Whether you live in Iceland, you’ve visited Iceland before, or you’re simply Googled “Iceland” in anticipation of one day travelling here, the probability is high that you’ve heard of the Golden Circle. The circuitous route just a stone’s throw from the capital area delivers travellers to a trio of classic attractions: Gullfoss waterfall, the Geysir geothermal area and Þingvellir national park. It had admittedly been a minute since I had done the full Golden Circle, so when I learned my father, his wife and a couple friends of theirs would be stopping over in Iceland for the first time in a long time, I called up the Grapevine’s friends at Go Car Rental and mapped a route to take them on a classic DIY day trip.
When the day of our road trip arrived, the forecast did not bode well for an entirely enjoyable journey. Dark grey clouds loomed over Reykjavík and a peek at Vedur.is confirmed we wouldn’t be driving toward anything dramatically different.
But our eight-seater van was stocked with snacks and water bottles, my kids were hell bent on playing hooky and the majesty of Icelandic nature was sure to shine even in the dreariest circumstances. And so we were off, determined to at least get an early start before the rain began. Out of Reykjavík, over Hellisheiði and down the mountain into Hveragerði and we were still dry.
So far so good. Driving along route 35, I gave my passengers an option. “We’re approaching the Kerið volcanic crater a short ways u.