Brits in Iceland issued urgent Sundhnúkur volcano advice as more eruptions 'likely'
A warning has been issued to British holidaymakers after volcano Sundhnúkur erupted earlier this morning. Magma was seen pouring out of the volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near the fishing town of Grindavík, in the early hours of Wednesday, July 16, forcing families and tourists to be be evacuated from the area.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has now updated its guidance on travel to the country. It warned travellers that more eruptions are 'likely' and advised them to closely follow local media for any further updates. This is the ninth time the volcano has erupted since December 2023.
On Thursday, July 16, the FCDO said: "Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are common in Iceland given the country's natural geography. In the event of an eruption or wider seismic activity follow the latest advice issued by the authorities.
"Recently there has been a series of volcanic eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland, the latest on 16 July. These have affected the town of Grindavik and the area to the north of it. Keflavik International Airport and the road to it is unaffected and operating normally. The capital city, Reykjavik, and the rest of Iceland is not affected by these recent eruptions.
"It is likely there will be further eruptions in this location. Monitor local media for updates and always follow the authorities' advice on travel to the area.
"The Government of Iceland monitors any seismic and volcanic activity closely and infrastructure is robustly designed, but not all events can be anticipated and can pose risks to your travel plans including travel delays and cancellations due to rock falls and landslides, sudden flooding and poisonous volcanic gases near eruption sites."
Following the eruption, the National Police Commissioner decided, in consultation with the Police Commissioner in Suðurnes, to raise the Civil Protection alert level to the highest level as the likelihood of an eruption at the Sundhnúk crater has increased.
This was revealed in a statement from the Communications Director of Civil Protection. The earthquake cluster is located between Stóra-Skógfell and Sýlingarfell, and is in a similar area to the beginning of magma flows in previous events, like April this year.
The Blue Lagoon Iceland - a five-star hotel resort popular with Brit holidaymakers - and a local campsite were evacuated, as was most of the town of Grindavík.
Experts say the fissure is between 700 and 1000 metres wide and does not appear to be getting longer as the lava flow appears to be most concentrated to the southeast.
Benedikt Ófeigsson, a geophysicist and head of deformation measurements at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, has moved to reassure communities - but said things could change quickly.
He said: "This is not a major event at the moment. It's a small volume and we're not seeing any signs that the tremors are getting shallower, as things stand now.
"There is always some seismic activity, but nothing extreme, it hasn't been particularly increasing."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
10 of the best tour operators
Whether turning up at a port to see the ferry melting over the horizon or thinking you're heading to an authentic Mexican cantina only to find a generic cocktail bar, a trip to a new place inevitably contains moments of disappointment. However, booking with the right operator can ensure you're spending your holiday budget, and more importantly time, in the way that feels most meaningful to you. More than doing the admin, offering on-the-ground knowledge and crafting thoughtful itineraries, they also offer a steady hand to hold when things go awry. From high-end adventures to budget-conscious journeys, these are the companies that go the extra mile so you can travel with confidence. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue Jet2holidays is now the UK's largest tour operator and has won awards for its excellent service at reasonable prices. It refunded customers quickly during the pandemic, has promised not to apply surcharges this year and, unlike many fly-and-flop merchants, includes hold luggage in its headline prices. It has beach holidays in two to five-star hotels in 65 destinations across the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and other corners of Europe, from ten UK airports, as well as city breaks. Try this: Seven nights' all inclusive at the four-star Landmar Costa Los Gigantes in Tenerife on June 19 starts at £994pp, based on two adults sharing, including baggage allowance, flights and transfers. • Read our full guide to the world's best adventure holidays Inntravel was pioneering slow travel long before it became mainstream. It specialises in self-guided walking, cycling and cross-country snowshoeing holidays, which come with minutely detailed trip dossiers and work with a network of small, locally owned hotels and guesthouses. Many of its holidays are also designed with rail travel from London. Try this: Journey by Rail Along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Perfect for those who don't have the fitness or 30 days spare to do this section of the journey on foot, it includes stays in five cities en route including Burgos, where you'll find El Cid's tomb, and Monforte de Lemos, built around a fortress, which now houses a stunning parador where Inntravel customers stay. Nine nights' B&B and rail travel start from £1,105pp, based on two sharing. Jules Verne runs escorted tours and cruises worldwide, from Croatia to Cuba, and is great for solo travellers who aren't necessarily looking for trips especially for singles, but do want holidays that don't involve paying a swingeing supplement if they don't want to share a room. The group size on each tour is typically about 15 and nearly 40 per cent are travelling solo. More than half of its escorted tours have departures where no single supplement applies. Try this: The Golden Road to Samarkand escorted tour of Uzbekistan has no single supplements on selected dates as well as solo departures. Eleven nights' half board and flights starts at £2,495pp. Owned and managed by the same family for more than 50 years, this is your go-to for lesser-known/undiscovered Greece and its islands (Cyprus, Portugal and the Azores, Scandinavia and Latin America are also in its portfolio). Forget glitzy and soulless all-inclusives, it specialises in value-for-money small hotels and resorts as well as villas with pools and its holidays are brilliant for getting under the skin of a destination. Try this: The two-bedroom Anthilia Cottages in Sivota on Greece's Epirus coast are a ten-minute walk from the village and beaches and seven nights' self-catering costs from £709pp, including flights and transfers. A trip to Japan is top of many people's wishlist but to make the most of it you need a specialist tour operator with impeccable attention to detail. InsideJapan has this in spades, offering group tours and self-guided trips that come with an indispensable, personalised 'bible' of tips and advice. All of its team have have had years of experience living, working and travelling in Japan, and know all the best spots, whether you want to see cherry blossom or hunt down the best manga stores in Tokyo. Try this: The 14-night Gastronomic Adventure is a whistle-stop tour of all the best food and culture hotspots across Japan and starts at £3,060pp, based on two travelling and excluding flights. Trailfinders has specialised in round-the-world tickets and multi-city flights for more than 50 years and now provides everything from tropical fly-and-flops to city breaks and escorted tours; while it has an online presence, you have to ring to book and will always get a bespoke deal. It really came into its own during the pandemic because of its finance model: it ring-fences customers' money in a separate account, so could refund quickly. Try this: The Worldwide Explorer around-the-world package includes flights and five nights' accommodation (room only) on a route from London that includes Singapore, Sydney and San Francisco and starts at £1,379pp, based on two travelling. If you're keen to go green, Pura Aventura, a Brighton-based tour operator, is certified B Corp and tailor-makes holidays away from the crowds to Latin America, Spain and Portugal. It donates one per cent of its revenue to fund a rural reforestation development project in Nicaragua and carbon balances every holiday by 160 per cent (a mile for every kilometre travelled) so that customers can travel 'positive'. Try this: Classic Costa Rica Away From the Crowds swaps the tourist trail for lesser-known routes in Costa Rica and starts at £4,900pp, based on two sharing, including 17 nights' B&B, some meals, transfers and activities. If insider access is your thing, A&K, which specialises in top-notch hyper-bespoke holidays, operates on the 'it's not what you know but who you know' principle and has a bulging little black book. In business for more than 60 years, it's particularly strong on Africa, whether you want a super luxe small-boat Nile cruise or a private safari — but with 55 offices in 30 countries, its reach is worldwide. Try this: A&K's Cultural Treasures: Around the World by Private Jet departs on May 6 and includes everywhere from the Taj Mahal and Abu Dhabi's modern wonders to a Sicilian wedding party and the Bhutan's tshechu festival. It costs £120,800pp. A key marker of Kuoni's reliability is that honeymoons and special occasions make up a quarter of its business; it's also strong on family holidays. All of its trips are tailor-made and it was one of the best travel companies for refunds during the pandemic. It sells holidays worldwide, including a strong European programme ranging from Malta to Montenegro, and while it's premium, it's not all top end — there's now a broader range of resorts in the Maldives, for example. It's hot on sustainability, fair employment rights and animal welfare (elephant rides have been removed entirely from its tours), and a big plus for those who'd rather chat in depth about their trip face-to-face is that it has 30 stores across the UK. Try this: Kandolhu is a tiny idyll in the Maldives that's exclusive to Kuoni. Seven nights' all-inclusive, plus flights and transfers, starts at £3,899pp. An expert in highly personalised, tailor-made private tours, Audley offers trips to more than 80 destinations. Its USP is a team of specialists who've all travelled extensively in their regions, returning each year, so they can curate trips that are out of the ordinary. You can expect the best local guides and stays in interesting hotels, homestays and lodges. Try this: An eight-night Highlights of Canada's west self-drive trip, with bear, moose and elk spotting in Banff and Jasper National Parks, starts at £2,645pp, including flights, stays in hotels and B&Bs, and car hire. • Best tours for families• Best group tours for solo travellers• Best tours for couples Additional reporting by Hannah Summers and Imogen Lepere
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Win a two-night stay at Grove of Narberth worth £1,600
This country house hotel, tucked away in the lovely Pembrokeshire countryside, is a must for foodies. There are two excellent restaurants, but it's Fernery that people travel for. This destination dining spot is all about making the most of the best Welsh ingredients, including those sourced from the hotel's two-acre kitchen garden and surrounding hedgerows. You'll retire to one of the lovely suites (either in the main house or in the cottage) decorated with Welsh art, crafts and antiques. The location is another boon, with extensive woodlands and a network of paths and bridleways that make ideal settings for walks. The property is also just a short drive from Pembrokeshire's rugged coast, where surf and wildlife-watching adventures await. As part of your prize, you'll enjoy a two-night stay for two on a B&B basis. It also includes a five-course tasting menu at Fernery, plus a wine or non-alcoholic pairing. A guided tour of the kitchen garden is included as part of the experience. The stay must take place between Wednesday and Sunday, and between August 29, 2025 and August 29, 2026. Blackout dates include public holidays, the festive period and Valentine's Day. For more information, click here. For your chance to win, simply vote in each category in this year's Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards. There are 17 categories in total. Click here to vote. For the full list of prizes, see closes at 23.59pm on August 31, 2025. Open to residents of the United Kingdom who are aged 18 years or older, excluding employees and agents of the Promoter and its group companies, or third parties directly connected with the operation or fulfilment of the Promotion and their affiliates, and their immediate families and household members. One entry per person. Winners will be selected at random from all valid entries. No cash alternative and prize is non-transferable. Winner and guest responsible for getting to and from the venue at their own expense. Subject to availability, Prize must be booked by April 1, 2026, to take place from Wednesday to Sunday, between September 1, 2025 and August 29, 2026, except on public holidays, the festive period and Valentine's Day. Winner and his/her guests must travel on same itinerary. All parts of Prize must be used in conjunction with same booking. Travel insurance, food and drink (outside what is previously declared in the board basis), spending money and all incidental expenses are the responsibility of the Winner. Prize is subject to Grove of Narberth terms and conditions. Your information will be used to administer this Promotion and otherwise in accordance with our privacy policy at and those of the partners. Promoter is Times Media Ltd. Full T&Cs apply — see
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
ALEXANDRA SHULMAN'S NOTEBOOK: My guide to making our US friends feel at home
A few months back I wrote of how the Americans were coming to London, bringing with them early dining and a takeover of the capital's tennis courts. Many of those escaping Trump's America are also bringing the big buck spending power we urgently need now that wealthy non-doms are leaving en masse. So we must welcome the Americans, keep them close and make sure that they don't skip off to Portugal or Spain after one British winter (they don't speak the language there, so there's hope). Writer Lena Dunham, whose TV series Girls in the mid-2010s defined an era of New York singledom, is one of those who has relocated here. It seems to have inspired her new Netflix comedy series Too Much, in which the central character, Jessica, is posted to London for work. Unlike most hyper-organised Americans I know here, Jessica is a chaotic hot mess. 'Do the British find American accents as sexy as we find yours?' she asks her new London boyfriend, who fails to come up with the correct answer, which should be, 'Of course. We love listening to you!' To ensure we Brits don't make similar mistakes with our valued new guests, I have devised a few guidelines to make Americans feel more at home: Do not ask 'What's a person like you doing in a place like this?' – as I heard one Brit say to my American ex-husband over dinner in a club. Do not make jokes about Toto to an American who mentions Kansas. Do show your amazement that they manage to get tickets to every sold-out show in town like Oasis or Wimbledon. Do not ask 'How much did you have to pay for that?' Americans like to drink spirits. Never greet them with 'Would you like a glass of red, white or pink?' Prepare them for the fact that whenever somebody asks how long it takes to get somewhere, the Brits will always underestimate and claim you can get there in no time at all. Cheltenham has never been an hour and a half drive from London. Don't mention Trump – no matter which political side they are on. They are fed up with hearing our opinions on that subject. Sarah may bloom out of the limelight Like many, I've bought my fair share of plants from Sarah Raven. Some have thrived, some haven't – just like plants I've bought anywhere. For years, Sarah's been the face of her gardening company, with its sumptuous catalogue and website that tempts even the most hopeless gardener into orders of cafe au lait dahlias. There she is, dressed in smocks and gardening aprons, secateurs at the ready. Now, as her business hits trouble, she's suffering the usual backlash directed at any woman who is the public face of their company. Being in that position swings both ways. Customers often buy from women they want to emulate – Victoria Beckham, Charlotte Tilbury, Trinny Woodall. They want to hear them speak, watch them move, see what they wear. Their personality is a big part of the draw. But it's hard work being so visible – and when bad times roll in, it is the woman leading from the front who gets personally attacked. Often, like perfumer Jo Malone or homeware designer Cath Kidston, you even lose the rights to your own name and have to watch strangers do with it what they will. I'm sure Sarah Raven will recalibrate her business and will soon be tempting us with her spring bulbs again. But perhaps this time with her face slightly less conspicuously on the tin. Michelle's hair now has a life of its own Cherchez la femme, cherchez les cheveux. If you want to know what's going on with a woman, the best place to look is her hair. Michelle Obama is the perfect illustration of this truism. During her First Lady years, Obama's hair was a straightened helmet – as rigid as Lady Thatcher's famous shampoo and set. Since leaving the White House her hair has taken on a whole new identity. In the videos that accompany the IMO podcast she shares with her brother Craig, her ever-changing hairdos tell the story of her liberation from the presidential lifestyle. Now her daughters have left home and her husband is no longer in office, her life is 'totally about me', she claims. So enter the intricate braids and buns, extensions and weaves that she presumably felt she couldn't indulge in when her husband was leader of the free world. She often looks like a fabulous warrior queen. I wonder if Rachel Reeves will go wild when she no longer has to convince the country she knows what she's doing with our economy. Will she run free and let that neat bob morph into a rock chick layered shag? An Astute present that's fit for a Queen Some might consider the personalised clingfilm dispenser HMS Astute given to Queen Camilla for her 78th birthday a little odd. Not me. The business of severing film from the roll is not part of my skill set and, invariably, I end up with a nasty tangle of the stuff, incapable of keeping anything fresh. I'm sure the Navy have come up with something a notch above your bog-standard cardboard number. I'd love to know where they got it. A houseful of clutter – what's not to love? What cheering news that the young are apparently turning to analogue entertainment, buying DVDs and even searching out vintage Walkman players to listen to cassettes. They'll discover it's much more satisfying than streaming. We still have shelves of old record albums and CDs in the house, which I've been unable to throw out even though I rarely play them. They're like the clothes you keep in your wardrobe which are highly unlikely ever to fit you again. You feel content in their company. They are faithful old friends reminding you of times past.
