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Iceland 2018

February 2018
  • RobCowell
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
  • RobCowell

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  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018
    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018
    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018
    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018
    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018
    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018

    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018

    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018
    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018
    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

  • RobCowellTravelerIceland 2018
    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

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