As forecast, it rained a lot today. We spent a lot of the evening trying to work out what to do when it rains – and we’d covered the best choices. Today we had meals out for breakfast and dinner, with an activity that was a bit of a gamble sandwiched in-between, but one that paid off.

Early in the morning

Up and out at 7am, no mean feat with the two kids, we walked in the rain to Early in the morning, an upmarket cafe with modern decor. On a plush green velvet seat the boys got out their Cars and Planes toys, and quietly played while we waited for food.

We had two full-English breakfasts and extra sausages and beans, with complimentary coffee, juice and Icelandic skyr yoghurt. The boys didn’t take to the slightly-smoked hot dog sausages (our pleads of “it’s sausage” did not work).

We got the menu choices that offered the most food, trying to maximise our value for money – given how very expensive all food is in Iceland. For example, these breakfasts cost us about 2,500 IKR each, which was about £17.

Thankfully it was all very tasty, and a good thing we’d arrived early, as the chef didn’t have his waiter, so was soon run off his feet as the cafe filled up.

Samantha didn’t have any coffee – they don’t do decaf, decaf is not a thing in Iceland, it’s almost “offensive”, apparently. Most places had free refill filter-coffee, so I drank a lot.

The Lava Tunnel at Raufarhólshellir

Our gamble was a trip to a lava tunnel, our hotel receptionist described this as something doable on a rainy day – it doesn’t rain in a cave.

Explore the magnificent lava tunnel Raufarhólshellir, one of the longest and best-known lava tubes in Iceland. It is located just 30 minutes from Reykjavík and is easily accessed year round.

From Reykjavik we drove south-east, and as we ascended into the hills, the snow-lined roads were engulfed in thick cloud – where views of snowy landscapes disappeared into a boundless fog.

This was our first proper drive into Iceland’s landscape, the well-lit dual carriageway from Keflavik to Reykjavik didn’t count. We’d booked our rental with some trepidation – in the weeks before we travelled Iceland had heavy snow – what would we be driving in? I closely monitored road conditions using the Færð og veður app, spying webcams and watching visibility.

All major roads in Iceland are lined with yellow reflective markers, every 10 metres or so, meaning roads are usually visible even in thick blizzards and snow drifts. Given what weather Iceland could throw at us, this fog was fairly mild, but we took it slow and let other drivers overtake.

We needed to keep an eye-out for the turning, there was a signpost, and then out of nowhere a thin gravel road flew by, that was it, but it didn’t seem to go anywhere in this fog. We briefly reconsidered, then turned around and drove very, very slowly until we found the turning. From out of the fog, a flagpole and a small visitor centre, this was the right place.

Now to assess whether our 2 and 4yr old could cope with this. But Forrest was now asleep. Probably best not to attempt this with a woken-from-slumber grumpy child that we’d need to carry. We decided that Conway and I should both go, while Sam waited in the car. Getting Conway to go was it’s own challenge – he was very shy and nervous, and really not keen on putting crampons beneath his snow boots, or wearing an orange helmet with head-torch.

With what I can only describe as careful and positive parenting, I gently coaxed him into it – his helmet, like his cycling helmet, his crampons, like his daddy’s, the nice lady who helped us was kind and patient and let him choose coloured clips for his crampons. By the time he was in the gear and we were headed through the snow to the cave entrance, I was still unsure if this was a good idea or not. “You can turn back at any time”, they said.

The first bit of the lava tunnel is the hardest, there are great gaping holes in the roof, letting in snow and ice, meaning the path is a little treacherous, and great snowball towers collect beneath the openings (a little like a cenote, which Conway has learned about in Octonauts). I held Conway’s arm, and we treaded slowly, watching others ahead slip and slide. Conway used his walking pole to balance himself, and we reached the metal boardwalk. He started to gain in confidence.

Now, it doesn’t rain in a cave – however, a lava tunnel is porous, the lava blasted small holes through all the rocks. Which means, if the snow above the cave is melting, then the melt water will come down into the cave, and in places it is exactly like rain. We also learnt that this means the water goes straight through, it doesn’t pool or flow in the cave, so deep in the cave there’s no features shaped by water, like the traditional calcium carbonate stalagmites. What’s more, and weirdly, the cave has no echo, the holes in the stones absorb any sound.

Near the start of the cave it’s cold, cold enough for the water that’s dripping through to refreeze as ice again, and the cave walls and paths are lined with beautiful icicles and icy stalagmites. It’s otherworldly.

As we descend further, it gets warmer and the ice disappears, deep inside the temperature is a stable 4C all year round.

We reached the point where the metal path ends – adventurous folk can pay more for a deeper exploration, but parents with 4yr olds do not dare. Here we all stood, turned off our headlamps, and the moody cave lights, and were plunged into darkness – and everything felt much smaller now. I’d crouched down next to Conway beforehand, fearful he might freak out in the dark – I touched his nose with mine in the dark – “see how close I am and you can’t see me”, his response? He licked me. And then the lights came back on.

On the way back, Conway now in full stride, like this was suddenly no big deal, talking all about caves and lava and ice, we stopped for photos and marvelled at ice and rock formations. One section of wall is completely glass, the hot lava turning the rock into glass that looked like teeth.

We rejoined mummy up-top, warmed up with some hot chocolate, had our packed lunch sandwiches, and then continued southwards in our car.

Small road trip

The visibility remained poor all day, but that didn’t stop us exploring the south coast a little – we opted for a shorter circle, going down to Ölfus, then stopping at the church, Strandakirkja – we hopped out the car, poked our heads over the windy sea wall at the coast, then continued.

We cut inland at route 42, and headed past the icy frozen Kleifarvatn lake, making the most of the views between the foggy patches and the buffeting wind. At the water’s edge a fleet of buses were parked, a film crew doing something moody.

From Kleifarvatn we returned to Reykjavik.

Sjávargrillið

One of our plans for staying in Reykjavik was to sample the cafe culture and go out for some nice meals. Now on our last evening, we realised we’d been too busy sightseeing and eating meals wherever was convenient that this was our last chance.

I called Sjávargrillið and booked a table for 5:30pm – “grilled seafood” kind of underplays this place, the photos did not. And they had a kid’s menu. Taking the boys out for a dinner is a risk at the moment, they get tired and fractious as it approaches their 7pm bedtime. Thankfully this was a 5 minute walk from our residence, and dinner servings began early.

When we arrived, pulling hard on the heavy door, the place was already buzzing, and we were escorted to a quiet corner with dark wood furniture. It felt Covid safe. We ordered a Strawberry basil mocktail (which the boys enjoyed trying) and a Rhubarbara cocktail – rhubarb, kaffir lime and Prosecco – it was divine.

A meal out is always a little slice of mayhem at the moment – colouring pencils mixed with cutlery, glasses collected somewhere they won’t spill, Forrest refusing a baby seat and then standing for the entirety. Tonight was no exception, but we took it all in our stride and enjoyed the most-peaceful and enjoyable evening meal we could, and it was fantastic.

We’d have loved to try the starters, but a main with dessert is probably the most we can hope for.

Golden Circle →