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Iceland 2018
  • RobCowell

Iceland 2018

I return to Iceland once again but to concentrate on the amazing southern region and the peninsula to the west. Last time my friend Tony and I were plagued with rain and dull conditions so will we be lucky this time? Why not find out. Read more
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  • Trip start
    February 6, 2018
    RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    Manchester airport waiting to leave
    De-icing the aircraft and not in Iceland yet!This is Scotland!!!First view of IcelandArriving at Keflavik airport

    The Journey Begins

    February 6, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    It's time to depart and begin our journey to Iceland. But it's snowing even before we start and you can see the wings being de-iced before we left. This meant we were late leaving - only 35 minutes or so and that wouldn't be a problem would it. We were amazed at how much snow lay across Scotland and wondered if Iceland would be covered in snow to the same extent.

    When we visited in 2016 there wasn't a great deal of snow and in fact, we never saw snow falling other than the odd storm in the highlands. As we approached Keflavik airport you can see it's a lot more snowy this time.

    Great flight by-the-way and we'd recommend Icelandair if you get to choose.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    Our transport to Egilsstadir

    Reykjavik Airport

    February 6, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ -2 °C

    So, a great flight but a little late arriving due to the delay in Manchester. Moving through the airport went smoothly if you ignore that Tony couldn't get the electronic passport thingy to recognise his passport ... but it did in the end and our bags were soon off the plane. We then sorted the transfer bus to Reykjavik domestic airport though all we needed to do is convert our voucher into tickets, find the bus, queue to get on it then wait for it to leave. It left at 16:35 and we had to be on our flight to Egilsstadir at 18:00 and technically we had to check in by 17:15. Then the bus driver announced the transfer to the bus station (not the airport) would be 50 minutes. Oh dear! Then we needed to change buses to get to the airport. Oh dear x2.

     The bus, of course, then appeared to travel at a snail's pace though in reality it probably wasn't. Then it stopped to drop off passengers on the way. Should we panic? Perhaps we should.

    The bus arrived at the bus station at 17:25 and in emergency mode we ditched the idea of the onward coach and hijacked a taxi. It took 6 minutes to get to the terminal, 5 minutes to check our bags, 10 minutes catching our breath then we boarded.

    We'd made it after a close call. 😳    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    View from outside our accommodation
    This is where we're staying tonight

    Made it to Egilsstadir

    February 6, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ 🌙 -6 °C

    The flight from Reykjavik went well, taking 50 minutes to fly across the country. A bit bumpy at times and a cosy flight but we soon had a taxi whisk us away from the airport to the Birta Guesthouse which is warm as can be when it's -6c outside. Been out for a meal and planned how we start the day tomorrow.

    So, here we are and are ready for what Iceland brings us. Tomorrow we travel southwards along the coast road with some photography on the way.

    One thing we can say about our stroll out for a meal this evening ... the ice is so solid even marble would have a hard time competing against it!    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    A Duster ... how embarrassing!
    Tony eats food and really tasty too (the food, not Tony)

    Car and Breakfast

    February 7, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    Made it to the airport this morning to collect our car to find we had no extras to pay and may even have been overcharged for our car hire. That's good then!

    Now we're having the breakfast at our guesthouse which we thought wasn't included. A good start to the day then. After breakfast we'll pack the car and begin our journey.

    Only one hiccup ... our hire car is a Duster 4x4. How can Rob live with the embarrassment of driving around in a cleaning cloth for two weeks!    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    Conditions Getting Worse
    Not Quite a WhiteoutImproving Weather and Improving ViewsStunning Landscapes as We TravelAn Afternoon of Perfect WeatherTypical View from This Afternoon

    Travelling on the First Day

    February 7, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ -2 °C

    Mixed weather while we're travelling. Sunny one minute then high winds and snow. The first part of the journey was over high ground and snow covered roads.then we we're travelling along the coast towards Hofn.

    The main views for most of today were the fjords and the mountains which cradle them. This meant the road wound its way along the sides of the inlets and around the headlands. The day had started in harsh conditions as you can see, with ice and snow covered roads winding up and over the mountain passes. Much more than the simple wintry conditions of the UK but not much bother for Icelandic 4x4 vehicle with studded tyres.

    As we descended the roads stayed ice covered but the clouds cleared to give us magnificent views of stunning landscapes bathed in the arctic light of golden sunlight. It was incredible and totally unexpected as the forecast was not so optimistic. As before, though, you're not allowed to stop on Icelandic roads and lay-bys are rare and we must have missed so many compositions simply because there was nowhere safe to stop. There were snowfields crossed with frozen streams glowing in shades of soft blue and silver. Incredible.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler

    End of the Day at Hofn

    February 7, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ -4 °C

    One of the last stops for photography for today was an impromptu visit onto a beach of pebbles. We saw a couple of cars there and the views were of a frozen tidal area with snow covered mountains as a backdrop. It was a pebble beach hardened by the frozen conditions and as the cars were there we judged it safe to join them. Wrong! The car embedded itself into the snow and pebbles where the ice was not so hard and we feared we were stuck, even in a 4x4. Okay, so it is embarrassing to drive a cleaning cloth, but that Duster made a clean job of getting us free. Or was it just Rob's driving skills were polished?

    After retreating to a safe part of the beach we took a few photos and this panorama was one of them. Phones can do clever things these days.

    We stopped once more in the fading light to capture some sunset colours and the very last light of the day. It was then only 10 minutes to our next overnight stop in Hofn where once again it's lovely and warm and our hosts so friendly. We ate at a restaurant just over the road and had an excellent meal, eating langoustine caught locally ... by that red boat by the way.

    Tomorrow promises to be good weather too and even a remote chance of some aurora activity if we're extremely lucky. Will we be? Who knows.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler

    We Begin Day 3

    February 8, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ -4 °C

    After sleeping well and having had breakfast we started the day with this view from our window. It snowed just a little in the night - just a dusting on the car. You can see the restaurant where we ate from our window.

    On the way to Hofn from Egilsstadir we'd seen some great photo compositions but nowhere to stop and take advantage of them. We decided to travel back along yesterday's route to see if we could revisit those and set 30 minutes drive time northwards as a maximum because we knew that covered the area we'd seen the day before. So, that's what we did ... we drove about 30 minutes north and turned around and came back towards Hofn.

    The light was very different and the magical potential shots we'd seen were gone. We did, however, find a small parking area off the road which looked to offer potential. You need to know that in Iceland you can't just stop and take photos wherever. Parking areas are few and far between and it's forbidden to simply stop on the side of the roads. You can't to be honest, because the roads are raised to stop snow buildup so you'd end up in a ditch.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    Frozen Landscapes
    Batman Mountain on the left.View from the CarDriving Along the South Coast

    Travelling South Towards Jokulsarlon

    February 8, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ -4 °C

    The light was constantly changing, like every few seconds. From the parking area we had a lovely view to the east and to the west some mountains with dark clouds as a backdrop. The clouds towards the mountains were moving quickly and at times the sun broke through, though to the east it was relatively clear. We both tried to capture the best of the light and the images as they appeared. Tony concentrated on the mountains to the east (towards Hofn) whilst Rob gave the drone its maiden flight of the trip. We both got some photographs with some atmospheric light but soon it was time to move on. We must have spent an hour there.

    Just to explain about the caption, Batman mountain is actually Vesturhorn but locals refer to it as Batman mountain because it has three peaks. Make you own mind up as we're not convinced. Maybe we're looking at it from the wrong end.

    The journey continued including a fuel stop in Hofn with the next destination being the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. This drive was absolutely stunning. The last two photos in this footprint give you the idea but it was a million times better!    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    First View of the Glacier Lagoon
    Iceberg in the Evening SunNot as many icebergs this time ... phone camera couldn't cope with the blue lightIce on Diamond BeachIt was dark when we arrived at the hotel

    First Visit to Jokulsarlon

    February 8, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We arrived at the glacier lagoon mid to late afternoon and how different it looked from when we were here in October 2016. First of all, it wasn't raining and foggy. Second, there were far fewer icebergs with most of the lagoon frozen and this gave it a different feel altogether. Such is the nature of this place ... it's never the same, even from one hour to the next. To be honest, an hour is too long as the bergs and ice are constantly moving and the weather ever changeable.

    We parked up and spent time photographing the ice in the lagoon before going to Diamond Beach to photograph the crystal clear ice stranded on black volcanic sand. Time passed unnoticed as we tried to capture the essence of the place, the patterns formed as the waves washed over and around those diamonds of ice as the light gently faded. Not windy this time, not raining and so pleasurable. We captured some great photographs. It was dark when we arrived at our hotel.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    1

    Late Night Photography

    February 8, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Here is the reason our blog updates slipped behind. A late night at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.

    Having arrived in the dark and found our room, we settled in and had a lovely meal then, given how clear the skies were as we travelled to the hotel, we decided to check the aurora forecast App on Rob's phone. It looked promising so at around 10.30pm we decided to take the plunge and drive the 20 minutes to Jokulsarlon to stand in temperatures around -6c ... and wait and see. We didn't have to wait long because when we arrived and turned off the headlights there were the Northern Lights ... right there, shining in an almost cloudless sky over a lagoon of frozen ice and bergs. Stunning.

    We stayed there until around 1.30am as the lights came and went and we got to bed an hour later. What a day! We don't think we could have ever have wished for a day like this. From leaving Hofn, the photo stops, the incredible sights in perfect weather and the afternoon light at the lagoon. All that and we are gifted with the aurora at the glacier lagoon. What a rewarding day. A privilege to see what we saw and the opportunity to photograph it. Not just one kind of view but a kaleidoscope of sensual experience.

    Okay, we know that's a bit OTT but hey, what an impressive day!    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    Jokulsarlon is a frozen lake this time
    Rob takes the viewJust to prove we were there ... Fjallsarlon Lagoon - unbelievable isn't it. Today was amazing.

    Photographing Glacier Lagoons

    February 9, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    The Hotel - looks bleak doesn't it
    First Waterfall

    Another Day in South Iceland

    February 10, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    It was a slightly later start today, having been out so late. We had a pleasant breakfast, packed our gear and off we went even though our first stop was pretty much still in the hotel grounds. Tony had wanted to visit Iceland at this time of year as there's a good chance of photographing frozen waterfalls, so this was what we did. It wasn't a huge waterfall compared to those we saw last time and will see in the next part of our trip, but it was a frozen waterfall nevertheless and it was sitting there waiting to be photographed.

    The main photo of this footprint is of our hotel which, as you can see, is somewhat on the boxy side but don't be fooled ... it's warm, comfortable, has a lovely restaurant and the staff are very friendly. What more would we want. Cheaper wine perhaps!    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    We never visited this beach last time
    Not so much ice on this sideStill as difficult to get an interesting photoThe waves were bigger today so it was all too easy to get wet feet without careView across to Diamond Beach on the other side of the channel

    The Other Diamond Beach

    February 10, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    The main activity of the day was scheduled to be a visit to an ice cave in the glacier. This promised to be one of the highlights of the two weeks so we had to be at the cafe at Jokulsarlon for 1pm. With the late start this meant we had to think about how to spend the morning so we decided to visit the 'other' Diamond Beach at Jokulsarlon.

    The lagoon exits to the sea via a narrow channel. In fact, this is how the ice makes its way to the sea to be swept back onto the beaches of black volcanic sand. There are beaches on both sides of the channel and it is the left one which most people visit, as did we during the 2016 trip and also yesterday when we first arrived here. Why the left hand one? Well, it is the nearest to the Jokulsarlon car park but mainly it's because most of the ice diamonds arrive there.

    The right hand beach has far less ice but it is also less crowded and we thought we'd check it out. Yep, less ice and less people but we felt the other beach was the best. We stayed a while a took some photographs but the waves were much stronger than yesterday so we had to keep grabbing our tripods and running. Then all of a sudden we needed to leave for the ice cave trip.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    Ice free for a while

    Different Every Time

    February 10, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    So why no photos of the ice cave?

    We left the beach and turned up at the meeting point right on time, as did a young couple from Chicago who'd travelled from Vik (our next stop) that morning and had only just made it in time due to the weather conditions further west and having persuaded the authorities to let them through the road block ... a storm was coming and route 1 was being closed to traffic.

    We waited. We chatted and waited some more but no-one turned up from the company to take us to the cave. No other passengers turned up either and now it was 15 minutes past the time we were supposed to leave. Rob then read a text message saying the trip was cancelled due to bad weather. It wasn't bad at Jokulsarlon as you can see in the photos, but it was going to be. It was going to be so bad the bridge there and the road were to be closed at 3pm.

    There was another company at the cafe who do visits to an ice cave and we discussed with them about joining one of their trips tomorrow. So we spent a little time at the lagoon before leaving to cross the bridge just before it closed. We were a bit disappointed to be honest, though we had been told our money would be refunded for the trip.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    High winds and the day
    Snow blows across the road as we drive back

    The Weather Changes

    February 10, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    It seemed too early to go back to the hotel, so a little way along the road we pulled into one of the small car parks to go and see if there were photo opportunities looking over the lagoon ... more a frozen lake as you have seen. After about half-an-hour the temperature dropped and the winds arrived. Suddenly. One minute it was calm and the next there were really strong gusts and by the time we got back to the car snow was being blown across the roads. The first photo is from that car park just before we left and the second about 10 minutes later at the turn-off for Fjallsarlon, the other glacier lake in the area.

    The drive home was interesting with gusting winds and snow being blown across the road, though we could see the advantage of Iceland's roads being raised like they are as it prevented the build-up of snow. That night the storm raged outside and we were glad to be inside. That seemed to be the way though, when storms like this arrive the roads are closed and you are not allowed to travel. And so it was.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    Our transport to the ice cave
    View across the glacierInside the ice cave1The colours of the caveOur guide gives you a feel for the size of the cave under the ice

    Ice Cave Visit

    February 11, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    We were able to book the ice cave visit for midday which again meant an awkward morning, not because of timings but because when we arrived at Jokulsarlon it was blooming freezing. It was -6c with a wind and this made photography less inviting. We had a go but didn't do a lot if we're truthful.

    Rob had already met our guide just after we arrived and knew we were to meet in the cafe ... much warmer than the car park of course. It was a very pleasant surprise to discover that we were the only two booked onto that visit so we had a private tour with our very own driver and guide. Our diver was Icelandic and our guide from Austria but they both spoke excellent English and made us feel so welcome. You can see the truck we traveled in to what became the second surprise ... we were the only people in the cave and our guide gave as much time as we needed for our photography. She also said how rare that was we were privileged indeed.

    It took a while for our eyes to adjust to the dim light in the cave but once they acclimatised all the shades of blues and greens became apparent. We can't recall how long we were there with our cameras, maybe 30 or 40 minutes with no-one but us. Then another group arrived just as we'd finished. Perfect.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    A short walk to the next location
    2You can see the entrance to the old cave in the backgroundBlocks of snow covered ice surrounded usAll too soon it was time to leave

    A Second Ice Cave

    February 11, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    The storm of the previous night and the promised storm for later today meant that after our tour there were no more by that company that day, so our driver and guide offered us the opportunity to visit another cave. The second cave was one which had been used for visits until it became unsuitable - the ice had become blackened with volcanic sand so no light could penetrate to show the blue and green hues. It had become known as the Black Cave. (No, not the Bat Cave!)

    To get to the cave was a short drive in the truck then a walk to the cave itself. Once again we had the whole place to ourselves. Just the four of us walking across the glacier surrounded by huge blocks of ice covered in pristine snow. It was warm, yes warm, with a beautifully deep blue sky, then we arrived at the cave. Unfortunately we were not allowed to enter as our guide felt it was unsafe. There was a huge archway of ice with a substantial crack running down its centre and in the warm afternoon sun the risk of it collapsing was deemed too great. If it fell with us beneath it we would die instantly... not being too dramatic are we?

    We stayed a while then strolled back to the truck, with stops for photography - ice blocks and icicles refracting the sunlight. Are you jealous or what!

    Tomorrow we travel westwards to Vik and the weather forecast is better than it has been for that area. At the moment though (11.15pm) there's a howling gale outside.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    A better view of our hotel

    Fantastic Weather Again

    February 12, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Woke up to another lovely day with brilliant sunshine. We didn't expect this and if we had then maybe we should have gone to Diamond Beach for the sunrise. Mind you, we do have 4 million photos of those diamonds so maybe 1 million more would be overkill. Anyway, here's a better photo of our hotel.

    Did we say we'd recommend this? We do.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    That's Tony in the distance
    Volcanic debris with the glacier hugging the mountain

    First Photography Location

    February 12, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We hadn't been driving all that long, admiring the fantastic scenery as we went, when came across a parking area. As we've said already, these are few and far between so we decided to stop and photograph the landscape there.

    We spent about an hour looking for compositions and taking a number of photographs. Time disappears when we get behind our cameras and in the morning sunshine it was a real pleasure to be there.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    Photographing the view
    2The ice in the glacier was lovely shade of blueA closer view

    Skaftafell National Park

    February 12, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We were scheduled to visit Skaftafell yesterday but had ended up at the ice cave and so decided we'd do it today and not miss out. We arrived at the visitor centre to discover it's no longer free to park which was a bit of a nuisance, though they had completely redone the visitor centre and cafe so that has to be paid for somehow. We immediately organised our gear and headed down the trail for about 1.25 miles to the end/nose/stub, or whatever, of the Skaftafell glacier tongue which nestles below Iceland's highest mountain. As we approached along the footpath we were presented with a stunning view of the glacier with its rich blue colours and a frozen lake containing a scattering of blue icebergs.

    As we arrived you can see there were clear skies and sunshine but during our time there it became cloudy and the light changed. This simply resulted in different colours in the ice making it appear even more blue than it was in the sunshine. The temperature dropped tremendously though and we both suffered from extremely cold fingers. It was definitely worth the visit and hopefully we have photographs to prove it. We were able to get quite close to the glacier though perhaps not as close as it felt. We were midgets against its size and to get right up to it meant walking on the frozen lake ... a risk not really worth taking though one person had a go, just like the people at Fjallsarlon. Are we chickens or wise?    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    A view from the car
    Another view from the car!The roads started to get very icy. The headlamps are reflected in sheet iceIt's darker now and road conditions are getting badThe view of Vik from our guest house

    Travelling to Vik

    February 12, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ 🌙 -1 °C

    After leaving Skaftafell much later than we'd planned (because we enjoyed our time there) we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us. It was cloudy and dull as we left as you can see from the couple of photos taken from the car. The light slowly faded and more ice covered the roads the further we travelled. Then the wind started blowing snow across and over the road. Soon the road was covered in a layer if sheet ice ... you can see the lights of the cars reflected in it. Of course, in England everyone would be crashing about and everything would stop, but in Iceland we all just carry on.

    The wind got stronger and it started to snow and soon the visibility was very much reduced. At times only the yellow marker posts showed where the road went. All quite normal for a winter in Iceland.

    Eventually the conditions improved and we arrived at Vik, where clearly it had been snowing quite a bit. There was a lot of snow on the road and so at first we didn't spot the turning to get to the guest house where we're staying. We sorted our room and went for a meal ... the snow had stopped but as we write this it's snowing again. We wonder what tomorrow will bring.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    View from our window
    1Sunrise and its snowing! The view as we eat breakfastLight constantly changing

    New Day at Vik

    February 13, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    It had started snowing as we settled down for the night and when we opened the blinds in the morning we could see the cars were covered. We went down and found breakfast and while eating we watched the early morning sun appear from behind the clouds. A quick pikky was taken for you to see and the second one only a few moments later. The photos don't show it starting to snow nor the map we were looking at on www.road.is showing how bad the road conditions were. As we drank coffee we decided it was best if we started the day photographing the stacks from the beach. Vik is known for its series of stacks at the end of the headland. We'd photographed them last time from the other side but it's this side where you can see them more clearly.

    Maybe after time on the beach the roads would be okay.    Read more

  • RobCowellIceland 2018Traveler
    A foot of snow fell in the night but the Duster got us out okay. How annoying!
    It was very stormy while we were thereThe stacks are what everyone comes to seeLooking back towards Vik from the breakwater

    Time on the Beach

    February 13, 2018 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    When we got outside we discovered rather more snow had fallen that we'd thought when we looked from the window and it now seemed as if maybe we'd need to dig the car out. But no, the Duster did it yet again ... that car really does work!

    Driving down to the beach we were amazed at how much snow there was and also at the number of ploughs clearing it. Then, even though the drive to the beach was only 5 minutes or so, in that time the winds had got up and the snow was falling. We sat in the car park for a while deciding if we could face the Arctic conditions. In the end we did.

    It was a short walk to the beach in blizzard conditions, a howling wind and temperatures which felt like minus 10 but we don't really know. The wind chill probably meant it was. Okay let's play safe here and say it was minus 50 ... there, that should do it.

    We struggled to get a decent photograph in the wind but we had a go. It doesn't look too bad from the photos here does it ... how do phone cameras do so well? You can see how big the waves were and we had to wait for a lull in the wind to take a shot. Once again we stayed warm in the clothes we were wearing though it's the fingers that suffer. It's hard to control the camera in thick mittens.    Read more

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