Iceland is cool, seriously cool in many different respects, but it might not seem so obviously cool for children.
This is not a standard bucket-and-spade or a by-the-pool location (unless you count thermal springs as a pool) and while there is ice-cream available, mint choc-chip cones don’t have quite the same impact when the temperature is somewhat closer to freezing than sunbathing weather. Yet for children of a certain age (7-14 is probably the best range) there may be no more memorable place to take them.
In part this is because there are few countries in Europe where the child is more at the centre of society. In Iceland it remains the norm for middle-class couples to have children in their youth and not at the end of it, and they have plenty of them, so the typical restaurant is filled with young families. Tour guides talk to children and not past them. In the summer months when there is light throughout the day, children will be playing in the streets at midnight, neither threatening others nor at risk to themselves.
It also helps that Icelanders are collectively, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, slightly crackers, with a culture full of myths such as the notion that elves are hidden in the rocks of towns such as Hafnarfjorour, tales that a large number of “grown-ups” appear to believe. The Viking spirit is conjured up at a moment’s notice. The late Magnus Magnusson must have come our way because we seemed sane by comparison.
It is the landscape, though, that makes it such an enchanting place for children. There is nothing like it in the rest of the northern hemisphere. The journey in from the airport to Reykjavik is like a trip across the surface of the Moon — mile upon mile of what was once volcanic lava lies in front of you. The city is interesting in itself, and is compact and manageable to walk around, but it really serves as a base from which to sample an astonishing range of excursions.
And these are the essence of Iceland. In the space of a day, my son George, 9, and I were driven out of the capital up to the Thingvellir National Park, the only point where the American and European tectonic plates meet above ground (in an appropriate symbolism they are slowly edging apart) and the site where the original Icelandic Parliament (the Althing) first met more than a thousand years ago. From there it was straight up to the original geyser (after which all others are named), which still packs a hell of a punch, over to the spectacular Gullfoss, “Golden Falls”, and up off-roading into the Hellisheidi mountain range to a snowmobiling lodge for a high-speed chase across the Langjokull glacier (you don’t get that in Torremolinos).
Had we wanted to go for the “wackiest day of all time” award we could have take a detour on the way back to bathe in the Blue Lagoon — an amazing vast hot tub that is the by-product of a hydroelectric power station. Being cautious souls, we did that later. All this in a comparatively small corner of a surprisingly large island. The seriously intrepid go on trips that last far longer, such as a drive on the ringroad around the island. It is magic, enchanting, like being in a cross between a Hans Christian Andersen fable and the set of Dr Who — when the budget for that programme was rather less extravagant than it has become recently. Normally I loathe the Great Outdoors, but this is the Great Exception to that instinct.
There are, inevitably, certain drawbacks. While it is possible to create a DIY package for your holiday, it is not advisable. It is far better to trust the experts. It is infinitely more fun to be driven in a 4x4 Super Jeep than attempt to navigate around what must be the most confusing set of road signs in the modern world. Booking it all through a specialist company in Britain means this is not a cheap option, and Iceland is pricey when you get there.
This is particularly the case for alcohol (not that this should bother the children). Iceland abolished prohibition only in 1989 and part of the deal seems to have been that it should then be so expensive (£6 for a bottle of beer is a bargain) that no one would be able to afford to become plastered (although the locals appear to manage it). Virtually everything costs more than in this country. Then again, five days involves far more activity here than 14 days elsewhere.
It is also pointless to consult a weather forecast. Nobody has a clue what the weather will be on a given day and it can change several times within hours. Waterproofs are best kept close to hand even in what appears to be the height of summer. That is more true for the winter months when the spectacular, haunting Aurora Borealis is the principal attraction.
Iceland is, then, the improbable but irresistible spot to send the children. Possibly because, ultimately, it can bring the child out of the most orthodox of alleged adults.
Need to know
Tim Hames and son travelled with Discover the World (0870 0603288, www.discover-the-world.co.uk/iceland). A three-night Summer Reykjavik city break (May to September) costs from £291pp, including B&B and Icelandair flights from Heathrow, Manchester or Glasgow. Extra nights are from £21pp. Excursions costing from £25pp can be arranged. Four-wheel-drive trips are from £78pp.
Reading: The Iceland Insight Compact Guide (Insight Guides, £5.99) is published this week.
