The world's ‘most peaceful country' is the perfect holiday destination for our turbulent times

Clustered in a valley below an arc of snow-streaked mountains, 1,320 boulders have been carefully arranged, some bearing a metal cross. Amassed by amateur history enthusiast Sigurður Hansen, the 600-tonne basaltic burial ground in Kakalaskáli pays homage to warriors killed in the Battle of Haugsnes in 1246 – the bloodiest period of unrest in Icelandic history.
Significantly, there hasn't been a major conflict since.
Once notorious for the furious frays, Viking rampages and clan warfare documented in the Icelandic Sagas, this windswept Nordic nation is now praised for being one of the most placid places in the world.
Announced earlier this week, Iceland has topped the Global Peace Index for the 18th year in a row.
At a time when political tensions are escalating globally, it's refreshing to find a country where war is a word found only in history books. There's no army, navy or air force, and the only blasts ever heard are volcanic rumblings from the earth's core.
So what's the secret to keeping the peace for almost 800 years?
The most obvious answer is survival; a small population in a remote location has no option but to stick together.
I was reminded of this fact last year on a trip to Iceland's Highlands. A few hours after I arrived, the mountain rescue service was alerted to a distress call from a missing hiker. A team of committed volunteers spent 48 hours searching day and night from land and air for what turned out to be a hoax. But fully aware of notoriously unpredictable weather, nobody takes any chances.
'Surviving in Iceland's harsh conditions has always required cooperation, not confrontation,' says Stefanía Dröfn Egilsdóttir, account manager at Visit Iceland, who grew up in a village of 300 people in the Westfjords.
'Maybe it's because we're a small society – everyone knows someone who knows someone, so there's a natural incentive to be kind and fair.'
This is, after all, home to one of the oldest parliamentary institutions in the world. From as early as 930AD, leaders would gather to discuss matters of law at Thingvellir, a canyon along the Mid-Atlantic ridge. The Eurasian and North American plates may be drifting apart, but matters of international diplomacy remain stable. Iceland has no natural enemies. (Unless you count the time England crashed out of the European Championships in 2016, a shock result local football fans still regale.)
Of course that doesn't mean disagreements don't occur. But people are more likely to use words as weapons rather than force.
'Through the ages we have made do with writing hateful verses about those who vex us instead of using violence,' says professional poet Gerður Kristný, who lives in capital Reykjavík. 'Icelanders see themselves as a nation of literature and we use what we have, the gift of poetry.'
She has a point. Writers, poets and artists have never shied away from the darker sides of life. To assume this is a happy-clappy Utopia on a par with Disney's Magic Kingdom would do Icelanders an enormous disservice. Traditional tales of child-eating ogres and thieving trolls are hardly Beatrix Potter. But tales of horror stay within the pages of storybooks.
'There are a lot of ways to calm your inner demons in Iceland,' adds Kristný. 'I recommend listening to the falling of snow.'
Nature is universally known for its ability to heal, especially in the extreme wilderness.
'There is something soothing to your mindset when you wake up and breathe fresh air every morning, look at the mountains outside your window and hear birds singing,' says Marteinn Briem, who runs city tours through CityWalk Reykjavik.
Ironically, a landscape of active volcanoes, unstable ice caves and melting glaciers has the potential to cause grave destruction. But such powerful natural forces also command respect and humility, quashing any over-inflated egos and reminding us we are a blip in the history of time.
'Nature brings us peace in its own quiet way,' adds fellow Reykjavik resident Hrafnhildur Þórisdóttir. 'It surrounds us and creates a sense of calm. All year round, we enjoy the beauty of Icelandic nature – from the bright summer nights and colourful autumn to snow-covered winter mountains and the first flowers of spring.
'Life here moves at a relatively slow pace. After a day of work, we can unwind in hot pools, go for a walk in nature or enjoy arts and culture.'
Whether drinking a beer in the Blue Lagoon or stuck in a snowdrift on top of a mountain, I've always felt at peace in Iceland. Residents often leave their doors unlocked, children cycle freely along main roads and babies frequently sit outdoors in strollers unaccompanied. How could you not feel safe?

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