Iceland boasts hot springs, volcanoes, the Northern Lights and now a World Cup football team
Ever more visitors are being drawn to this small but perfectly formed island nation, for its dramatic scenery, eerie nighttime sun and laid back locals
HAVING heroically completed a hike from Europe to America, I am relaxing in an outdoor geothermal bath, drinking a well- deserved beer, and . . .
Well OK, I say “heroically” but it was actually just a short trek through Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park, taking in amazing vistas and drinking glacial water from a lake.
Iceland sits atop two tectonic plates, geologically straddling two separate continents. You can literally walk from one to the other, as I’ve just done.
The separation of these plates accounts for the volcanic activity, geysers and hot springs, and the truly stunning, otherworldly landscapes, as seen in TV’s Game Of Thrones and countless movies.
Ever more visitors are being drawn to this brilliant, bonkers country — almost 2.2million last year. That is six times the number of locals.
And this summer Iceland will become the smallest-ever country, in terms of population, to compete in a World Cup finals.
OUT AND ABOUT: Team Iceland Stopovers, 90-minute football-inspired experiences, are free with Icelandair transatlantic flights. See .