Two Lands of the Midnight Sun

Follow me as I visit two Arctic locations where the sun never sets to photograph the summertime landscapes of the far north. During my first week I meet up with other photographers in Greenland, then it is back to Iceland to explore the south coast. Lue lisää

Seuraa Yhteenveto Kalenteri Valokuvat Jaa

Two Lands of the Midnight Sun Matkaaja
The Whale
24. kesäkuuta 2023, Davis Strait ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C
We were speeding through the water back to Illulisatt and were now in open water. We were all chatting, as you do, then all of a sudden the boat slowed down and we then heard the skipper had spotted a whale, so we grabbed our cameras.

In no time I saw it, we all did of course, then it disappeared. You would think it would submerge and reappear a bit further on, but that's not how it worked. The whale would dive but would then reappear at some completely random location nowhere near where you thought it would be. The whale was feeding, so when it dived it swam around finding food and then it would surface., which made it really hard to take photographs, but I must say that it was extremely exciting. At one point the whale surfaced only a few metres from our boat, so close you could smell it. On another occasion we watched it swim under our boat.

I got three photos on the phone but you'll need to look hard to see any detail. The short video is best but I sort of messed up at the end so missed the whale's tail rising out of the water. You can certainly hear the shutters clicking though. My phone photos aren't brilliant but at least they are a record of the event. I have much better photos taken on the big camera, not all that many but a lot better, so I'll show them to you after I get home.

Jeroen, one of our group leaders, got some great images using his drone. The last two photos are his. If you are on Instagram he is @jvn.photoLue lisää
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Marina L.what majestic creature🐋
2.7.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaYes, they are. When I have processed my photos from my camera I will post a better whale picture then.
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Golden Light
25. kesäkuuta 2023, Grönlanti ⋅ ☀️ 2 °C
On the way back Jeroen phoned ahead to arrange to move the evening boat trip from tomorrow evening to today. The light was looking promising and this turned out to be a good choice.

We returned to Illulisatt delighted we had photographed a whale, enjoyed our meal in the hotel restaurant then boarded Lisa, our faithful boat, at 10pm.

We headed south again, to where the icebergs are more packed and enjoyed four hours of beautiful golden light. It was unbelievably yellow/gold and looked almost false at times. Conditions were perfect really, with no wind and a flat calm. At one point we briefly spotted a whale amongst the bergs but quickly lost sight of it when it dived, reappeared, then dived again. We didn't see it afterwards and assumed it had gone under the icebergs somewhere.

Hopefully I have some nice photos on the camera and the photos in this footprint give you the general idea of what we saw. The light was surreal at times and at one point a group of smaller bergs were lit from the side, the sun making them golden, but the shadows were blue. I hope I've captured that on the camera.

It was another long day though, with Lisa mooring up at just after 2am and bed at around 3am. It has been another brilliant day.Lue lisää
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Restaurant with a View
25. kesäkuuta 2023, Grönlanti ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C
The restaurant in our hotel was on the top floor with panoramic windows looking out across Disko Bay, so I thought you might like to see it.

We ate here for breakfasts of course, and also for two of our evening meals. On other nights we ate out.

The staff here were friendly but our waiter (same one both times) had a definite problem with numbers and could not get the orders right. The food was good, though not an extensive choice, and the breakfast buffet was as good a standard as you'd find in any large hotel.Lue lisää
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Final Boat Trip
25. kesäkuuta 2023, Davis Strait ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
There were supposed to be two boat trips today but we used one of them last night and had gorgeous light. We had photographed a lot of icebergs so the aim today was to cruise in the hope of seeing a whale, but of course the would also be more opportunities to photograph icebergs. So here's a selection of photos from our last trip in Lisa, though at this point I should mention the two crew who kept us safe and we're very obliging to steer the boat where we asked and would stop or reverse as needed so we could take our photographs. They were really helpful and friendly. In fact, all the local people we met were like that.

In photo four you can see all the camera bags laid out, demonstrating just how much equipment people had brought with them … I wonder what the value of all that was. The cameras weren't at the cheap end either, nor were the lenses and I counted four cameras the same as mine. I feel a new lens is coming my way though - my longest focal length is 200mm (x4 magnification) but some of the group had longer lenses which could zoom in much closer to get some great compositions. I am considering the 100 to 500mm zoom which would take me to x10 magnification - you can see Rhiannon with one in photo 4. I need a bigger lens. 😂

That's an appropriate thought to have on a boat, if you recall a similar quote from the film Jaws. No sharks here though, just whales. 😊Lue lisää
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Evening Walk
26. kesäkuuta 2023, Grönlanti ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C
After our meal the light was still looking good so the plan was to hike to the rocks where we went on the first day, but further on so we could see more icebergs coming from the Icefjord. The photos in this footprint show the group on location with some taking photos, some flying their drones, but all taking time to relax and admire the beautiful scene laid out before us. We were all starting to feel tired after so many long days.

It was another late one. Nigel Danson left to go and take video for his YouTube channel then others drifted away when they were tired. I left well after 2am leaving three hunting for a whale using a drone. They succeeded too, but it did mean they had virtually no sleep that night.

I walked back on my own, taking a few photos on the way given the light was still amazing. It was so quiet walking through Illulisat to the hotel (last two photos) and it was after 3am when I got to bed, with the final day being a long one too.

It's hard work doing photography, but then I suspect you have no sympathy. 😂Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Really like this one 😊
2.7.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaIt sums up the evening really. Left to right is Jeroen, Rhiannon and John.
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MatkaajaBeautiful view
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MatkaajaIt was indeed, thank you.
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Last Photography Session in Greenland
26. kesäkuuta 2023, Grönlanti ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
This was the final day in Greenland. We had to check out of the hotel by 10am which was hard going given what time we got to bed last night.

The main activity today was another visit to the board walk and the main photo shows it all ... strategically positioned by a bench! Everyone was tired and I spent most of the time here simply admiring the view. Afterwards we walked back to visit the Icefjord Centre located at the start of the board walk where it was time for coffee which was so nice, but there wasn't much to see here except a fancy building with not a lot in it. I'm sure that will change when the flood of tourists arrive.

We then went to the restaurant at the Icefjord Hotel for our evening meal. Time for a gin & tonic for sure. 🤗Lue lisää
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MatkaajaCheers!!🥂
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Returning to Iceland
27. kesäkuuta 2023, Grönlanti ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
Our flight was scheduled to be at ten minutes past midnight and our transfer to the airport was at 10pm. This was really early given there's nothing at the airport to do, eat or drink. It is tiny.

We arrived, checked in and started the wait but we boarded at 11pm and took off early. Ours was the only flight so I guess it didn't matter.

That's it then, Greenland is over and what an experience it has been. I have seen and done so much this past week and the group I've been with have been great. It has been such an enjoyable time.

I have followed Nigel Danson's YouTube channel for a while and very much admire his work. He is well known in landscape photography circles and it was so nice not only to meet him, but to work alongside him this week. He's very talented and a really nice person. It's been a pleasure.

Jeroen was brilliant too, being quick witted and very competent with a drone and he was a great compliment to Nigel's skills for sure. But the other photographers were great too, being so easy to get on with plus everyone looked after and supported everyone. Yes, absolutely brilliant.

This has been such a good trip (did I say that already?) and yet it's not over because next week I'm in Iceland where I've rented a campervan to explore that awesome country in summertime. I'm travelling the south coast to see how different it is to winter when I've been before. I’ll miss this group though. We have all commented on how well everyone has gelled together and how much fun the whole week has been. It has been overwhelmingly brilliant.

This adventure continues ...Lue lisää
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Keflavik to Selfoss
27. kesäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
The second part of this adventure is very different. I am no longer part of a group of twelve in lovely accommodation and a miriad of organised activities, with great food in restaurants. Now I am on my own and my accommodation is a campervan which I've hired to travel along the south coast of a country I love, but in the summer rather than winter. I've only ever seen Iceland covered in snow and ice where a 4x4 is essential, so I wonder what it will be like.

The flight from Illulisat was extremely early arriving so I had to hang around the airport for a few hours. Nigel was killing a little time here too and John (wearing the yellow jacket in photos) was also waiting to pick up a 4x4 to travel into the Icelandic Highlands for a few days. One day I'd like to do that.

Having had breakfast, Nigel left to go to the Blue Lagoon thermal spa and John and I went our separate ways to get our vehicles.

The van is a bit 'in your face' in terms of the paint job and the inside is extremely basic as you can see in the photos, so it is best to describe it as 'functional, with character'! It'll do, given I intend to only to sleep and have breakfast in it but it has a heater (essential) and is more comfortable than sleeping in a car after all. The best bit is the sleeping bag which is brand new and high quality. You get warm the moment you get in it.

My first overnight stop was supposed to be at Vik, but having collected the van I was so tired given yesterday was extremely long and I'd not particularly slept on the overnight flight. I therefore decided to drive and park by the light house I visited last week ... and sleep. I really needed that, but it meant that Vik wasn't sensible for my first stop.

I decided on Selfoss, which was not so far and a great choice. Not only did the site have a small cafe but it sold pizza too, so I sorted myself out and went for a meal where I was amazed to find John there, who had indeed met up with his wife and they too were enjoying pizza. That made the evening very pleasant as we chatted about Greenland and what we'd all be doing in Iceland.

Tomorrow I start the journey across Iceland, but already it is very different from before and although I'd heard there were lupins and I'd seen them last week, they are in fact all over the place. This must be the world's centre for lupins.Lue lisää
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Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss
28. kesäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
If you have followed the two previous Iceland trips with me then you will know of these two waterfalls. They are not too far away from each other and you can visit them on the way to Vik, but what would they be like to visit in the summer? I was dreading what I would find.

When I visited last, with my friend Tony, Seljalandsfoss was overrun, overwhelmed even, with tourists, or Penguins as we say in the trade. 😉 When I arrived, and let's be clear it's the height of summer, I was staggered that there was parking space to spare and the location didn't feel crowded at all.

The other noticeable feature was a new car park and the need to pay using the Parka app so maybe this is why it wasn't so crowded. For Iceland however, I didn't feel the charge was unreasonable.

It was quite windy which meant those walking behind the waterfall were getting extremely wet, so as I'd done that before I chose to stay dry. Photo 4 shows the view along the cliffs and this time I wanted to walk down there and see the other waterfalls, especially the last one, which is inside a cave. This was very busy, because the entrance is relatively small and meant I spent ages waiting for a moment to capture a photo. I think I managed one in the end (no I didn’t), but there were too many people at this particular spot. I should regally have come here at midnight.

Having believed I had got my photo, I walked back to the car park and grabbed a coffee and sandwich whilst watching the wind blow the waterfall upwards. You can see this in the video.

I spent too long here really, but eventually I moved on and visited Skogafoss and again, this wasn't overly busy. I wasn't here long though because I wanted to get to Vik, not that things would go to plan though.

Conclusion: I think both waterfalls look nicer in winter. Just my opinion you understand. 😂Lue lisää
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MatkaajaAnother excellent set, Rob. The first sentence of your narrative answered a question - I thought I’d seen these waterfalls before!
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MatkaajaThanks. I've visited these three times now and each time is different.
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Sólheimajökull - a glacier surprise
28. kesäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ 🌬 6 °C
I'd not been driving all that long when I noticed a sign to Sólheimajökull which you might think is meaningless, but the word Jökull means 'glacier' and somehow I never expected to find one where I was. This belief is a bit daft really, because a lot of Iceland is covered by a huge glacier called Vatnajökull, and there are many tongues spreading from it. This will be one of those. (Bet you can read Icelandic now. 😉)

At first I drove on and ignored the turning, but then I changed my mind and headed back. I was so glad I did and spent an absolute age here exploring the landscape. There was a path to follow to a viewpoint but you could wander off it and I did. I've photographed the information board for you and also a sign warning hikers about walking further into the wilderness. I didn't have time for that anyway ... I had stayed here far too long so Vik was once again out of the question for tonight. You can see from the last photo in this footprint that I ended up staying at Skogafoss because that is a campsite too. Handy that

I was so pleased to have found this place and although I wasn't the only person there, there were no more than twenty others at random times. It felt like real wilderness - if you ignore that I had to use the Parka app when I arrived. 🤷😂

Iceland is changing and becoming much more tourist focused.Lue lisää
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MatkaajaI think this is where I did a glacier walk the first time I went to Iceland
3.7.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaWasn't that with me or did you go before? If it was the glacier walk with me then this isn't the place.
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MatkaajaNo, when I went with Steve - hence I didn’t say “we” 😋
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MatkaajaAh ha, I forgot that you went then. Not sure how I hadn't spotted this place in that case. It must have been open quite a while then.
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MatkaajaThe track and viewing points are definitely very new.
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Dyrhólaey
29. kesäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ 🌬 11 °C
The next morning I was finally heading to Vik, which is a town about halfway along the south coast of Iceland. A little before you arrive there is a right turn which takes you to this viewpoint where you can look towards the iconic sea stacks at Vik.

My goodness had this place changed. The view down the coast is the same as it always was of course, but there is now a new car park and toilets. The parking used to be a relatively small gravel area, roughly where I stood to take photo 3. It's certainly an improvement but it does remove the feeling of wilderness and I'm not sure I like that. Or maybe I just don't like change. 😱

You may be wondering about photo 3 and why, if you look closely, there is a group of people there. I wondered that too and discovered why as I walked past them - there were puffins nesting there. I never bothered trying to photograph a puffin using my phone, but I may have a puffin on the proper camera, though it was another case if needing a longer lens really.Lue lisää
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MatkaajaThe views here look pretty stunning!
3.7.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaYes, it's a great spot really.
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Reynisfjara Beach
29. kesäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ 🌬 11 °C
About 15 minutes before you reach Vik there is another right turn that takes you to this black sand beach. Here you can walk westward along its huge expanse back towards the viewpoint I just visited, or stay at the eastern end and admire the basalt rock columns and those iconic sea stacks. Or you can get swept away to your death by the waves. 😱

This beach is renowned for its sneaker waves. All beaches have these, when a huge and unexpected wave suddenly arrives, but here they can be particularly fierce and with the beach dropping away suddenly close to shore it can be fatal if you get swept away. It's no trouble if you keep your wits about you and don't stay too long or too close to the shoreline but there's open ocean for thousands of miles from here so waves can be huge.

I stayed quite a while. The tide was out so I could walk around the headland to the other side, being careful as I did so because of the incoming waves. Hopefully I got some nice shots of the stacks and waves breaking. The stacks are covered with nesting birds which you can't really see in the photos. Helpful. 🙄

There are a lot of tourists here making photography tricky so patience is needed. I'm wondering if they should actually be called Ants, those tourist Penguins, because they really do get over everything. 😂

There's a cafe here too and that was my next stop, not only to get a coffee but also to grab an evening meal before finding the campsite for tonight. (Last photo)

I enjoyed today, being a Penguin visiting here and the waterfalls etc and seeing how different it all is in summer and how generally things are changing.Lue lisää
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Travelling to Skaftafell NP
30. kesäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ 🌧 8 °C
Today is a traveling day to get to the eastern corner of Iceland. I'm stopping in a campsite in Skaftafell National Park, the nearest to where I need to be for tomorrow's adventure.

This footprint is therefore various views along the way. I stopped to photograph a waterfall at one point, as you do, but generally it's the bleak and barren volcanic landscape that is awesome. Well, I think so.

You might think photo 8 a bit weird but I took this to show the information boards at a picnic stop, but why? It's the fact that they are there and that picnic stops exist. None of this existed when I last visited. The road has been upgraded too and is now much wider and has been straightened in sections. Many of the single lane bridges have been upgraded to two lane and there are no long single lane bridges now. A few short ones still exist however, but not many.

Iceland has definitely received a upgrade since I was last here.Lue lisää
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Svínafellsjökull Glacier Tongue
1. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ 🌧 8 °C
The real adventure is this afternoon but this morning I went exploring a glacier again - I just can't help it. 😁

This is the glacier I have walked on twice. The first time was on my surprise trip to Iceland for my significant birthday in 2015. My daughter arranged this (her partner now husband came too) and we donned crampons and had a super time walking on the ice at sunset. I did this again with my friend Tony when we came to Iceland for two weeks, so I wanted to see how much this had changed and of course it had. The campsite was only 15 minutes away from here, if that, so why not?

It's still a great place to visit, if you like this sort of thing, but once again there is a large car park here rather than a simple gravel area. In the last photo you will see a path which I'm sure we walked along to get to the glacier for our walk. Now, however, the glacier is black with debris and huge amounts of ice have gone.

There are properly made paths now, which take you to another section and the photos in this footprint are mostly of that area. I realise there's quite a few photos here, but it hopefully gives you the feeling of the place.

I needed to keep an eye on the time though, because I was meeting up with a guide at 3.15pm and I had to drive there. I couldn't be late.Lue lisää
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Journey to a Wilderness
1. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ 🌧 8 °C
I was meeting my guide in the car park at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Those who have followed my adventures before will know of this, but if you haven't then I'll take some photos to show you later.

The first thing was to find my guide by recognising the vehicle from a photo on the website and that's one impressive vehicle isn't it. 🤗🤩 Adam was my guide, who was from England but had worked as guide in Iceland for a while and is working towards gaining his nationality here. He's well on the way.

I was then both surprised and delighted to discover that I was the only person on the tour and that meant what was coming next would be extra special. But first we had a tricky drive ahead of us.

The photos don't really show what the road conditions are like but I can assure you that I have never been in a vehicle driving over a track like this one. Those large tyres were essential and it was slow going even so. I was glad Adam knew where he was going because at times it wasn't so obvious where the track edges were. In the fourth photo heading towards that water, for example, you just don't see the angle the car was at. This was brilliant and we hadn't started yet.Lue lisää
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A Walk Through Harsh Terrain
1. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
The track ended so we could drive no further and the scene around us was bleak and desolate. Goodness knows what this would be like in the harsh weather conditions you get in Iceland. To say we were off the beaten track is an understatement ... it was so exciting and I loved it here, though the best is yet to come.

From here it was about a 30 minute hike to the glacier, which you can see to the left of the main photo. The walking wasn't hard but you needed to tread carefully and though there were small marker posts, I was again glad Adam was with me to show the way. I was so pleased I have the right boots and my walking pole.

Eventually we reached the glacier and walked up onto it, arriving at a hole - that's right, no fancy entrance, just a hole in the ice. Adam immediately set about securing a ladder (photos 3 and 4) then we decended down it and into the inards of the glacier.

I could hardly wait to see what awaited us and you know, it was just us. No-one else was around.Lue lisää
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The Ice Cave
1. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
And then Wow!

When I was last in Iceland with my friend Tony, we visited an ice cave but this one is awesome and much bigger with a river running through it. There was water tumbling through cracks in the ice above so waterproofs were essential, so you had to dodge the showers of water whilst trying not to fall in the rubble.

It was describe as the Crystal Blue Ice Cave and indeed it was. My trip here included a portrait of me inside the cave, so you can see Adam with a camera in one of the photos - you can also see the water falling from the roof. Adam was kind enough to photograph me with my phone - the last photo in the footprint and he's made me look as if I know what I'm doing, so it's true the camera can lie. 😉

I hope these phone photos do the ice cave justice. I do of course have photos on the big camera - it's a good job it is weather sealed because you couldn't help but get soaked in here, no matter how hard you try to keep dry.

I absolutely enjoyed this visit and my time with Adam and though we were in the cave for quite a while, the time to leave still came too quickly. It was totally amazing.Lue lisää
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MatkaajaThanks for sharing this incredible expulsion, Rob.
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MatkaajaWhere did ‘expulsion’ come from? Experience was what I meant to say !!
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MatkaajaI make typos all the time so don't worry. 😂
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The Walk Back
1. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
Having climbed up from the ice cave Adam needed to sort the ladder before we could start the walk back to the vehicle. The route was the same as the way here, but in the opposite direction of course ... I bet you guessed that.

Adam explained about the bridge in photo 3 as we looked at the water flowing under it. It was so clear, amazingly so in fact, and had a blue tint to it. If I could describe water as beautiful then this was it ... and the bridge? Apparently it often gets washed away when the water rises and it then has to be rebuilt. If you look closely you can see debris from the last wipe out.

After arriving back to the 4x4 we then drove back to the Glacier Lagoon car park and the adventure was over. Did I say this was amazing and brilliant? I don't think I did! 😄Lue lisää
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Jökulsárlón
1. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
I love this place and spent the rest of the evening here hoping for some nice light for photography. In fact, I spent so long here I ran out of food options and ended up with an evening meal of Cornflakes, a cereal bar and coffee just before bed. Crazy.

I took loads of photos on the big camera, trying to find interesting compositions amongst the ... wait for it ... icebergs.

The water here is a lake at the end of a large glacier that calves ice into it then near the coast there is a channel where the bergs drift out to sea when they're small enough not to get stuck in it. Tonight there were icebergs stuck there acting as a dam which perhaps explained why the lagoon water level was a little higher than I'd seen before.

Eventually the better light arrived so hopefully I got some good photos, then I headed back to the campsite for the night which was a 40 minute drive away. It was therefore about 12.30am when I was eating Cornflakes. 🙄Lue lisää
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Time Warp
2. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
The next morning I awoke to grey skies with a promise of rain. I was also worried that I'd run out of time to be able to get to my final planned location, which was about a two hour drive east from the campsite. If I was to go there it would mean an extremely long drive back to Keflavik, so I made the decision to not bother and start the journey back to Vik.

Then I realised I was in some sort of time warp, my mind telling me it was a day later than it actually was. This was undoubtedly a welcome realisation such that I could in fact complete my itinerary as planned.

I packed things away and drove east to discover that as I neared my destination the skies began to clear, raising my hopes for some great evening light. I was so excited that things may well be coming together for the photograph I was aiming to capture. I knew exactly the composition I wanted to get and this might just work.Lue lisää
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Matkaaja Love the colours here
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MatkaajaYes, I do too but they looked even better on the drive back.
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The Stokksness Peninsula
2. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
The peninsula here is private land so you can't just wander down there without paying a fee because there is a barrier stopping both vehicles and pedestrians (photo 2). You must purchase a ticket for 1000 Iceland Krona (about £5.75) even if you walk, then if you want to drive to the end you must pay more, plus the charge is per person, not per car. It really ought to be per car if we’re honest, but that’s the way it is.

Tony and I didn't bother when we came here on our trip in 2018 and alwaysI regretted that we didn't just pay up. This time I was staying overnight at the campsite here and the great thing is that when you do that you get unlimited access to the peninsula for 24 hours. Perfect.

I spent the whole evening exploring the black sand beach, including quite a bit of time at the shoreline trying to catch the water and waves just right. I love the last photo here, so hopefully you do too. It's still a phone photo though. 🤗🥳Lue lisää
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Matkaaja 😯 indeed. Hopefully you got this on the big camera too!
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MatkaajaYes, hopefully. 😁
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Vestrahorn Reflection
3. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ 🌙 9 °C
This is the photograph I came here to take so thank you Icelandic Weather, for being so considerate.

Of course I took this on the big camera, and more of course, though this one is from the phone, but even in this phone photo I think everything looks great, including the other reflection shots in this footprint too, all taken a little after midnight.

I stayed out longer, just enjoying my surroundings and the evening glow and taking photographs, of course, so it was another late night. There have been so many this past couple of weeks. 😵‍💫Lue lisää
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Marina L.beautiful 🤩
5.7.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaThanks Marina. It was a beautiful evening. 😊
5.7.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaRob, what an amazing image - spectacularly beautiful and superbly photographed!
5.7.2023VastaaKääntää
MatkaajaI love this too, but it is only taken with my phone. Hopefully the camera will have done a brilliant job too.
5.7.2023VastaaKääntää
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Two Lands of the Midnight Sun Matkaaja
Return to Jökulsárlón
3. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
Having slept in a little after my late night, I had breakfast and the essential coffee, packed things away then started the drive west back towards Vik. Photo 2 is the view as I drove along the Stokksness peninsula back towards the main road then, after a quick stop for fuel I continued on.

The next photos are various snaps along the way and as I was passing Jökulsárlón I decided I'd stop at the cafe there for mushroom soup. The sign at the counter describes it as 'Soup of the Day' but each time I've visited since 2015 it has always been mushroom soup. Evidence of my choice is in photo 8 which shows the soup, the bread roll and the coffee, as well as the view through the cafe window to a new car park.

After I'd eaten I went to check the lagoon and noticed that the ice dam had now disappeared so in the last photo you can see the water level has dropped with slightly more beach visible. This place is constantly changing.Lue lisää
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Two Lands of the Midnight Sun Matkaaja
Diamond Beach
3. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
I couldn't leave here without visiting Diamond Beach. This is on the opposite side of the road to the lagoon and is made up of jet black sand. Ice that leaves the lagoon through the channel can be washed back onto the beach and the ice then looks like diamonds on black velvet, hence the name.

Right now there is hardly any ice and what is there is small fragments. I've previously seen ice here almost the size of cars, but that was wintertime. Maybe summer is different.

At first I thought there would be no photography opportunities but I soon realised the trick was to get a wide shot taken very close to the ice. The problem with this approach is the waves hitting the beach and the potential to get wet. The video here demonstrates this.

In the end I've got some photos that I think work so my time wasn't wasted by any means. Once again this location has had the Tourist Makeover and looks very different to when I was here in 2018. It's still well worth visiting, but a few more diamonds would have been nice.Lue lisää
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Two Lands of the Midnight Sun Matkaaja
Travelling Back to Vik
3. heinäkuuta 2023, Islanti ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
I had a long drive now, to get back to the campsite at Vik. The photos in this footprint are therefore general views along the way. Yes, there are lupins of course, but I also stopped to photograph the green moss that grows in abundance over the old lava fields. You are not allowed to walk on this because the damage you cause takes many years to repair due to the short growing season in Iceland. You also have to be careful with fire because it's also pretty flammable. Who would have guessed that?

There's not much else to say really but at least you get to see the landscape through which I was driving.Lue lisää
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