Days 1 and 2 - The West Fjords.
This blog continues from my previous blogs covering our Covid quarantine in Iceland. It describes our journey around Iceland with photographs from the places we visited. All photographs are the copyright property of Colin Baterip. I am a professional photographer but the photos you will see have all been taken from spots that are accessible to the general public. I hate seeing photos on the internet and then not being able to get anywhere near the same spot when I visit.
Driving Tips
A couple of points about driving in Iceland. All the major towns have gas stations but outside of these you can drive up to 150km without seeing one. They are all self-service and many are just standalone with no accompanying shop, so credit card is the only way to pay. My advice is, when your tank is half-full take the next opportunity to fill up. Also, everywhere in Iceland takes credit cards and we didnt even take any cash with us on this trip.
There is one overriding factor in Iceland that determines all plans and that is the Weather. It is can change rapidly and so it is a good idea to check the past present and future weather for your journey and detsination. Heavy rain may have already closed roads. There is a superb web site called Safetravel.is which gives up to date info on weather and roads, including a map showing road status. Green is passable, red isn't!
Having completed our Covid quarantine period in Reykjavik, we had picked up our 4x4 Campervan from CampEasy and headed out to the camp site at Búðardalur. This is not much of a camp site but there are no other options nearby. There are showers but you need a bar code ticket from the camp attendant for this, and when they didn’t show up we had to do without. But, on waking up on our 6th day in Iceland we were excited to be finally starting our road trip.
We left Búðardalur and headed north on the 60 to Borganes and then continued to Pingeyri in the West Fjords. This is a drive of about 250km with more than half the distance on unpaved roads. Unpaved roads in Iceland can vary from reasonably smooth gravel to a strip of gravel with more potholes than road, seriously on these stretches which are numerous you are simply bouncing from pothole to pothole. Along the coasts of the fjords and over the pass from Dynjandi to Pingeyri the road is not for the faint hearted. There are some high passes and steep drops and no crash barriers to save you.
We had heavy rain for the last 60km and this along with the poor-quality road and the high bends with steep drop offs made this quite a challenge. But was it worth it? Definitely YES.
I have not been able to get into the West Fjords on my previous trips and chose to go in Mid-September this trip so I would have a chance. I wish I had worked harder at school so that I had a wider vocabulary with which to describe the stunning beauty of the landscape in this part of Iceland. If I had stopped at every scenic waterfall, we wouldn’t have driven more than 10km in the whole day.
We did take a 40km detour to enjoy the natural hot pool at Reykjafjardarlaug and luckily found some dry weather (the only dry weather we got in two days).
Then it was onto Dynjandi, a waterfall that has been on my bucket list for some time. When we arrived there was one other vehicle in the car park and we quickly readied to make the 750m hike up to the main falls. It isn’t a long hike but is quite steep and care is needed. When we reached the top, the weather had already turned, the rain was sleeting down and the wind started gusting at over 60km per hour. It was so strong that it blew my heavy Manfrotto tripod over as soon as I stood it up, luckily before I had put my camera on it. Photographing the falls was almost impossible, the rain and spray kept everything permanently wet and the wind was making us stagger backwards.
This is typical of Iceland though. It is the most photographically rewarding place but each time I leave I am frustrated with the number of shots I couldn’t get. Mainly because of the weather and sometimes because of the fences and rivers that are too high or too deep to cross.
Then it was onto our campsite for the night at Pingeyri that stays open all winter and is very good. Showers, wifi, cooking facilities, a common room and right on the shoreline.
The weather forecast for the second day was for heavy snow so we decided to cut short our West Fjords stay and head across to the northern ring road. This entailed a 350km drive via Isafjordur and Holmvik. A route we chose because that road is paved for virtually 100%. The tough part of the drive was going over the high ground in heavy snowfall, with about 10cm of snow covering the road. There is hardly any traffic on this road so the snow just lays there. In fact, the drive through the snow was the only time during the day that it wasn’t raining heavily.
After an 8 hour drive we arrived at Hvammstangi Campground which was very good. It had wifi, a common room with basic cooking facilities but no showers.
A tough day.
Day 3 – Hvammstangi to Laugar
After breakfast out of a bag (we take food packs we but in the UK from Wayfarer and the all-day breakfast is superb) we drove the coast road (711) north. This is mainly unpaved so another bumpy ride. Our destination was Hvitserkur, a Dragon shaped sea stack. We parked on the cliff top car park and took the gentle walk of about 1.5 KM down and back along the beach. You can find this path on the opposite side of the car park to the cliff top viewing platform which has a steep and what looks like a tricky path down to the beach. This meant we were able to get very close to the stack, but the tide was rapidly coming in and threatening to cut us off, so this was a quick but rewarding photoshoot.
Then we headed south, crossed over the 1 and went to Koluljufur Canyon. It was beautiful and well worth the visit. There are a number of shooting spots along the top of the canyon but I couldn’t find a non-suicidal way to the bottom.
We had planned to head to Akureyi, Icelands capital of the north and camp there. But we were well ahead of schedule and went straight through and onto Godafoss. We have been to Akureyi before so could miss it out, buts well worth a stop if you haven’t been. Arriving at Godafoss in no time we decided to head down the 40km unpaved and very rough road 842 to Aldeyjarfoss. I had to abort my previous attempt to get there in 2019 due to heavy snow. In fact after turning round I then put the van in a ditch and it cost £600 to get towed! Anyway, this time we made the journey. When you get to the end of the road, there is a Farmhouse in front and our satnav indicated that the f26 road was straight on. That is not the case. There is a gate to your left. This gate opens onto road f26 and there is a sign asking you to shut the gate after you have gone through it. This is road F26 so you may have to check your rental car is permitted on it. Otherwise, leave your car near the gate and hike the 3.5kms or so to the falls.
I was disappointed with the falls. I have seen many beautiful pictures with white snow and blue water. What we got was no snow and dull brown water. I would probably have enjoyed it if I hadn’t seen those pictures though and maybe it’s a winter destination – but then you have to do those roads! This is a photoshoot that requires preparation, something I hadn’t done. We were there late in the day and the setting sun case a large shadow. So if you have seen great photos it’s worth finding out what time of year and what time of day they were taken.
After that, we did the 40km drive back to Godafoss but the light wasn’t great and we went onto Laugar, about 15 minutes away. Stayed at Lifsmotun Camping which was OK. Had showers which worked but the water supply in the kitchen area had been turned off.
Day 4– Laugar to Egilsstaðir
We left the camp site at day break and did the quick trip back around the N1 to Godafoss. Never had good light there before and was hoping to get the waterfall just after sunrise, but before too many shadows enclosed half the falls. It was deserted when we arrived apart from a few sheep. The sky looked pretty good so shot a couple of long exposures before we moved on.
Our next destination was Lake Myvatn. The N1 splits and goes both ways around the lake and while both are scenic we took the southern route.
We were aiming for the Grjotagja Cave, a new location for me and it did not disappoint.
Then we headed east towards Detifoss which is about an hour away. This is an easy drive on a good road with plenty of views to excite.
From this direction leave the N! onto the 862. This a paved road and take you to the west side of Detifoss and Selfoss waterfalls. One you reach the car park you have a 1.5km walk to either waterfall. We chose Detifoss which while being Icelands largest waterfall by volume of water and looks impressive, it doesn’t offer up any great photographs. I think that the east side may be better and I will explore that on my next visit.
To get to the east side take the road 864 which is 15km east of the 862, but this road is unpaved an in quite poor condition for a lot of its length. When we left Detifoss we headed north to the 85 and turned right. Almost immediately is the entrance to Jökulsárgljúfur / Vatnajökull National Park, home to the unbelievable Asbyrgi canyon. This is site to be seen if you are anywhere near it, it is simply stunning. I didn’t take any photos because I knew I would never be able to convey its beauty and magnitude in a simple photo.
We left the canyon and made the mistake of taking the 864 back to the N1. A mistake because it was over 50km on an atrocious unpaved road. We went right by Selfoss without stopping because we would run out of daylight before reaching our next campsite at Egilstaddir. on the way, we passed one of my favourite waterfalls, Rjukandrafoss which is right by the road, albeit with a walk up to the top of the falls. The lone sheep about two-thirds of the way up to the left of the falls gives you an idea of the scale.
The Egilstaddir camp site is a very good all year site with cooking, laundry, wifi, showers and washing up facilities on site and in the middle of town. There is a Bar right there and some restaurants nearby.
Day 5 – Seydisfjordur and Studlagil Canyon
Our plan for the day was to stay in or near Egilstaddir, perhaps hiking up to Hengifoss and then finding a location for shooting the Aurora that night. But as with all plans in Iceland, the weather intervened and we woke up to Snow. No way are we hiking up to Hengifoss now and so a check on Safetravel.IS showed the road to Seydisfjordur was “passable” so we headed there instead of going there the next day as planned. The road was only just passable and the 27km took us over an hour to drive. Its worth it though as there are two really good waterfalls along the route and Seydisfjordur is a pretty little town. This is where the Ferry from Denmark docks.
Then we headed back to Egilstaddir with the intention of heading south into the highlands to Waterfall Circle but after 45 minutes’ drive it the road became just a bit too scary for us so we turned back. We decided to head back north west and visit Studlagil Canyon which we had past by yesterday. This was quite a drive, about 100km with the last 30 on a bad unpaved road.
What a disappointment it was too. It seems that someone is trying to get this as a new tourist attraction and the local farmer appears to be building a campsite there. But you drive 30km on a bad road and then its 220 stairs down to a viewing platform. All possible routes down to the Canyon floor were roped off and signs warned against going down there. So, you cannot get anywhere near the same view that all the great advertising photos show unless you ignore the signs and hike a good distance over private land. We didn’t have time or inclination to do that. Seriously, this may look good in the photos but there are so many better Canyons to see in Iceland. On the way back to Egilstaddir we stopped at the Turf Farm Houses along the N1.
As a treat we ate out at the Skalinn Diner, which is actually a lot better than it looks, cosy and decent diner food. Then we drove about 20 minutes to the location by the fjord to set up and await the Aurora. The forecast told us there would be a break in the clouds but after waiting three hours we gave up.
Day 6 - Egilsstaðir to Djúpivogur
The winter weather was approaching this part of Iceland and we decided to “get out of Dodge” and head south. If it had been Summer we would have gone over the Faxi Pass which is a really scenic drive but it’s one of those roads that shuts in winter and while it was showing as passable we had experienced it on a previous trip and decided to take the coastal route. We hung around the visitor centre at the campsite until 11.30, waiting for the snow to ease but even then, the first 30km to Reydarfjordur were in difficult driving conditions. Our plan was to just head for a campsite in Djupivigur and have an easy day. It was a scenic drive and we arrived mid-afternoon.
We stayed at the Framtid camp site which is a mistake we won’t make again. Quite unwelcoming and extra charges for Wifi and shower which they didn’t mention when we checked in. The shower required 300ISK in coins and no-one carries cash. In today’s Covid affected World I think they should have disabled this. This was one camp site that there didn’t appear to be any Covid precautions in place and we were happy to leave first thing the next day.
Day 7 – Djúpivogur to Skaftafell
The plan went out of the window again today. We were now headed west, working our way back to Reykjavik. We needed groceries so headed to Hofn and then planning to go back the short distance to Stokksnes and stay there. This is right next to the mountain called Vestrahorn and is an excellent Aurora and Sunrise location. Staying at this campsite also gets you a free token to use the road to Vestrahorn, which is barrier controlled. If you haven’t been here, it is an iconic photography location. This is an image from a previous trip.
With a bright sunny morning, we stopped at Fauskasandur Beach and climbed down to the waters edge to get close to the 30 foot seat stack.
We then stopped at Eystrahorn, a magnificient mountain that rises almost vertically from the ground. It is the twin of Vestrahorn a little further round the coast.
And, then the rain started. Little did we know that it would not stop for over 50 hours.
Hofn is a nice little town with good facilities including restaurants and a supermarket. After groceries we decided to try and keep ahead of the rain and headed to the Ice Lagoon at Jokulsarlon. This is a must see and again, it was virtually empty. Right over the road is Diamond Beach, called so because small chunks of ice wash up there. I was hoping for some good light, maybe a sunset even and we waited there for 4 hours in relentless rain. We gave up and took the road to Skaftafell National Park, camping at the visitors centre. This is a nice site with great showers, laundry and dish washing facilities. No cooking facilities though, but your camping fee includes two days parking which is great value. We decided not to plan the next day but wait until morning and evaluate based on the weather, which really wasn’t looking good. It rained all night, so heavy and noisy that we hardly slept. Oh, and this was the day we found out that the UK entry rules had changed and people coming from Iceland now had to quarantine for 14 days. Imagine our joy!
Day 8 – Skaftafell to Seljelandfoss
It would have been nice to stay in the park all day, there is some good hiking, with a couple of exceptional waterfalls which we haven’t seen before. We were also going to see if we could hike to the Glacier. But, the rain was horrendous. The weather map showed the whole of Iceland under thick cloud and heavy rain so we decided to go to the Beach. This was the Black Sand beach at Reynisfjara which entailed driving west through miles and miles of moss covered Lava fields, with no let-up from the rain and a quick stop at Kviarjokull glacier.
We got to the deserted beach and ventured out to photograph the sea stacks and giant cave. But the tide was coming in quickly and this with the wind and rain made it very dangerous so we left straight away. This is a treacherous beach and there are regular fatalities there, primarily caused by “sneaker” waves (which we might call rogue waves). These come from nowhere and snatch people from the beach. Here more than anywhere else you should not stand with your back to the ocean.
A little further along the road is Dyrhólaey with it’s cliffs, sea arch and Lighthouse. With lots of time to kill we drove up to the top and braved the weather to get a couple of shots, in what is best described as a Black and White day.
Then we called it quits and headed the 100km to Seljalandfoss where we stayed in the Hamragardar camp site. There has been a recent landslide by Seljalandfoss waterfall and the road is closed. A new road that bypasses the car park and falls has been constructed so the camp site is still accessible. We used the common room with good cooking facilities and wifi and dried out
Day 9 – Seljelandfoss to Selfoss
Day 9 was another high mileage day. We had driven passed a number of planned stops the day before and decided that despite the continuing rain we would chance driving back towards Skaftafell to see if we could catch a break in the weather. We didn’t! We did stop at Rutshellir Caves but they were closed. We ventured to the Black sand Beach again and the tide was out so took the planned shot from inside the cave.
We carried on in the same direction to Stjornafoss and Systrafoss waterfalls but the weather made good photography impossible. On the way to the falls we stopped at Fjadrargljufur Canyon which is normally stunning, but we couldn’t see more than 50 yards in the rain and mist. On the way back a few hours later we detoured into it again, jumped out and took a quick shot, the mist had lifted and there was a view.
Then we called it quits and headed back toward Reykjavik to our planned camp site for the night at Selfoss. This is a decent site with good Wifi, a common room and cooking facilities. We stayed in the common room all evening and eventually realized it had stopped raining. When we stepped out of the building to go back to the van I looked up and this is what greeted us. Our first site of the Aurora Borealis on this trip.
After quickly snapping this shot, we jumped in the van and headed up into Pingvellir National Park, trying to find a good location to photograph the sky. I really should have known better. Shots like these need planning and setting up during daylight hours so it was a bit of a bust, but hey, it wasn’t raining so who cares?
Road Trip day 10 – Selfoss to Pingvellir via Haifoss
We had come back towards Reykjavik so that we could go to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula where the weather promised to be a little better. Selfoss was as far as we could drive on day 9 but on day 10 the forecast for Pingvellir was really good so we decided to stay in the area and visit Haifoss, another new location for us. First though we had to fix the heating on the van which had failed overnight. We phoned Campeasy and they said they would find a local workshop to deal with the issue. They phoned back in 15 minutes and said they hadn’t been successful so were sending a replacement van – in 1 hour. It arrived in just under an hour but was delivered by a mechanic who knew what the solution was and fixed out own van in 2 minutes. Big shout out to CampEasy for the fantastic service. These vans have a hard life in Iceland so breakdowns and faults are simply something to be dealt with. So after a delay of an hout we headed to Haifoss which was simply the most spectacular sight I have seen. If you go to Iceland do not miss this – but the last 5km of road is pretty rough and a 4 x 4 is advisable. Following 2 days of non-stop rain a lot of the road was flooded and we had to drive through stretches of water of up to 50 metres where the road was not visible. But it was so worth it.
On the way back to the main road, there is an f road that goes to Gjain. Non 4 x 4 vehicles are prohibited on this road but if you have one do go to Gjain, it is very pretty and peaceful.
Out camp site for the night was at the Pingvellir Visitors Centre which has good showers but no Wifi, common room or cooking facilities. That night we got our second sighting of the Aurora.
Road Trip days 11 and 12 – Snæfellsnes Peninsula
We left the camp site in Pingvellir and headed north on the 550, intending to take a leisurely drive to Snaefellsnes. The road had other ideas as some of it became unpaved, but the scenery and weather was good. A quick grocery stop in Borganes and we were soon on the peninsula, familiar ground for us after two previous visits. There really is a lot to see and do on the Peninsula, with numerous volcanic craters, waterfalls, sea stacks, beaches, churches, including the famous Black Church. We headed to Arnastapi, my favourite Icelandic village, and did the short hike along the cliff top to see the Arch and the Stone Bridge.
Then we headed to Kirkjufell to scope out new locations for shooting the Aurora Borealis. We had a cooked meal in the Hraun Restaurant in Olafsvik. This really is an excellent restaurant but be warned, they have candles on the table and menus that open the wrong way (flip over the top rather than open as a book) and I have now twice set fire to a menu in there. Heavy Cloud settled in and there was no chance of the Aurora making an appearance, so we went to camp for the night at Freezer Hostel in Rif. You just park outside in the car park but have full use of the facilities including cooking, showers, wifi and Bar.
The next morning we went north again to Kirkjufell and were blessed with a Rainbow.
With time to kill we just drove out to Stykkish to see the Church. Its different and unusual, not worth a special trip to see it but we had a lot of time to spare. We headed back to Kirkjufell, set up and waited patiently for nightfall and our last opportunity to get a good Aurora shot and at last we had some luck.
We did very little on day 13 apart from drive back to Keflavik. Our early flight home made us decide to take the van back the previous afternoon and stay in a hotel near the airport for the last night. But then Icelandair cancelled our flight home 2 days before it and booked us on a BA flight back to London. This was the same flight that we had originally booked but that BA cancelled which resulted in us booking with Icelandair. Icelandair promised us a voucher but 4 weeks later we are still waiting to hear. They paid less to BA than we paid to Icelandair so they have made a nice little profit on us so far.