Iceland, Ireland and the UK: 18 Days from Dublin to London, with a Week in Iceland in Between
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In October 2016, my sister and I spent 18 days in three countries: Ireland, Iceland and the UK. Iceland was on my bucket list, and this trip ticked it off.
The route was simple. We flew into London, went straight on to Dublin for 4 days, then flew to Reykjavík for 8 days, and finished with 4 days back in London before the long flight home to Singapore. So it went city, then a week of nature, then city again.
What do you do with 4 days in Dublin?
We started with the big three sights in the city. The first was the Guinness Storehouse, where the tour ends with a pint in a glass bar on the top floor looking over the city. The second was Kilmainham Gaol, the old prison where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed, which is a much heavier visit than the brewery. The third was Trinity College, home of the Book of Kells.
Then we took 2 day trips, the first to the Cliffs of Moher, which drop about 200 m into the Atlantic, and the second to Glendalough, a monastic site in the Wicklow Mountains, and on to Kilkenny.
What did we see first in Iceland?
Iceland is about the size of South Korea, with fewer than 400,000 people, which is roughly 1 person for every 15 in Singapore.
Then came the nature part.
Most first-timers start with the Golden Circle, and so did we. Þingvellir is the national park where the old Icelandic parliament met from the year 930. Gullfoss is a huge two-step waterfall. And at Geysir, the Strokkur geyser shoots water into the air every few minutes, so a small crowd stands around it with phones up, waiting. We added Kerið, a crater lake with red volcanic walls, on the same loop.
What is on Iceland’s south coast?
Iceland’s main highway, Route 1, is a loop of about 1,300 km around the whole island, and most people call it the Ring Road. Our stretch of it ran out from Reykjavík along the south coast.
The south coast is waterfall country. Skógafoss is a wide curtain of water you can walk right up to, and on a sunny day there is often a rainbow in the spray. Further east, about 370 km from Reykjavík, is Jökulsárlón, a lagoon where chunks of glacier break off and float out to sea. We also did a glacier hike nearby.
On a separate day, we went north to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, which people call “Iceland in miniature” because it has a bit of everything. It is also where Kirkjufell is, the mountain you may know from Game of Thrones.
Did we see the Northern Lights?
We tried, but no. October is early in the season, so it is never guaranteed, and it comes down to a clear night and some luck. We did not get either, so the Northern Lights are still a reason to go back.
Back in Reykjavík, we did a free walking tour, the Sunday market, the Harpa concert hall and, on the way out, the Blue Lagoon.
What does Iceland taste like?
Icelandic food runs from comforting to challenging. At the comforting end, there is the lobster soup at Sea Baron, a small harbour-side place in Reykjavík. At the challenging end, we tried minke whale. And then there is hákarl, the fermented shark that Icelanders serve in a small cube with a shot of schnapps to wash it down. The smell of ammonia hits you first, and most people give up right there.
What did we do back in London?
The last 4 days were London. We watched The Book of Mormon, had lunch at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze Grill, and did the Harry Potter Studio Tour. With friends who live in London, we took a day trip to Stonehenge and the Roman Baths in Bath. We also went to Dover for the white cliffs, and did a walking tour past Big Ben, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.
How did the trading fit in?
The same way it always does, in about 15 minutes a day, and I kept supporting my students and traders from the road. Europe in October sits 7 to 8 hours behind Singapore, so the time zones need a little planning.
I wrote up how the routine works, the watchlist, the alerts and the time zones, in how I trade while travelling.
Where did I go next?
Two months later, I was off again, this time on a 3,000 km drive through South Africa and Lesotho.
Have you been to Iceland? Would you try the fermented shark? Let me know in the comments.
All my other trips are on the travel log, country by country, and more photos are on Instagram, @iamrecneps.
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