Cornwall!

Cornwall is a truly magnificient part of England - full of the nicest and friendliest people. The water is so clear and such amazing shades of blue that it is easy to forget that you are in England at all. It is a place that you can do nothing but relax and enjoy the great outdoors, the good food and drinks.

The Easter Weekend saw Ben and I travel and explore the beauty of Cornwall. We arrived in St Ives at lunchtime on Friday to see the Brits enjoying the sunshine and the beach - for me it was still too cold and I was definitely the odd one out wearing my winter coat! We checked into our amazing accomodation, Lamorna Lodge (which has gorgeous views of Carbis Bay from both the patio and bedrooms. Not to mention the amazing breakfasts which are included!) before we decided to explore the town and the beaches.

Saturday was spent exploring part of the South West Coastal Walk, Land's End (England's most South Westerly Point), St Michael's Mount (which is an occupied castle on an Island - can you imagine living there?) and the beach of Carbis Bay before watching the sunset over St Ives.

After amazing weather on Friday and Saturday, we woke to gloomy skies on Sunday. Ben and I still decided to persevere with our plans and proceeded to hike from our accommodation along the South West Coast to Zennor. However, half way through the 8 mile walk it began to rain and we were very glad when we arrived at lunch at a traditional English Pub to thaw out and relax.

Monday and it was time to head back to London, but first we decided to treat ourselves to lunch at Rick Stein's first restaurant, The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. We arrived early and took in a walk around the town and along the beaches, building our appetite for an amazing meal.

Golden Circle!

Our final day in Iceland consisted of touring the sites that make up the Golden Circle. We had been staying at the Lambastadir Guesthouse, which was this incredibly cute guesthouse in Selfoss, and perfectly located for all the day trips we had planned (also the food is incredible! I highly recommend   Tryggvaskali, Kaffi Krus and Fjorubordid).

Our first stop, Urridafoss, was suggested by the owner of the B&B and it was untouched by the hordes of tourists we would encounter for the rest of the day.

Next was Geysir from which the English word Geyser is derived. The nearby geyser is now the main attraction, erupting every 10 mins sending a wall of water 30m into the air.

Gulfoss, or golden falls, is a powerful and awe inspiring site. It makes you truly appreciate the power of nature, making you feel incredibly small.

Last stop on the Golden Circle Tour is Pingvellir - the site of Iceland's first parliament around 930.

Our last stop before heading back to Reykjavik was Kerio - a volcanic crater lake which was completely frozen over when we visited in March.

The incredible sunset as we drove to Reykjavik.

Iceland!

Ben and I spent days exploring this incredible country. Iceland really is a land of contrasts - from the lava-scarred Reykjanes peninsula to the snow covered mountains of the interior. One minute you are driving through flat lava-scarred Reykjanes planes and half an hour later you are driving through the snow covered mountains, where literally all you can see is fields and fields of snow. My biggest piece of advice is to hire a car – it is cost effective and the best way to see all the nooks and crannies of this incredible country.

Our first stop was the Bridge between Two Continents - where you can cross the rift that separates the European and American continental plates, Slightly contrived but a lot of fun and marked by a sign welcoming you to each continent.

We then headed to the Blue Lagoon, which was the perfect way to relax and unwind before driving to Reykjavík.
















The next day we decided to drive to the black sandy beaches of Vik The weather in Iceland is extremely changeable, which we soon discovered at our first stop at Seljalandsfoss. It was sunny and amazing as we drove to the falls but as soon as we pulled up it started snowing. I was pretty excited as this was the first time I had seen it snow for years and years. This powerful waterfall plummets two hundred feet into a deep pool and allows you to walk behind this beautiful waterfall.

 Our next stop was Skogafoss, which is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland with a width of 25m and plummets 60m. Once you brave the climb up the side of the falls, the view from the top is spectacular – showcasing the incredible diversity of this country.

Whilst we were not organised enough to book a glacier walk, we still trekked to the Solheimajokull glacier to marvel at its spectacular beauty. Once again, as soon as we left the car the weather turned and started snowing. So it was kind of a blessing in disguise that our disorganisation prevented us from partaking in a glacier walk. We still managed to climb partway onto the glacier and check it out.

Next stop for the day was Dyrholaey, which is a promontory reaching out into the ocean. However, the road to Dyrhaloaey was submerged underwater so we weren’t able to make it there – but people highly recommended it to us.

We finally reached our destination of the black sandy beaches of Vik. We strolled along these stretches of black basalt sands until once again the weather turned and it started hailing. It was strange to see these black beaches turned completely white under a blanket of hail.