7 Days in Iceland
Polly and I have just returned from our first trip to Iceland, 7 days, 5 hotel stops and 1,200km travelled in our Jimney Jeep hire car. It won’t be our last visit!
Much has been written about this otherworldly country, from the Sagas of the Icelanders to modern day travel blogs. I can’t provide any additional information or deeper insights, so I’ve limited myself to some brief shooting notes below. My only advice is that if you’ve ever thought about visiting Iceland just go, you won’t be disappointed.
Strokkur Geysir.
Blasting skywards every few minutes, reaching heights of up to 100 feet, Strokkur Geysir is the most active geysir in a steaming geothermal field 100m wide by 500m long. Close by the original Geysir, which in its prime threw water 170m into the air, now sits largely dormant, biding its time.
Gullfoss.
In its winter guise, half frozen, Europe’s largest waterfall lacked the roar of full spate in the spring when the snow and ice melt, and in winter conditions some view points were impossible to reach. Never-the-less Gullfoss is a mighty sight. The photographs don’t capture the scale and majesty of being there in the flesh.
Bjofell and Helka.
A little off the beaten track, in the first image Bjolfell is the closest hill with Helka, Iceland’s most active volcano, looming behind. The photograph was taken from the edge of a lava field, the subject of the second two shots and a landscape like nothing I’ve previously encountered.
Seljalandsfoss & Skogafoss
It was snowing when we reached Seljalandsfoss, so impossible to capture a long exposure of the waterfall. I reverted to intentional camera movement (ICM), moving the camera in the direction of the falls, to capture its grace. Though the results of ICM can be hit and miss this is one of my favourite images from the trip.
By the time we arrived at Skogafoss the sun had replaced the snow, so out came the tripod and an ND8 filter. Though it wasn’t raining the waterfalls spray gradually covered the filter as the image was taken. The result, processed in monochrome, is something ethereal. Why black & white? It removes distractions leaving just the essential shape and form of the falls.
Reynisfjara Beach, Vik
Reynisfjara Beach, Vik, has the reputation of being both the most beautiful black sand beach in Iceland and its most dangerous destination, with sudden sneaker waves that take your feet from under you and drag you out to sea. Though it is backed by stunning basalt column cliffs and caves, it’s unwise to turn your back on the waves as following video attests. Reynisfjara Beach.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
We arrived at the main car park at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon after an eight hour journey, a few minutes before sunset, having rushed the final miles due to a forecast for rotten weather the next day. Despite the stunning setting I was too tired and there was no time and too many people to make anything of it. The next morning the weather (as it so often does in Iceland) defied the forecast, so we headed back, found a quiet parking spot a few hundred yards from the crowds and followed a path that took us down to a deserted shoreline. Magical.
Diamond Beach
Yet another unique and iconic place that lies opposite to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. In preparing for the trip I’ve seen many beautiful images of the beach, but was still gobsmacked at the beauty and scale of the place.
Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Overshadowed by the nearby, and busier, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Fjallsarlon was, for me at least, far more beautiful and serene, perhaps due to the closeness of the glacier, perhaps because it was still largely iced over, perhaps because of the backdrop of the mountains, but mostly because we had this wonderful place to ourselves. Perhaps my favourite place during the trip.
Thingvellir
The fault line between the Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates, and the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland from the year 930, the oldest democratic parliament in the world. A place you can stand on two continents.
Svineafellsjokull Glacier
Svínafellsjökull is an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe and easily accessible. At the main view point are several photographs of the glacier, the earliest from 1920, that show the extent of glacial retreat over the last 100 years. It’s sobering evidence of the fragility of this immense landscape.
An Ever Changing Landscape
Perhaps the thing that left the biggest impression, more so than the iconic sights, is Iceland’s ever changing landscape: moss covered lava fields, mountains, estuaries, glaciers, glacial plains, volcanoes, turf roofed animal sheds, wild horses, the list goes on, and, if you’re lucky, what you might see in the nighttime sky.
Some notes on taking photographs (a disclaimer)
Spending seven days in a new country, visiting several locations each day, is more a smash and grab raid than considered photography. Constrained by time, and timing, and fellow visitors, it’s impossible to consider all the angles and compositions, or wait for the right light and the right weather. Each location we visited deserved more time and consideration than it received, and to take the perfect shot (if this is ever possible) would require a huge amount of luck and multiple visits. Never-the-less making the most of the what’s in front of you is one of skills a photographer must have and one of the challenges I enjoy and I came away reasonably satisfied with what I’d captured. If you’d like to see the work of a photographer who really understands Iceland and has had spent much of his life exploring it, I’d recommend any book by Icelandic photographer Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson, a constant source of inspiration before and during our travels.
Trip Itinerary
Monday 28th Feb
Northern Light Inn & Max’s Restaurant (1 night)
Tuesday 1st March
2 hours 15 min drive to GullFoss Hotel (1 night)
On route:
- Fagradalsfjall Volcano (no - change of route due to weather meant no time)
- Thingvellir (yes)
- Geysir (yes)
- Gullfoss (yes)
Wednesday 2nd March
1 hour 30 min drive to Panorama Glass Lodge (2 nights)
On route:
- Gullfoss (yes, return visit)
- Secret Lagoon (no - change of route due to weather)
- Kerid crater (no - change of route due to weather)
Thursday 3rd March
- Bjofafoss (yes)
- Helka (yes)
- Northern lights (yes)
Friday 4th March
3 hour 28 min drive to Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon
On route:
- Seljalandsfoss (yes)
- Skógafoss (yes)
- Vik / Reynisfjara beach (yes)
- Skartafell Nature Reserve (no - ran out of time)
- Svineafellsjokull Glacier (no - ran out of time)
- Diamond Beach (yes)
- Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon (yes)
Saturday 5th March
- Diamond Beach (yes - return)
- Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon (yes - return)
- Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon (yes)
- Vesterhorn mountain , Stokksnes peninsula (no - due to weather and time)
- Hvalnes Nature Reserve / Lighthouse (no - due to weather and time)
Sunday 6th March
4 hours 55 mins to Airport Hotel Aurora
On route:
- Svineafellsjokull Glacier (yes)
- Reynisfjara beach (yes)