please empty your brain below
My greatest holiday disappointment was having to cancel my booking to go to the rim of Mount Teide. A big storm had hit Tenerife the night before, washing away a nearby manmade beach, and it manifested as a *blizzard* on the volcano. I still tried to go up and see if they'd let us go partway, but the road was shut with a few feet of snow on it.

Chz | 30.01.23 - 8:41 a.m. | #

Stayed overnight by plug of Mount Pinabalu, Philippines, in late 90s, about 10 years after it had it's last big eruption. The bubbling water was quite off-putting.

scrumpy | 30.01.23 - 9:03 a.m. | #

Have been up Vesuvius, and also climbed Mt Aso in Japan, where there are concrete shelters in case of eruptions. I believe it is currently closed to visitors due to high activity levels.

Keith | 30.01.23 - 9:04 a.m. | #

I have visited the smoking volcano at the south end of La Palma (not the new one that erupted last year!), and I have also been up Vesuvius.
My father-in-law saw Vesuvius when it erupted in 1944.

timbo | 30.01.23 - 9:17 a.m. | #

I've been on a helicopter trip to White Island in New Zealand (2003) which is an active volcano - we had to have masks on and weren't allowed out of site of the piliot. It errupted "properly" in 2019 killing 22

Paul | 30.01.23 - 9:33 a.m. | #

We were on holiday in Iceland in 2021 when Fagradalsfjall was erupting. Decided it was a once in a lifetime opportunity so booked an expensive helicopter flight over it, but it was cancelled because of bad weather. Managed to find another one later in the holiday, but that too got cancelled, an hour before take off.

The hike up the get a distant view of the eruptions looked too tough with two small children - plus the weather was still so poor we probably wouldn't have seen anything.

In the end we drove to the temporary car park, and walked for five minutes to the edge of the lava field. The lava was cool, as right down the valleys from the eruptions, but you could feel hot air coming out of the holes.

Peter of London | 30.01.23 - 10:30 a.m. | #

I have also visited Mt Aso and the overwhelming memory was the sulphurous smell in the air.

Adam | 30.01.23 - 10:32 a.m. | #

Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua is an amazing place, a road takes you near the top where you can peer into an active volcano, and see the lava lake bubbling away. Stunning, especially at night.

Mikey C | 30.01.23 - 10:46 a.m. | #

Oh, if standing on a volcano counts, my score goes up to 2!
Went up Vesuvius as a child, and as a teen, stood on the ash at the base of Mount St Helens in Washington state a few months after it blew its top!

Cornish Cockney | 30.01.23 - 11:05 a.m. | #

Drove to Sicily in 1971 after Etna erupted. The lava was still hot. It looked grey in he sunlight but at night bright red.

Keith | 30.01.23 - 11:09 a.m. | #

I'm counting a 2 for glimpses of red lava glinting through holes in the lava tubes at Kilauea on Hawaii, but would geothermal vents, geysers, mud pools, etc (New Zealand, Japan, Iceland, etc) all count as volcanic activity? Perhaps just a 1 rather than a 2.

dg writes: 0 for mere geothermal activity.

Andrew | 30.01.23 - 11:53 a.m. | #

When I visited Mt Vesuvius in 1979, we were allowed inside the crater accompanied by a guide.
It was a bit warm underfoot and sulphurous smelling.
I’m not certain if that’s allowed today!

Nick | 30.01.23 - 2:43 p.m. | #

I think I must get a 2 for Volcanoes. Been up Mt Vesuvius and part of the way up Mt Fuji. I've also stood on Nea Kameni and Nisyros in Greece, both had horrid sulphur smells coming from the craters. Finally I saw Stromboli erupting while sailing past it and also a volcano in Peru erupting in 2014.

Neil | 30.01.23 - 8:11 p.m. | #

Does going to Solfatara in the Bay of Naples area count? Hot steam vents and deposits of sulphur. Maybe just a 1.

dg writes: 0 for mere geothermal activity.

Robert Butlin | 30.01.23 - 10:31 p.m. | #

About 45 years ago, when Elf & Safety was in its infancy, I reached the top of Etna and was able to peer into a seething abyss, see the lava, smell the acrid smoke, hear the most incredible booming bass and feel the vibrations. I think that counts as a 2.

Strabismus | 31.01.23 - 1:15 p.m. | #

I've been quite far up Mt Lassen in Northern California. Its last major eruption was in 1914-17, but looking at the solidified lava flows you'd think it was last year. It's still classed as active and 'could erupt tomorrow'. But it didn't when we were there so I guess that's a 0.

Peter | 31.01.23 - 6:16 p.m. | #











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