The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges to the other, with the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges to the other, with the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in. This is one of the most famous waterfalls along the road, so popular there are queues of tourists trying to get their selfie. We nearly didn't stop but its beauty was clear to see and it was worth a minor diversion.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
Sunrise at Kirkjufell.
Sunrise at Kirkjufell. One of the holy grails of photography locations, and one of the most popular too!
Sunrise at Kirkjufell. One of the holy grails of photography locations, and one of the most popular too!
Travelling to Grundarfjordur, it was a day of rainbows. One after the other raced across the sky following the huge rainclouds as they blew in from the Atlantic.
Hvitserkur. A giant prehistoric dinosaur sitting at the edge of the sea. Unfortunately there was an incessant drizzle making photography very difficult and other photo opportunities came our way instead.
Most of the roads are extremely good, even the gravel ones. But the road to this location was not one of them. Think of it as an hour of continuous speed bumps. Our target was the rocky outcrop of Hvitserkur, but the view over the bay provided us with an unexpected vista instead.
Heading down towards Akueyri, the car suddenly filled with the unmistakable smell of sulphur. Hvirer was bubbling with boiling mud, the sulphuric vents providing some fun and games while we dodged in and out of the steam. Light relief on what was a long journey.
The north of the island is not exactly off the beaten track, but it is much quieter, especially off season. Driving through the hills, the land suddenly opened up before us, and pretty much alone, we stopped on a little rise to look over the massive wide landscape before us. The photograph at the top of this page was a four or five shot stitched panorama taken at this very spot.
The twisting gravel road took up up into the mountains. Yet another waterfall roared down in the valley below, and we pulled over yet again to see if we could get a few shots. Maybe it doesnt have the gradeur of waterfalls such as Sellfoss or Dettifoss, but it also doesn't have the thousands of visitors, and that makes it a little more special.
Leaving Djupivogur we headed north into the mountains. This waterfall caught our eye and even though it isn't one of the big tourist attractions, we stopped to see what it offered. Half an hour later, we were just packing the gear away when the sun came through, and we ended up taking all the same shots again!
The little fishing town of Djupivogur. We stopped briefly to grab some lunch at the local cafe and stretch our legs. This traditional wooden building with the hills behind it made for a lovely photo opportunity.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in. This image was taken at what is called the Diamond Beach, where huge lumps of ice are carved away from the glacier, find their way into the sea, and are then washed up onto the black sand beach nearby.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in. This image was taken at what is called the Diamond Beach, where huge lumps of ice are carved away from the glacier, find their way into the sea, and are then washed up onto the black sand beach nearby.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
Foss á Síðu
Not one of Iceland’s biggest waterfalls, but definitely one of the prettiest. Although situated close to the main road, its size meant the tourist coaches ignored it and we got it to ourselves for a while. Opposite the falls is the outcrop Dverghamrar (‘Dwarf Rocks’), which contains classic basalt columns and is thought to be the dwelling place of some of Iceland’s ‘hidden people’.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
Foss á Síðu
Not one of Iceland’s biggest waterfalls, but definitely one of the prettiest. Although situated close to the main road, its size meant the tourist coaches ignored it and we got it to ourselves for a while. Opposite the falls is the outcrop Dverghamrar (‘Dwarf Rocks’), which contains classic basalt columns and is thought to be the dwelling place of some of Iceland’s ‘hidden people’.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges with glaciers winding their way to the sea on the other, and the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges to the other, with the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges to the other, with the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in. This is the crashed DC3 that came down many decades ago and has remained a favourite photography location ever since.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges to the other, with the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in.
The south coast of Iceland. Miles of desert lava fields to one side of the the ring road and massive mountain ranges to the other, with the wildest north Atlantic weather sweeping in. This is the crashed DC3 that came down many decades ago and has remained a favourite photography location ever since.
