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the Northern Lights. Our transport for the evening<br />
was an amazing minibus, modified with huge wheels;<br />
we soon understood the benefit of the wheels!<br />
Having left behind the bright lights of Reykjavik,<br />
we headed out into the north of the city into the<br />
hills, with nothing more than the moon and stars to<br />
guide us. Before long we were driving along an open<br />
field with nothing around us but open skies and a<br />
beautiful salmon river, lit only by the clearest moon<br />
and stars I have ever seen. As our guide Simms told<br />
us about the legends of this natural phenomenon as<br />
well as showing us all how to adapt our cameras to<br />
get the best possible pictures, we waited in earnest<br />
to see this night time extravaganza unfold. We were<br />
told how the lights were tracked in years gone by and<br />
how technology has now made this much simpler –<br />
god bless smartphones! To keep us warm in the cool<br />
air we were offered some internal heating – Icelandic<br />
vodka to you and me – or the simpler alternative of<br />
lovely, warming hot chocolate.<br />
With no luck in our current location, we soon<br />
had word the Northern Lights had been spotted<br />
further up the mountains so off we raced – with hot<br />
chocolate still in hand. Other guides were giving us<br />
updates over the radio, the excitement was building<br />
and before long we came to a stop on a deserted<br />
road. As we piled out once more with cameras at<br />
the ready we found ourselves once again in the most<br />
stunning surroundings. The area was so beautiful I<br />
don’t think any of us cared too much now about the<br />
lights, we were so engrossed in the drama of chasing<br />
them and the amazing places we found ourselves<br />
in, the sheer excitement of it all kept us thoroughly<br />
entertained. After a number of hours of chasing,<br />
tiredness finally took over and it was a very sleepy<br />
group that eventually returned back to our hotel.<br />
Bright and early the following morning we set off<br />
THE STUNNING NORTHERN<br />
LIGHTS DANCE ACROSS<br />
THE NIGHT SKY<br />
on the Golden Circle<br />
tour of Iceland and<br />
were again greeted by<br />
the fantastic sight of<br />
our three Superjeeps.<br />
These Land Rover<br />
Discoverys are shipped<br />
over to Iceland and<br />
modified locally with<br />
not just the massive<br />
wheels but also all the<br />
latest technology and<br />
comfort you could<br />
hope for, costing<br />
nearly as much as the<br />
original cars. Having<br />
been gently eased into<br />
the capabilities of<br />
the jeeps we headed<br />
up into the hills overlooking Reykjavik to witness<br />
the amazing panoramic view of this beautiful city<br />
and its coastal line. Our ‘easing in gently’ period<br />
was well and truly over as we set off back down the<br />
mountain in full-on off-roading mode. We screamed,<br />
we laughed, we had the best fun – little did we know<br />
this was a test to see if we could cope with what was<br />
to come.<br />
It was time for a little detour from the itinerary<br />
and we set off through the most stunning land I<br />
have ever seen. We passed so many amazing spots<br />
from mountain tops with stunning views, beautiful<br />
waterfalls and lakes so clear the reflections appeared<br />
as mirrors, all the while being entertained by our<br />
fantastic driver Jakob. His pride of the island and<br />
his extensive knowledge of its history, as well as<br />
his wicked sense of humour, kept us entertained<br />
throughout. Our first main stop was the stunning<br />
Gullfoss waterfall, considered by many to be<br />
the queen of Icelandic waterfalls as it stumbles<br />
dramatically into a deep gorge.<br />
Having enjoyed an Icelandic lamb soup (think more<br />
along the lines of a traditional stew but very tasty) we
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