Iceland #19 - Day 7: Rainy Drive to Stafafell

Day six was a complete write-off. I slept in late, woke up feeling quite rough - a little bit of a raised temperature, slightly groggy and headachey and tired. I had the usual coronavirus vs Garun hangover question, but think it was the beer - that stuff just doesn't agree with me any more. I didn't get the DSLR out once, or leave the cabin except to drive around the headland to go into Vík to try the burger at the Smiðjan Brugghús (which was delicious, as were the chips!). I looked out of the window often during the day, and could basically see nothing but rain and the wind blowing the grasses nearby. The cabin can be pretty noisy with wind bashing it, but it's nice and cosy, so a good place to hunker down and wait out the storm. Cars came and went, and I could see people battling the wind as they headed down to the beach. The benefit of having been to this spot on numerous occasions is that I didn't feel compelled to go and see it or take any photos, which would've been pointless and miserable.

So yes, my first ever day in Iceland where I didn't take a single photo (except for one on the iPhone of the burger!). It was so frustrating, as this was supposed to be my day to explore and hike up at Þakgil, a short drive away. Oh well, that is life.

Day seven was better, although it was still windy and rainy when I woke up (so no sunrise trip down to the beach either). I felt much better - no more headache, temperature normal, so didn't feel as if I had the 'rona! It was pretty foggy as I left, stopping for a quick chat with Raggi before heading off. In the day and a half that I'd been there the covid-19 situation had worsened, and they were about to bring in a new regulation whereby tourists visiting from most countries would be required to have a second test, 5 days after their first. It didn't apply to those - like me - who were already there, which was handy, as I didn't want to have to drive out of my way for a second test.

I set off in the drizzle, barely able to see the hillsides of Reynisfjall. When you know how stunning a landscape is it can be infuriating to see it covered up. As I turned right onto the pass around towards Vík there was a slight rise in the clouds. I noticed a motorcyclist that had come off the road, but wasn't hurt - not great driving conditions. I stopped a little further around the big bend to take a couple of shots of the mysterious looking landscape. It was miserable and wet, but atmospheric.

My plan for the day was to drive to Stafafell, stopping for some more food in Höfn, with stops at Lómagnúpur and Jökulsárlón along the way. I drove straight through Vík which seems to have more and more new buildings up on every visit (and no doubt some of the owners will sadly now be bankrupt...). I passed the turn-off up to Þakgil, the road heading off into the fog and murk. I passed the turn-off down to Hjörleifshöfði - could barely see the inselberg in the distance. I drove on and didn't stop again until I reached Foss á Siðu, where I usually stop for a quick snap.

It wasn't too windy, so the waterfall wasn't blowing sideways or upwards, as I've seen it before, but it was still pretty unpleasant with constant drizzle. I next stopped at a little parking area not far from the Fosshotel Núpar, thankful that there was a portaloo there (I suffer so much with a weak bladder, and much of my trips are spent trying to find somewhere to pee!!). The landscape there was pretty too.

I stopped again a little further down the road, as I noticed a couple of upward waterfalls above the turf-roofed houses as Núpsstaður.

Next stop was a brief one at Lómagnúpur, where the cloud had lifted a tiny bit for me, and I was almost able to make out the top. Almost.

To the east I noticed that there was a little break in the cloud cover, and I could just make out a tiny patch of sunshine on a distant glacier - it gave me a little hope for some better weather in my future!

As I got back into the car I noticed that I still had the key to the cottage at Reynisfjara - not the first time I've forgotten to give a door key back, and won't be the last. I was far too far away from there now to turn back, so I sent Raggi an email apologising and promising to pop it back on my return journey the following week. I hoped that he had a spare (he must do!).

I drove on, and stopped at one of the car-parks along the side of the road on the approach to Skaftafell, as there's wonderful views of various glaciers and mountains. I could see both Svínafellsjökull and Skaftafellsjökull; both looking wonderful. With the long lens I was even able to capture some of the detail of the craggy hillsides and glacial ice from there.

I continued on, glad to have some long-distance visibility and views of peaks, and took the left turn towards Svínafellsjökull, which I only visit every few years. I hadn't been since my birthday in Feb 2018, when it had been extremely glassy and slippery. I had thought of hiking around the moraine to the south side, but I could hear some noisy people along there and that put me off. Instead I just walked through the gate and hiked along the path overlooking the edge of the glacier. I was horrified to notice how much it had receded since my first visits. I remembered seeing a couple of guys hiking on the ice in the distance and then below me - now there was no way that you could hike to this side, as the ice no longer reached the side beneath me. I took a few shots of the dirty ice in the distance with the long lens, with no way to understand the size or scale, and then headed back to the car, feeling a little sad.

As I reached the car there were some wonderful undulating clouds overhead to the south-east; I love how quickly the sky changes in Iceland!

I stopped at the petrol station nearby, not having the usual burger on this occasion, since I'd had one the previous night, and I still had enough bread and cheese for my packed lunch instead. I tried to fill the car up, but for some reason it wouldn't allow me to put in enough to fill it up. I stupidly put my credit card back in my trouser pocket on my leg, instead of in the phone wallet (where it usually lived), being rather flustered by the whole not filling up experience, and off I went, next stop Jökulsárlón (yay!!).

As I approached my beloved Jökulsárlón the weather had deteriorated again, and was now raining again, with low cloud obscuring any mountains - wish it wasn't quite that changeable! I crossed the suspension bridge and drove down into the east car-park, got geared up, and headed down to the beach. The rain seemed to be coming in every direction, so it wasn't possible to just take shots away from the rain, which is usually the solution to shooting in crappy weather there! There weren't a huge number of icebergs on the beach, but generally I prefer it that way, so that I can concentrate on one or a group against the black sand and white waves. I wasn't very happy with either the conditions or compositional options, so I took a handful of shots before heading up to the lagoon on foot, under the bridge (I was actually more pleased when I reviewed and processed a couple than I initially thought!).

The lagoon was also murky and the drizzle wasn't letting up. I was surprised to see that the beach along the edge of the water was no longer there - the water level was obviously about a metre higher than it is in winter (or autumn, for that matter). As a result the options were to walk along the ridges overlooking the lagoon. There was a real mish-mash of icebergs in the lagoon, and I couldn't even see the glacier in the distance as visibility was so poor. There were some blue icebergs but my favourite was one that was rather dirty and looked like a bar of Toblerone, with jagged chunks.

I wandered back to the car, stopping to take one last shot with my iPhone. 

I got back to the car, and for some reason noticed that I didn't have my credit card. I checked every pocket about 5 times, and inside the car, under all the seats, etc... I walked back up to the spot where I'd taken the iPhone shot, as that was the first time I'd taken my phone out since the petrol station, hoping that maybe it had fallen out there. No sign of it anywhere. I got back to the car, checked inside the car yet again, and then phoned the petrol station to see if anyone had handed it in: definitely no sign of it anywhere. So I sat in the car, at the edge of Jökulsárlón beach, cancelling my nice credit card with no foreign transaction fees - grrrr! At least I had a couple of other cards, so wasn't stuck (always carry more than one!!).

I drove off, unbelievably annoyed with myself for being so careless, and headed towards Höfn, passing lots of favourite places (the tree line, the wonky tree) but not stopping until I got to the supermarket in the town centre. The new rules in place didn't make a great deal of difference - just had to use hand sanitiser on arrival at the shop. I know my way around the supermarket now, and picked up some salmon fillets, fresh salad leaves, tomatoes and avocados, and then off to the dairy section for some fresh milk and Skyr for cereal. And then I was back off in the car, and on the last bit of the journey towards my yellow cottage, my home away from home. As I left Höfn I noticed an old man with a sheepdog, who was dragging the man forward excitedly. I soon realised why - there was a puddle and as soon as the dog reached it he went mad, jumping around in the water like a puppy. It was an adorable sight; I smiled as I drove past, the man smiled back. I don't think this was the first time the dog had enjoyed such a simple, fun pleasure.

I continued on, with the weather still dire, with no visibility at all - no point making a detour to Stokksnes, as I wouldn't see a thing. I hoped that maybe coming out of the tunnel I'd suddenly be greeted to clearer skies, but alas no, still rubbish! 

I arrived at Stafafell and was greeted by Sigurdur and we chatted briefly about "the situation". He hadn't bothered to open the hostel this year, but had still had plenty of business in the cottages, which I was pleased to hear. I got to the cottage and took a shot on the iPhone to show how miserable the weather was before settling in and making myself some tea.

One benefit of travelling to Iceland in the summer is that the days are long, which gives you more opportunity to for the weather to change during the day. This, at least, is the hope on days like these! Sadly on this particular day the drizzle was set in, so I just had to lump it. The other benefit is that even if the weather's rubbish, there are still more hours of daylight in the day, so at 7pm off I went to Skútafoss, a little waterfall nearby that I've visited on a few occasions. On the way there, I noticed a police car parked at the Hrafnavellir guesthouse, which was strange - I'd never seen a police car on the stretch of road east of Höfn. I got to the waterfall and hiked up there, hoping that given that there was a cave at least I'd get some shots without having rain on the lens after every shot. The water was raging - far heavier than I'd seen this waterfall before. The turquoise stream of the waterfall and the pool into which it falls was still there. Above I could see little trickles of waterfalls coming out from the foggy hills.

I had to clamber over a few rocks to get into the cave, whereas usually the water level is lower and there's no barrier. I felt nervous that the water might be rising even higher, so kept a close eye on it while I was in there. It's a tricky spot to take photographs from, and when I set my tripod up I realised that the knob that tightened the panning mechanism had fallen off. This had happened in Costa Rica too, but I'd seen it lying by the car and tragedy was narrowly avoided. Not so lucky this time - the knob was most likely long gone (and I'd already checked under the car seats for the credit card and nothing had appeared). I could still use the tripod, just had to hold it steady, which kind of defeats the purpose of a tripod! 

After awkwardly trying a few shots in the cave I then headed up onto the rocks above, where I hadn't thought to photograph before. It was great to get a different perspective, but the rain was problematic, so I didn't last long.

The rain began to get heavier, so I called it a day, walking back down to the car. On the drive home I was interested to see that the police car was now in a lay-by near the guesthouse, waiting to nab speeding drivers going past. Fortunately I was driving less than 90kmph as it was so wet and miserable, but often I do go a little over that. There were so few tourists or locals on the road it seemed a little odd for them to be doing it, but then the penalties are quite good, so maybe it's worth it for a little extra police revenue...

I got back home and diced up and fried a chunk of the salmon and served it with salad and washed it down with two divine sour beers (especially the Dr. Schepsky's Passion Fruit Sour - divine!). 

The forecast for the following day was also poor, with more rain, or at least cloud cover all day. It wasn't windy at least, but still annoying. I had a full day there, so hoped to visit Stokksnes, Hvalnes and maybe Skútafoss again if the weather improved. I was also looking forward to the lovely swan lake, Lónsfjörður, although in this weather it was unlikely to be as amazing as usual.

Click here for my blog from Day 5 - Red Volcano and Dark Canyon
Click here for my blog from Day 8 - A Wet Day Around Stafafell

Iceland Highlights 2013 - Day 6: Svínafellsjökull & Skaftafell

After my previous night's slightly disastrous attempt at aurora-viewing and resultant late night I decided to lie in again. The weather-forecast for the morning was snowy (again), so I made another good decision - sleep is important, after all and I was already a little exhausted. After a late breakfast I headed west, where the weather was supposed to be clearer and where I could fill the car up. It was a little nerve-racking driving towards Skaftafell, nervously checking the mileage capactity on the remaining diesel in the tank, and then still having another 30km to go when the orange "empty" light came on. I passed Jökulsárlón and decided not to stop (had been there a fair bit already, after all), and continued towards Skaftafell. As I drove up a hill where the road sweeps around a big corner and heads towards the north-west I suddenly remembered that there was a petrol station (unmanned with a dilapidated hut), just before Litla Hof and Hof. I pulled in, feeling very relieved to be able to finally get some diesel in the tank (and I knew how to open the cap this time, which helped!). It was freezing cold, and snowing again, so the whole experience was rather unpleasant. I put in the amount I thought I needed to fill the tank up and the total came to far less than that, so hopefully they only charged me for what I used, and not the full amount!

Feeling much less stressed I continued on and decided that Svínafellsjökull would be my first stop. There was patchy sun by now, once I'd turned inland. I'd had a beautiful experience the previous year on my only vaguely sunny day where I sat at the edge of the glacier waiting for a layer of fog to clear, which it eventually did. I was a bit late in the day for the best light, and my luck with the sun and clouds wasn't great. I stopped along the track on the way to the glacier and caught a glimpse of sun and a tiny reflection of one of the mountains above.

Once I reached the parking area the glacier looked a bit dull and the mountains looked uninspiring against a backdrop of white cloud. I climbed along the path to the left-hand side of the glacier for a bit, to where I'd got the magnificent view the previous year and waited for the light to improve. The sun shone through the clouds from time to time, giving some great crepuscular rays.

A closer look at the ice through a zoom lens revealed that it was coated with a light covering of snow or hail.

 As I sat looking at the glacier, waiting for the sun to reappear, I noticed a couple of photographers down by the lagoon at the foot of the glacier. The lagoon the previous year had been almost empty of icebergs, but this year it was full of them, so I decided I'd follow their lead and go and investigate from the shore-side.

As I passed over the mounds of terminal moraine to get around to the far side of the lake I met the photographers - it was the same two I'd met in the café the previous day. They warned me about slight quicksand in the muddy shores of the lagoon, but my wellies served me well and barely sank in at all. At the edge of the lagoon large icebergs were piled up high on the shore - a storm had obviously pushed them higher recently. I was able to walk between some of them, although I felt a bit nervous as some were dripping and creaking as I passed by. Again, apart from the two photographers, no-one knew I was there, so I needed to be a bit careful! The light was getting worse, heading towards midday and a large bank of cloud had come overhead, so the icebergs didn't look their best. I continued around as far as I could and marvelled at some of the shapes that had been carved on their journeys. The dynamic range between the blue and white sky and the icebergs in shadow and light was enormous, so I played around with the HDR setting on the camera. The in-camera option didn't produce nice results at all, so I'd have to do my best in post-processing. In the end I had the most luck with just one photo, with a bit of dodging and burning. The iceberg looked a bit like the underside of a humpback whale to me.

The sun came out at one point, so I raced around the side of a few icebergs to capture a wonderful triangular one I'd seen earlier on. It looked so much more dramatic with the sun shining on it!

Eventually I tore myself away from Svínafellsjökull as nearby Svartifoss beckoned, even though the sun had returned. I had beautiful views of the muddy face of the glacier as I clambered back over the moraine and back to the car. Two coach-loads of English school-children had just arrived, so it was a nice time to leave; hopefully that meant that Svartifoss wouldn't be as crowded. What a great place for a school geography field-trip.

The couple I'd spoken to in the guesthouse had told me that Svartifoss had a lot of ice around (and that the bridge across the river had been rebuilt), so I knew it wasn't going to look as it had done the previous year. I parked the car at the entrance to the Skaftafell National Park and headed up the hill, working up quite a sweat in all my gear. The falls did, in fact, look very different from my previous trip. The light was different, the water volume was tiny, the river was completely covered in snow, the waterfall landed in a snowy chimney, and huge icicles hung from some of the basalt columns.

The columns were mostly dry too, and looked as if they were covered in salt. The regularity of their hexagonal shape just blew me away (again); sometimes nature leaves me speechless!

My hands were suddenly exremely cold and after a quick chat with an American photographer (the only other person there, thankfully), I headed across the bridge, up the hill and then wandered back down to the car, enjoying the afternoon sun, now the sky had cleared. A few peaks in the distance were visible now most of the cloud had gone.

Obviously by the time I'd driven back to Jökulsárlón (around that point at which the weather always seems to change) the skies had clouded over. It was my last evening in the area, so I had to give the beach another visit. There was a brief glimpse of sunset, that I shared with a number of other photographers on the beach, before it quickly darkened again.

I got home after a long day to an email from the ice cave guide that the trip was back on for the following morning. The skies were completely covered in cloud again and the aurora forecast was quiet, so no obsessing about it for another night. I skyped the hubby, finished off the last of the wine and set my alarm for 5.45am, which would give me time to get up to see sunrise over the beach (just one last trip!), head back to grab breakfast, pack and check out and then drive to the petrol station to meet the guide. Another great day in Iceland was over.

Click here to see Day 7: Jökulsárlón back to Vik