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27 April – London
As our plane came in for landing we had a beautiful aerial view of London, not a cloud in the sky. The temperatures were chilly though. We met Tanya (Nicola's cousin) at arrivals and after catching the tube to Victoria station to drop our luggage, we engaged in a day of sightseeing. Our first stop was the British museum where we wandered around the ancient Egypt and Greek sections, staring in awe at the Rosetta stone, sarcophagi, jugs and vases. This fabulous museum got us very excited for our next stop – the Science museum. Sadly however, the museum did not deliver on our expectations. We were expecting a much more interactive, Experilab type experience, and the museum fell short - we later learned that we actually missed the good stuff entirely. Next time then... After a short visit (at the Science museum) we left and headed for the next door Natural history museum. Although more interesting, we still found the huge expanse rather sparse on displays. Back at Victoria we collected our luggage and boarded a bus to Luton Airport. We stayed at the airport Ibis overnight, preparing for our early flight the next day to Iceland!
28 April – Reykjavik
In the cold dark we walked the short distance to the airport and checked in for out flight. The flight across was uneventful and short, so by lunch time we were making our way through Keflavik airport. The airport setup was very casual and we were surprised to find both arriving and departing passengers were allowed to mingle, instead of being separated like some sort of quarantine control. We collected our rental car and drove to a shopping center in Reykjavik where we bought a local SIM card and some groceries. We then drove to Ruan’s (friend of Pieter's) hotel and together left for a bit of sightseeing on the Golden Circle. Our first stop was Thingvellir – the point where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. Glacial melt tumbles into the rift at Silfra where tourists often dive in the crystal clear water. The views from the top was pretty cool, literally, as a freezing wind and overcast conditions had us shivering. After identifying our first bird – a Redwing, we continued on the Golden Circuit route, driving through flat rugged plains that had barely started to recover from the harsh winter. Our next stop was Geysir, where fountains of hot water explode from the earth every few minutes. Geysir is where all geysirs get their name from so it should've been an important visit but it was so bloody cold that we stayed for two blows and then ran back to the car. It was already past 7pm when we headed back to Reykjavik. Guesthouse Galtafell accommodated us in a very nice cosy apartment and after checking in,, Ruan spoiled us for a restaurant dinner. After a day of early flights and sightseeing, we were tired and were in bed before sunset. Since that only happens after 10pm, not quite as early as it seems!
29 April – Reykjavik to Selfoss
After breakfast we picked Ruan up and headed for the harbour from where we left on a whale watching trip. The full-on flotation suits we received on board made us look like Michelin men and woman but it was extremely effective against the polar winds. Although pleased to spot a humpback whale in the bay, our main interest was the birds, and to our delight we did see the marvelous little puffins (Atlantic), although at a distance. Black-legged kittiwakes and Northern fulmars were common around the boat and we also added a Northern gannet, Common guillemot and Common eider. Back on shore we had a quick sandwich for lunch and continued on the Golden Circuit past Thingvellir towards Gullfoss waterfall. Ruan had a Golden Circuit tour planned for a few days time already and got a little bored so we parted ways and he hitched a lift back to Reykjavik. Having unpacked our down jackets and thermal underwear, we were now properly ready for Iceland's weather so we stopped again at Geysir and this time spent almost an hour at the Strokkur geysir (Geysir itself is not blowing regularly anymore) getting some spectacular pictures. Gullfoss is one of the most photographed waterfalls in Iceland and we understand why - it's spectacular, and with the sun starting to peek out after two overcast days, it was perfect for pictures! With the afternoon dragging on, we drove to Selfoss, birding slowly along the way. We saw plenty of Greylag geese, Pink-footed geese, Whooper swans, Eurasian oystercatches, Common snipe, Black-tailed godwits and Common redshanks, birds that would become all too common over the next few days. Our Selfoss accommodation at Guesthouse Garun was very pleasant indeed.
30 April – Selfoss to Vestmannaeyjar
We woke to a beautifully clear and windless day and after a quick breakfast, drove out to Floi Nature Reserve on the Olfusa river. On the way we picked up Common snipe, Common redshank, Black-tailed godwit, Greylag and Pink-footed geese and Whooper swans. At Floi itself there wasn’t much new but we were very excited to see our first Red-throated divers (loons). Around mid-morning we headed inland into the Thjorsardalur valley, a remote and little visited spot. It was cold and wind-swept but the stark plains surrounded by snowy peaks and the brooding Hekla volcano, made for jaw-dropping scenery and a perfect lunch spot. Late afternoon we visited Seljalandsfoss and got thoroughly drenched trying to take pictures from below, above, behind and within the waterfall. The 19:45 ferry from Landeyjahofn took us across to the Vestmannaeyar islands – an archipelago of spectacular, cliff-edged islands and islets located 15kms offshore. We landed on the largest one, Heimaey, and as it was already approaching 9pm, immediately drove to our hotel (Hotel Vestmannaeyjar) and checked in. Our corner bedroom had brilliant views towards the towering precipices above the harbour but a cold drizzle kept us inside. It was a long day and we slept like the dead under our down comforters.
01 May – Vestmannaeyiar to Vik
Our visit to the Vestmannaeyjar islands must be the highlight of the trip so far. Despite the weather producing about twenty rain and snow squalls during the day, we walked and drove on every single road the island could offer, visiting all the coastlines, climbing Helgafell, visiting the aquarium, played with a tame hand-reared puffin, visited the Eldfell museum where the 1973 eruption that buried a third of the town was explained in detail, saw Black guillemots, Atlantic puffins, Black-legged kittiwakes, Northern fulmars, Common eiders, Herring, Black-headed and Lesser black-backed gulls. Unfortunately our Ribsafari trip we had booked to take us to the small islets and visit the sea caves got cancelled due to high winds but when we left again on the 18:30 ferry to the “mainland” we were not remotely disappointed. It really is a beautiful part of Iceland and should be on everyone's itinerary. We were back on the Ring Road around 19:30 but the 70km drive to Vik took us another hour and a half as we just couldn’t help stopping every five minutes to take photos. Of course, it was still light when we arrived after 9pm in Vik and checked into our slightly cramped cottage at the Hotel Edda Vik. Soup and rolls went down well for dinner before we again slept like babies.
02 May – Vik to Vatnajokull
Blue skies and the cries of Northern fulmars greeted us as we stepped out of our cottage into the nippy morning. We drove about 30kms back on the Ring Road to visit the snout of Solheimajokull glacier. For safety reasons we couldn’t get very close and we had to be content with photos from afar. At Dyrholaey though we were able to explore almost at will (there were some exposed bits and protected areas that were off-limits) and our camera’s memory card filled quickly. We added some new birds here too – stunning Harlequin ducks, a shy Northern wheatear, and our first Common whimbrel in Iceland. After also visiting the queer columnar basalt formations at Reynisfjara we drove down another dirt track where there were no-one apart from us and were just absolutely delighted to spot a pair of Rock ptarmigans! We bought food and petrol at Vik and stopped for lunch at a beautiful picnic site off the Ring Road. This spot was at the start of the great sandur plains of southern Iceland and it took us less than two minutes to spot the first of many Great skuas that breed on these plains. Further on, we stopped in Kirkjubaerklauster to walk through a small planted “forest” that contained Iceland’s tallest tree (24.8m), lots of Redwings, a single White wagtail and most curiously, Common snipes. The wind started picking up in the late afternoon and by the time we reached our accommodation, it was quite blustery. The Fosshotel Nupar is an ugly place – it looks like a bunch of ship containers, stuck together on a small rise, in the middle of a bleak brown plain. Inside however, it’s a perfectly functional and adequate hotel and we spent a very comfortable night here.
03 May - Vatnajokull to Kalfafell
Despite a blistery wind, it was as pleasant a morning as you can expect in May in Iceland. By the time we reached the Skaftafell visitor’s centre, the wind had either died down or we were sheltered by the Vatnajokull massif because it was very pleasant and sunny. We took a gentle walk up towards Svartifoss, a slim waterfall tumbling over exposed columnar basalt. On the way we picked up our first Winter wren and had some more fantastic views of both a male and female Rock ptarmigan. With Common snipes doing their drumming displays above us, it was apt background music to the beauty of Skaftafell. However, with all the vegetation around us still very much a drab winter brown, Svartifoss was not as photogenic as we hoped and we moved on to the viewpoint at Sjonasker. This was much better with amazing 360 degree views over the mountains on the edge of Vatnajokull and the sandur plains towards the southern coast. With a zodiac trip in a glacial lagoon planned for 1pm, we didn’t linger too long and soon were on our way again. At Fjallsarlon, we donned full flotation suits again and got all hot and sweaty walking more than a kilometer to the lagoon edge. From here we crunched our way through ice floes until we got to within about a hundred metres off the glacier snout – as close as safety precautions allow. It was pretty cool navigating through the ice but after our return to the car, we drove another 10kms to an even more spectacular scene – Jokulsarlon. This was a much bigger lake, reaching the ocean, and had a much bigger feeding glacier. Huge icebergs clogged up the lake so much that the boat trips that normally run on this lagoon, have been cancelled for the day. Thankfully we already had our boat trip and we spent the next four hours taking photos, including a 2-hour time-lapse to see how the ice moves. Even more interesting was where the lagoon entered the north Atlantic and icebergs the size of cars crashed in the waves and beached. In the four hours we stayed at Jokulsarlon we added a few new birds for the trip: Arctic tern, Barnacle goose, Snow bunting and Arctic (Parasitic) skuas. We only left at 7pm and still had an hour to drive to our hotel just outside Hofn – luckily the scenery along the way was only pretty (as opposed to stupendous) and we didn’t feel too guilty driving on without stopping every five minutes for photos. Fosshotel Vatnajokull looked considerably more like a hotel and after check-in we sat down to one of the best (and one of the most expensive) meals we’ve ever had – lobster soup as starter, lamb, potato and veg for main and a chocolate cake with raspberry ice cream as dessert. Strange to mention it I guess but the whole baked potato we had deserves a special note - I don't know if this was a special cultivar or just the way it was prepared but I've never had potato that you could literally eat as is, without adding anything. It was buttery, smooth and incredibly tasty - I've never had better tasting potatoes of any kind in my life!
4 May - Kalfafell to Egilsstadir
Ominous clouds spilled over Vatnajokull as we left this morning. A bitter wind made taking photos along the way a fairly unpleasant affair, but we couldn’t stop ourselves from taking a few! We spent the day driving in and out and all around the eastern fjords. Although pretty, they are not quite like the breathtaking steep-sided fjords of Norway. We picked up several ducks along the way, notably Eurasian wigeon and Common shelduck. A lot of the by now common birds also gave good views, particularly swarms of Black-tailed godwits on the salty mud flats. As it was a long drive and very cloudy, drizzly and unpleasant out, we did not stop much along the way. We did however have some time before heading for our accommodation so we decided to drive Iceland’s highest pass at 632m, which apparently has great views. However, a third of the way up, we were in the clouds, dew point was below zero and the rain turned into heavy snow. We kept going as the road was still clear but after a few kilometers and a nerve-wracking one lane tunnel that you had to share with oncoming traffic, only to emerge into a complete white-out of snow and cloud, we turned around. The weather meant that the spectacular views were not visible and we just did not have enough experience driving in snow to feel comfortable. On the way back we were grateful for our decision as we saw the snow starting to settle on the roads. After descending to a snow-free altitude, we headed for our accommodation close to Egilsstadir. We found our accommodation delightful – a beautiful wood cabin with living area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, overlooking lake Lagarfljot. We took a quick drive to the local supermarket and came home to cook a proper dinner for once, a nice break from sandwiches. We watched TV late into the night while snow continued falling outside.
5 May - Egilsstadir
We awoke to find the whole world covered in about two inches snow. As we were supposed to drive on to Lake Myvatn, crossing several higher lying plateaus, we were concerned. We checked Iceland's road condition website, and sure enough, all routes to our next stop were snowed over and impassable. We consulted with our host Ásdís, and she generously phoned the road condition helpline for us and told us that unfortunately the roads were closed to small cars as several had gotten stuck already. Fortunately she did not have any bookings for that night and gracefully gave us a huge discount to stay an extra night - just one of the many examples of Icelandic hospitality and friendliness we came across virtually every day. We were hopeful that the snow ploughs would clear the roads by the next day and since we were staying three nights at Lake Myvatn (our next stop), we still had a chance to ‘catch up’. Apart from taking a drive around Lake Lagarfljot to look for Nessie’s Icelandic cousin, we spent a lazy day reading and watching TV from the comfort of our cabin, while enjoying a few more proper cooked meals.
6 May - Egilsstadir to Lake Myvatn
The first thing we did after getting up is to check the Iceland road condition website; to our dismay, the roads were still blocked. So we had another lazy morning. By 11am though Ásdís paid us visit and said she had phoned again for us and the roads were apparently now passable. There was likely to still be snow and ice on the roads but she believed that it would be fine as long as we drove slowly and carefully. So we packed our bags and after lunch attempted the drive. It was only 160kms but as soon as we ascended to the higher plateau above Egilsstadir we were surrounded by thick fresh snow - up to two feet deep in places. The road was mostly clear though with the occasional snow and ice debris left behind the snow ploughs making things exciting. We caught up to a snow plough at the highest point on the plateau and fearing that they still had to clear further along the road, we stopped to ask for advice. But the driver smilingly wove us along saying it's all good. And so it was. Despite the nerves, the entire drive was much easier and safer than what we did a few years ago in Norway, driving over the mountains between Oslo and Stavanger. After a quick stop at the hissing hot steam vents and bubbling mud baths at Hverir, we checked into our hotel in Reykjahlith and then took a drive around Lake Myvatn. Despite the snow still falling and the lake largely iced over, we picked up several new birds for the trip: Gadwall, Barrow's goldeneye, Red-breasted merganser, Goosander and Slavonian grebe. At 7pm we bought pizza for dinner and ate in our room back in the hotel. Very relieved that we made it safely to Lake Myvatn, we slept well.
7 May - Lake Myvatn
While planning for Iceland, I found a very detailed birding route, starting from Lake Myvatn, driving an ambitious 500kms north towards Husavik, then east along the coast to the Langanes peninsula, south to Vopnafjorthur before turning west back again to Lake Myvatn. After losing a day and a half, we were keen to do something so we started the route early. However, the snow wasn't quite done yet and by the time we reach Husavik, it was coming down hard again. Husavik had already had two or three days of snow and sliding around the town roads with snow drifts scraping the chassis, it was obvious that we weren't going to complete the circuit. A bit disappointed, we returned to Lake Myvatn, drove around it again and then decided to see if the road to Dettifoss was clear. It was, only just though, and after reaching the parking area, eagerly walked about a kilometre over deep snow fields to reach Europe's most powerful waterfall and the setting for the goosebump-pretty opening scenes from Prometheus. The heavy snow and ice made it extremely dangerous and we couldn't get anywhere near the falls itself. We were content gawking from afar though and after taking dozens of pictures made our way all the way back to Lake Myvatn. Dinner was at a highly recommended restaurant called the Cowshed (Vogafjos). The setting is literally a cowshed - you sit on one side of a large converted barn, looking through a glass wall to the other side where the cows are milked. On the other side are floor to ceiling glass walls allowing a most wonderful view over Lake Myvatn. Our shared starter of local raw smoked lamb was delicious and for mains Nicola had a lamb shank and I decided to try Arctic char. It was out of this world. The arctic char has a taste and texture somewhere between salmon and trout but it was simply the best fish I've had. Ever. It was so good in fact that we couldn't stop talking about it on the way back to the hotel and we promised to look up more of the recommended eateries in the towns we were heading for.
8 May - Lake Myvatn to Hauganes
Finally the weather took a turn for the better and although still pretty damn cold, the sun made a decent effort to vaporize the high cirrus clouds. We had a 9am whale watching tour out of Husavik so we left Lake Myvatn behind us in the early morning hours (meaning about 06:30 - this is very early in Iceland since very little seems to happen before 10 or 11am). In Husavik we checked in for our trip and donned flotation suits yet again on board a pretty wooden trawler called Fanny. Husavik bay was calm as we sailed out into the sun and we were eager to tick of some new things. We did get much better views of Humpback whales this time and although we had many more puffins than at any other time so far, we didn't see anything new. Back in Husavik the weather was positively balmy and after a highly recommended walk through the whale museum, we ate lunch in the car before slowly driving south west towards Akureyri. At the flat marshy head land of Eyjafjorthur, a great many waders congregated and we picked up our first Dunlins and Purple sandpipers along with lots of Ruddy turnstones, Black-tailed godwits, Common whimbrels and Common ringed plovers. It was past 6pm when we arrived at our cabin accommodation in Hauganes. Pretty as a postcard, our cabin perched on a green hillside right on the fjord (Eyjafjorthur), snow-capped mountains on the other side, white-washed red-roofed structures in the foreground and us enjoying our own personal hot pot on the porch of our cabin. It was difficult getting out of the hot pot but hunger eventually drove us back inside and we ate pasta on a comfy couch listening to snipes and ptarmigans settling down outside.
9 May - Hauganes to Holmavik
A beautiful clear morning greeted us as we stepped out of the cabin. With 360kms to drive to Holmavik, it was one of the longest drive days we had planned. But apart from scenery and birding along the way, we hadn't planned anything so it was expected to be a relaxed and pleasant drive. We took the long way round the Trollaskagi; the few sections of dirt road meant that few people came this way and we had the most stunning scenery all to ourselves. Photo stops were regular and by the time we reached Skagafjorthur, it was already past mid-morning. For lunch we stopped briefly in Sauðárkrókur where we picked up really yummy hot dogs from a petrol station and did a last bit of grocery shopping. A Ross's goose was apparently seen in the vicinity but after driving up and down the roads in the area several times, we couldn't locate it. However, a stunning pair of Northern shovelers did provide some excitement (they're common elsewhere in Europe but in Iceland they're one of the rarest breeding ducks). As more and more breathtaking beauty forced us to stop, the day dragged on and when we finally crossed over into the Westfjords region, it was late in the afternoon. We reached the very sleepy town of Holmavik after 6pm and checked into Finnahotel. Checking the time, I realized that we had just spent eleven hours driving 360kms! No tours, no excursions, no major stops, just the incredible wonder of Iceland that had us leaping out of the car every so often for photos or just gawking. For dinner we visited the recommended Sorcery cafe - a small museum on local sorcery and witchcraft, also containing a small restaurant serving mussels harvested directly from the fjord on their doorstep. A bucket of mussels formed a starter between us and then we had two different mains with baked pumpkin - another satisfying Iceland meal!
10 May - Holmavik to Isafjorthur
Oh what a day today turned out to be! The weather was a little windy and drizzly as we left Holmavik and drove up into the snowy mountains of the Westfjords. Just after we descended back to the fjord, we saw plenty of ducks at the water's edge and at a small pond left of the road, a brown duck had us screeching to a halt. We barely had our bins trained on it before it flew off and we had to wait a few minutes for it to return and we could get decent pictures - it was a Greater scaup! Not a rare bird by any means but not common and it was our first one! Then Nicola noticed a funny colourful little bird swimming in circles in the fjord shallows where we happened to be parked. It was so close that I had to lean over from the driver's side to see it - a Red-necked phalarope! Again, quite a common bird but these are migratory as well and it turns out, one of the first for the season. Very happy with two great birds, we drove on into an overcast sky. We ascended back into the mountains and were driving slowly up a shallow snow studded valley when both of us saw a huge bird take off from the river. Before we even had the bins on it, we knew what it was and Nicola was already fiddling with the camera to try and get a few shots. After doing a few circles it moved off - photographing flying birds isn't easy but Nicola managed a few and even on the blurred pictures you could see the massive, hooked yellow bill. ominous talons and huge size - it was a White-tailed eagle! Although these birds are resident in Iceland there are only about 200 pairs and my expectations for seeing one was very low. Wow! Up and over the mountain pass we drove and descended into another fjord. We had stopped above the fjord for some pictures when Nicola suddenly yelled out. She saw something poke its head out above a small ridge. She was sure it was something really really special; I had my doubts. But it was gone. Holding our breaths, we kept on waiting and after a few minutes, a fluffy ear appeared just above the hill, and then another. Our bins shot up to our eyes and yes, there it really was. I was a bit disbelieving and said, no, surely this must be someone's dog. But no, there was no one around for miles. It really was an Arctic fox! We had for real, just seen a live, wild Arctic fox! This was probably the animal highest on my tick list for Iceland and the one which I had the least hope of seeing. And we've just seen one! Speechless we drove on into the fjord. Common eiders were clogging the fjord banks and how Nicola managed to see one that looked slightly different, I still don't know but her excited yelps had me reversing at speed and stopping next to a beautiful drake King eider - another scare bird for Iceland and a lifer for us. What a day! The Westfjords have produced the most exciting wildlife experiences we've had for a long time. And over in the next fjord, we picked up yet another one! We were now heading towards Litlibaer. The wind had picked up a bit and even the normally calm fjord waters were whipping up white caps. It was therefore put down as my imagination when I thought I saw a small puff of cloud above the water and I just drove on. But thirty seconds later I saw another cloud and feeling a little more confident, I pulled off. Watching the waters intently and not saying anything, Nicola kept poking me in the ribs wanting to know what I saw. And then a big billow of mist sprayed up from the water about twenty meters from us. It was a whale! In the fjord, just twenty meters from where we were parked! Another blow followed and then the dorsal fin lifted out of the water with a huge tail shortly behind - it was another Humpback whale! Stunned by our luck, we slowly drove on, following the whale as it was swimming out of the fjord. We soon spotted a second whale as well and at a small parking area, an American couple had spotted them too and were filming from the side. It was now bitterly cold outside but I joined the guy outside the car as the whales swam past in front of us, snapping away. By the time I had my frozen butt back in the car, my adrenaline stores for the day were depleted. It was just simply one of the greatest days in my life and I was so happy that I could share it with my wife. We reached Súðavík at noon and stopped at the Arctic fox research centre. Inside, an extremely friendly guide showed us around and explained what they were doing. When we told them we had just seen a fox, they were visibly very surprised and told us we were very lucky. Two orphaned brother foxes were kept in a large cage outside the centre and although we weren't allowed inside, the guide was obviously well-liked by them. After the fox centre, we ate a late lunch in the car and slowly made our way to Isafjorthur, arriving around 4pm. Its a beautiful little town and immediately after checking in to Hotel Isafjorthur, we went exploring, looking for crafts or curios. Although all clouds have now been blown away and the sun was blazing down, the wind was whipping around building corners something awful and it wasn't long before we fled back to the hotel. We took the time to organize our bags and then it was time for dinner. Husid is another starred, recommended restaurant in Isafjorthur and their prices were not bad at all for Iceland. The burgers had a local flair and together with the hand-cut chips it was fantastic.
11 May - Isafjorthur to Stykkisholmur
We've been keeping a close eye on the Iceland road conditions website for the past few days. We were planning on taking the ferry from Branslaekur across Breidafjorthur to Stykkisholmur but to get to Branslaekur meant driving a few gravel mountain passes. Thankfully the strong wind calmed during the night and it was another beautiful morning as we drove out of Isafjorthur. On the mountains, the snow was lying thick, several meters thick in fact and we were very grateful that the snow ploughs were there before us. We arrived in Branslaekur in the late morning and decided there was enough time to make the long drive out to the Latrabjarg peninsula before our ferry (ferry was due to leave at 6pm). It was a beautiful drive (obviously) but this spot is about as remote as you can get in Iceland (it's the western most point in all of Europe if you don't count the Azores), it's a dead-end road and not a lot of people come here; the quality of the road matches it perfectly. The last 30kms or so was bumpy gravel but when we saw another Arctic fox less than a kilometre from the parking area, it was all worth it. It was a single fox, much less shy than the one we saw two days ago and in the middle of shedding it's winter coat. We sat watching it for about fifteen minutes before it finally disappeared. At this point in the Westfjords, the land starts rising steeply and forms sheer cliffs that go as high as 400m above sea level. This is puffin paradise. And of course, thousands and thousands of guillemots, kittiwakes and fulmars too! We walked up the ridge to where it disappeared in the clouds and wherever we had a chance, laid down on our tummies and crawled right to the edge to look at all the perching and nesting birds. In particular, we were looking for Razorbills and Brunnich's guillemot as these were two auk species we were still looking for. It wasn't easy - there were not a great many places where you could lean over and see far enough towards an opposite cliff face and when you could, it was usually too far to distinguish much. We had walked over two kilometres up the ridge when we reached our turn-around time and started back. Apart from kittiwakes, fulmars and Common guillemots, we haven't seen much else. Then, with the car in the parking area in sight, I saw another guillemot on a nearby cliff. I've been carefully watching every single guillemot I could find so with little hope, I raised my bins again. Just then it turned it's head and the white line on it's gape was clear as daylight - it was a Brunnich's guillemot! I yelled at Nicola and since it didn't look like it was going to move off any time soon, we both had great views. Back in the car we had a very late lunch and then drove back to Branslaekur. At the ferry docks there was no-one around and the ticket office was also closed. So we sat outside, patiently waiting. Other ferry-goers also arrived but when the ferry was still not even in sight across the bay at 17:15, we started getting a little worried. It was a minimum two and a half hour trip across the fjord which means we would only get to Stykkisholmur around 9pm. If the ferry was on time. At 17:25 we finally spotted the ferry in the far distance but when it was not much closer 15 minutes later, we realized that the ferry was not only going to be quite late, but that the journey across was going to take a bit longer. Confident that the ferry would be leaving Branslaekur at least an hour late, we decided it will be quicker to drive around. With the ferry still a good half an hour away from docking, we sped off to drive the 200kms or so to Stykkisholmur. There were a few dirt road sections on this route but road quality was decent enough to drive at the speed limit (80km/h) and when we got back on tar, 90km/h was easier still. We reached Stykkisholmur around 20:40 but we were too tired to go and check if we beat the ferry. Our accommodation (Our Home Apartments) had a cancellation and we got upgraded to a split-level apartment with full kitchen, lounge, two bedrooms and bathrooms - extremely pleasant!
12 May - Stykkisholmur to Reykjavik
Our trip was now nearing its end but we had one last boat trip planned. The Vikingsushi tour only started at 11:00 from Stykkisholmur so we slept late and spent a bit of time cleaning out the car. Down at the harbour we climbed aboard a large boat along with a bus-load of Americans. Out in Breidafjorthur we visited several of three thousand islets that dot the fjord, saw puffins, kittiwakes, gulls, fulmars and shags before the boat's sailors dropped a large steel bucket overboard and dragged up scallops, starfsh and a few crabs. The scallops were shucked right there and everyone shoved to the front to get a bite to eat. Even Nicola braved a bite. It was 1pm when we got back to the harbour and we sat in the car eating the last of our sandwiches. The most direct route back to Reykjavik was only about 160kms so we decided to drive out a bit on the Snaefellsnes peninsula towards Grundarfjorthur. We picked up our last lifer in Iceland just outside Stykkisholmur - a couple of Brent geese. The drive to Reykjavik was uneventful and as we approached the city, traffic started picking up. We found our accommodation at Northern Comfort Apartments and then went looking for a place to wash the car properly. After two weeks in Iceland it was in pretty grim condition and would be charged a cleaning fee if we handed it back as is. At a large petrol station we found a free self-service power washer (in essence, a broom with a tube handle and a hose connected to the handle so that a strong jet of water sprays out underneath the brush) and a coin-operated vacuum. We had packed a bit of liquid soap as well and with the broom power washer being highly effective, we soon had the car spotless again. It was now just past 6pm and we were hungry so we drove down to the old harbour area, found a parking garage and then looked for a good place to eat. Our first choice was over-crowded and didn't have any space but our second choice, the Volcano House cafe had a few empty tables and we sat down to home made ginger and lemonade and good old fish and chips. Tummies full, we headed back to sort and pack our backpacks.
13 May - Reykjavik to Adstock
The roads were dead quiet as we left Reykjavik at 6am. We dropped the car off, checked in and relaxed in the lounge for a while before the flight back to Luton airport. Picking our rental car up from Luton was quite a process but eventually we had wheels and off we went. We drove straight to Nicola's sister's (Rhona and Brian) place in Adstock, arriving just past lunch time. The weather was pleasant and we had a relaxing afternoon until Rhona came to pick us up for a pub dinner.
14 May - Peak District
Leaving around 9am, all four of us drove north towards Buxton and checked into a quaint roadside hotel in the Peak District. After lunch we took a slow walk through the area, covering pine forest, grassy hillsides and quiet lake shores. Dinner was at the hotel and we all shared a bottle of sherry afterwards back in our rooms.
15 May - Peak District
After a proper English breakfast, including bacon, eggs and black pudding, we packed up and checked out, heading for another section of the Peak District where Rhona and Brian spent some time before. We parked opposite a popular pub and took a walk up a hill where we picked up two lifers - Red grouse and Ring ouzel. After some chips for lunch back at the pub we drove back to Adstock where Rhona and Brian treated us to an English braai - very different to a South African braai but still delicious in its own right!
16 May - Adstock to Home
It was a tearful goodbye for Rhona and Nicola after breakfast. Nicola and I were on our own again and decided to try and get some birding in before our return flight that evening. We headed all the way down to Southampton and spent a few hours birding around the Farlington marshes. But too soon it was time to head back and we braved the traffic towards Heathrow. Dropping the car off was easy enough and we caught a shuttle back to the terminals. The flight home was uneventful and as it was relatively empty, both of us could spread out a bit on an extra seat. We were back home early on Tuesday morning, happy to be home safely but already missing Iceland.
What can I say about this trip? Above I already raved about various different things we saw, ate or experienced in Iceland. Six years ago when we visited Norway, we thought it was the most beautiful country in the world. This has changed now. Iceland is simply incredible. Unsurpassed beauty, incredible wildlife and some of the friendliest people I've ever come across. It is very expensive yes, but I'd pack my bags tomorrow if I get another chance of going.
