Extreme Iceland

It’s been some months since I have last posted anything on my blog. I have been extremely busy working on the final parts of an up and coming photographic publication. Keep an eye on the blog, and I will post more information soon.

Having just recently returned from Iceland I thought I would post a few images from an extremely challenging week photographically. We had a pretty stormy trip for most of the time with severe winds and torrential rain virtually every day; not the best conditions at times to photograph in but as the saying goes, ‘it is what it is’ and we had to make the best of it. There was very little snow which is unusual at this time of the year.

We arrived at Keflavik and were on our way quickly heading towards Selfoss which was to be our first overnight stop. We did make several stops along the way at various locations some of them well-known landmarks. Our route over the coming days was along Iceland’s south-east coast staying at Vik, Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon and eventually arriving at Hofn which is close to Vestahorn one of Iceland’s best-known landmarks.

 

We had planned to visit the Ice Caves, but this was cancelled due to the torrential rains for several days which had caused flooding making it too dangerous for any trips. Naturally, we were disappointed but made good use of our time in other places.

Glacier Lagoon at Jokulsarion did not disappoint, and we were there the following morning before sunrise in the hope that we might get a glimpse of it as it appeared above the horizon. There were good numbers of Icebergs on the first day and did manage to get some acceptable images despite the wind and rain and the epidemic of Korean tourists some of which paid the price of turning their back on the waves getting caught with the occasional sneaker wave that left them with wet feet and saturated mobile phones.

 

 

Our second visit to the lagoon the following day produced next to no icebergs, and the incoming tide had little to offer. We made quick calls at a few other nearby locations before moving on. Travelling further east, we stopped at Ásólfsskáli, exploring a small church for a while before heading on to Vik arriving in late evening. With the rain still pouring down, there was little chance of seeing the Aurora. Our hopes were raised the following morning on the beach at Vik with the promise of a decent sunrise however they were quickly dashed when it only made the briefest of appearances.

 

 

The road to Hofn proved interesting with many potential hotspots however the weather was always dogging us with only glimpses of blue here and there. We stopped at Skaftafell in the Vatnajökull National Park to spend the afternoon at the Svinafellsjokull Glacier despite the weather.

 

 

We eventually arrived at Hofn late morning and after off-loading our bags headed to Vestahorn. The weather was, by this time, rapidly going down hill again and the wind was increasing in strength. Despite the conditions, Vestahorn is an impressive place with lots of photographic potential. It’s a pity we were not able to appreciate it in much better conditions.

 

The following day we left Hofn heading back towards Vik stopping again at Skaftafell to visit the  Svartifoss Waterfall undertaking the 2km hike in the wind and pouring rain to see it. We arrived back in Vik in the evening with little sign of the rain relenting. The following morning, we made our way to Reynisfjara, Black Sand Beach and Dyrhólaey Arch which could hardly be seen due to the heavy mist that engulfed it. A made a brief stop at Gullfoss before heading back towards Reykjavik.

The winter months can be an exciting time to visit Iceland, but the unpredictability of the weather can force you to alter your plans very quickly. We were unlucky not to see the Aurora, despite it having been seen virtually every night the previous week; even the winter months are no guarantee.