around here – there are some lovely little restaurants
Spend your second day in the Ile de la City area with a visit to Palais de la Cité, residence of the French Kings. White built along the picturesque riverside, the palace doesn’t look like much from the outside – in fact I would have walked past it if I hadn’t seen a sign saying free entry for Europeans. It is definitely nothing like the magnificent castles of France that are scattered throughout the rest of the country. However, once you step inside you do feel as though you have fallen into one of those ludicrous fantasy history novels where helpless young women fall in love with the strapping young prince. The arches and spiral staircases are enough to make any architect or history lover squee with joy – which is exactly what I did when I found myself inside the main hall. There is a fantastic digital presentation on the history of the palace, including a series of images of how the palace transformed from a home of the royal bloodline into a prison, and eventually the centre of the revolutions trials.
Once you’ve had your fill of the bloody history of the revolution, pop next door to one of my favourite churches in the whole of Europe: Sainte-Chapelle. This is the church which made Henry III create Westminster Abbey, legend goes, because the stained glass was rumoured to be the most spectacular in Europe. It’s been on my bucket list for some time, and as it’s free for the under 25s, it is a must whilst you are in the area. We stayed here for quite some time just gazing at the way the sun changed the colours in the glass.
und more interesting were the amount of famous people buried under the roof. Including a tribute to Louis Pasteur, who was originally buried here but was later moved. I would suggest spending at least an hour uncovering Paris’s dead heroes. I mean, what’s more romantic than poking around the crypts of a cathedral built in the late 14th century?
This suggestion is more for the book worms amongst you, but if you walk through the park opposite the cathedral, you can visit the precious Shakespeare & Co book shop. Famous for homing many an author as they researched or completed their books, the shelves are crammed with novels across genres, from specific French literature right through to valuable rare books. You could spend hours lost amongst the shelves, or curled up upstairs in one of the many inviting chairs. Nothing upstairs is for sale by the way, but reading is encouraged.
First is the catacombs, which for anyone unfamiliar with the term is basically a large collection of skulls and bones packed on top of one another because they ran out of space in the graveyards (especially during the revolution). It is damn creepy but so much fun to creep along the narrow tunnels and see the way the builders tried to bring some amount of cheer to such a dreary place, with skulls creating patterns of hearts or large barrels. If you do it late at night then you come out when it’s dark, which just adds to the creepy feeling.
If you’re looking to take a break from your busy schedule the Luxembourg Gardens are perfect for a place to relax in the sunshine. There’s a little model boating lake in the middle where you can get a boat with the flag of your country (or a pirate one) and let it float around the lake. When it reaches the banks you just push it off again with the handy little stick you get given. We lost quite a few hours here egging on the pirate ship which kept smashing into Britain.
The other place I would recommend visiting is the Montmarte area. This is a great stop on the day you are heading home as it is right by the station, and you can leave your bags at the station so you’re not laden down. Basilica du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre is the highest point in Paris, and is also one of the oldest churches in the city. Someone is always praying in the church, even during both World Wars, one of the many locals or priests was at prayer to keep the record going. Aside from it being an absolutely beautiful area to just lounge around before spending a couple of hours on a train, it is also home to the Artist Square. This is where all of Paris’ aspiring artists come to sell their wares. You can get anything from traditional oil paintings to caricatures to take home. To top it all off there is even a little train that will take you for a tour of all the important spots in the area – including the famous Moulin Rouge.
Eleanor and her husbands
When Eleanor married Henry her it looked as though her power was diminished; the lords who witnessed her charters soon bent the knee and paid homage to their new lord. Elizabeth Brown argues of the couple’s marriage was founded on a mutual love of power, and that Eleanor somehow hoped to dominate the man who was 9 years her junior. Their relationship produced 8 children, 7 of whom survived to adulthood, rebellions and finally resulted in Eleanor’s imprisonment at the hands of her husband. Whether Brown is right for the reasons of their union, the couple clearly fought for power constantly. From 1154 – 1163, Eleanor ruled as regent of England whilst Henry was securing his French lands, and from 1163 – 1168, she went back to rule Aquitaine. Henry’s reasoning here is unknown, but the coincidence of sending his domineering wife away at the same time his similarly power hungry mother died, suggests he wanted to rid himself of troublesome women. Whilst there is evidence Eleanor as regent witnessed and signed charters, it was a very limited and concerned mostly religious privileges. Ironically, in trying to free himself from Eleanor, by sending her to Aquitaine he gave her the freedom to exercise more power. Not only did the frequency of charters increase, but only 1/3rd of our surviving records show she even recognised Henry as lord. Furthermore, she appears to have held her own separate court, receiving honoured guests such as King Alphonso II of Aragon and King Sancho VI of Navarre, with whom she discussed wars and borders. By 1172 her writs addressed the people as “her followers” and she was undisputedly the ruler of Aquitaine, even when Richard was made duke.
Mother of Kings
Unjust laws
A corrupt elite
Access to the Justice System
Unjust legislation
A system for the rich
Once you are inside the grounds, there are numerous parts of the grounds just waiting to be discovered – some which are for free, and others cost a small sum of 300 crowns. If you are pressed for time, If you only do one thing inside the grounds it must be to visit the inside of the Cathedral. The absolutely stunning glass work casts the whole interior in beautiful rosy, orange, yellow and blue glows. It creates an effect very similar to that of staring at the surface of water when you sit on the bottle of pool, and it definitely just as serene.
If you have, however, set aside the day for the castle then you can explore the other wonderful parts of the ground. Some of my favourites were the Old Royal Palace – most of which burnt down, but the ball room, some of the upper bedrooms and study rooms still exist; St George’s Chapel, which is a very well-preserved example of an older and more sedate church that exists in the grounds from the 1000s and has some very curious representations of mythical creatures; and the Alchemist Street, which used to be home to the old Apothecaries and Alchemists and hosts some very interesting exhibits on their lives today.
The second day, and probably the day you are leaving this wonderful city, is best spent in Old Town. Full of snaking medieval streets with curiously eastern styled houses which lean forward to create a welcoming amount of shade in the summer sun, Old Town is a medievalist dream come true. This is also the place to do your shopping, with vendors and shops down every nook and crannies. The main thing to take a look at here, other than the beautiful architecture (there are gremlins everywhere, have fun spotting them along your way), is the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town centre. The clock was first installed in 1410 and it is still one of the most precise time keeping pieces in the world – as well as the oldest. There is a small museum inside as well, but the beauty is just watching the clock chime on every hour.
There is also the Powder Tower, which is included in the price of the all-inclusive castle ticket. The Tower used to be one of the original city gates and is now home to an exhibition on the gates history. The Powder Tower however is not near the castle – it is actually all the way over in Old Town which is on the other side of the river so you may want to do this on the day of your castle visit too. If that’s the case it’ll give you a chance to walk across the Charles Bridge – one of the oldest medieval bridges lined with great historical and religious figures.
Her Dark Majesty 