We had planned to return to the Southwest Coast Path—and had in fact reserved the entire trip—but England just didn’t want us, vaccinations or no. So, after casting about for alternatives (fighting the crowds in the northern parks, etc.), we decided to make for Iceland. We won’t walk nearly as much as we would haveContinue reading “Off to Iceland”
Category Archives: Iceland 2021
Reykjavik
Wednesday, August 21 Given the constant changes that travel brings, it is comforting that some things are totally reliable. One of the most reliable is the ability of United Airlines to deliver a devastatingly awful experience. Having booked seats across the aisle from one another, we discovered at the airport that we had been separatedContinue reading “Reykjavik”
The Golden Circle
Thursday, July 22 A quick taxi ride—with a shorter, stockier spitting image of Rory W.—brought us to the city airport and our car for the trip, a little Suzuki SUV with four-wheel drive (required in Iceland on all unpaved roads). We were soon out of Reykjavik and rolling toward the interior. The landscape along theContinue reading “The Golden Circle”
Kerlingarfjöll Mountains
Friday, July 23 As the bard said, “there’s no success like failure”…and we failed successfully today. Our goal was to drive deep into the Icelandic highlands in our little 4WD vehicle, traversing more than 40 miles of rutted, rocky, potholed dirt road, arriving at the Kerlingarfjöll Mountain Resort in order to hike to and aroundContinue reading “Kerlingarfjöll Mountains”
Landmannalaugar
Saturday, July 24 We woke to…more rain. We were resolved, though, to make another foray deep into the highlands and hope for better weather. The road drive from Geysir to Landmannalaugar (something like “countryman’s rest,” a reference to the thermal pools that have provided relaxation for the locals for many years) was amazing for itsContinue reading “Landmannalaugar”
To the South Coast
Sunday, July 25 We got off to a decent start…in light rain. The sunny afternoon in Landmannalaugar proved to be a brief interval. Route One, AKA the ring road, is a two lane affair like most of the paved roads we’ve been on, though it has somewhat wider lanes and a bit of a shoulder.Continue reading “To the South Coast”
Glacier!
Monday, July 26 Although we woke to light rain, the forecast was promising and we planned a full day. Our first stop was Skogafoss, yet another massive waterfall that tumbles out of the huge cliffs that line the ring road on the south coast. We hoped to walk the waterfall trail that follows the gorgeContinue reading “Glacier!”
Glaciers…and this time we mean it!
Tuesday, July 27 As we start the day, we’ve driven a good deal in the interior, but we aren’t far along the Ring Road, only having driven the south coast. In the next two days we will drive the southeast coast, which is defined by the enormous Vatnajökull glacier. The largest in Europe, the glacierContinue reading “Glaciers…and this time we mean it!”
Do lobsters live in glacial lagoons?
Wednesday, July 28 Our last glacier day dawned…foggy and overcast. Sue went for a walk on a path below a glacier while I finished yesterday’s blog post…I had played hooky! She started out on the lowest of the red paths on this map, hoping to walk to the snout of the Skalafells glacier. This givesContinue reading “Do lobsters live in glacial lagoons?”
They Drove Through Beauty
Thursday, July 29 And drove and drove and drove… It was a long day in the car as we drove most of Iceland’s eastern reaches. And it wasn’t Sue’s favorite day, as we had to traverse three high mountain passes with narrow lanes and sheer drops. At least the Icelandic government had saved money onContinue reading “They Drove Through Beauty”