
[This post is part of a series documenting my last trip to Iceland in October 2017. The previous post is here and the next post is here.]
I left Hotel Ljosaland in the Westfjords after breakfasting again from my supplies. Today I was bound for my next evening’s lodging at Laxhús near Húsavik in the North, a trip of about 250 miles or 400 kilometers. I had several stops planned and, as always, was on the lookout for scenic vistas of which there were plenty.
My first stop was at Kolugljúfur Gorge, which I recommend for the gorge and not for the waterfall. The waterfall is fine and it seems to be what most visitors focus their cameras on, but I found the gorge itself to be more interesting and more scenic. In the first shot below, the bridge and the main waterfall are behind me as we look downstream. The second shot was taken further downstream and shows a streamlet flowing into the gorge. Which brings me to my recommendation: Shoot the falls if you feel inclined, but find the marked break in the fence to the right on the far side of the bridge and take that short hike downstream — it has many interesting views of the river, the gorge, the bridge, and the falls. If you are so inclined, you can follow this path down to the bottom of the gorge to take some shots at river level. I would not try that last bit if there was snow or ice — it was a little tricky.



As I continued my drive, it became clear this was going to be a day of scenic vistas with distant mountains and beautiful light filtered through ever-changing clouds. If I hadn’t had so much ground to cover, I would have lingered longer in this area.


My next (quick) stop was at the Stephan Stephansson monument on the ring road near Varmahlið. Honestly, I just pulled over because of the unusual art, but didn’t find it all that interesting. However, immediately beyond the entrance to the monument is an entrance to another installation that I found more to my liking. I didn’t record any details about who erected it, but it is a summit indicator — a circular horizontal plate with the names and elevations of distant mountain peaks written around its edge. By lining up your eye with the vertical sight mounted in the middle of the plate, you can identify which peak you are looking at. There are peaks all around and so this is a wonderful tool for learning more about what you can see in the distance.


I stopped for a late lunch in Akureyri. Since this trip was all about experiencing Iceland in all of its natural glory, I didn’t spend much time in town. Just long enough to visit one restaurant with vegan options and to get a parking ticket. The restaurant was Hamborgarafabrikkan, which has labeled vegan options, something I always very much appreciate. It definitely wasn’t health food, but the burger was tasty and reasonably quick. See HappyCow for other options.
I found the parking ticket when I returned to my car, which I had parked in a lot near the restaurant. Since it was written mostly in Icelandic, I couldn’t read it. But I did keep it and at the end of the trip I gave the paperwork to the car rental company who then paid the ticket for me.
The ticket did include some information in English about getting a clock at gas stations or markets, but I didn’t understand it and the rental person said he wasn’t familiar with the system in Akureyri either so I have no guidance on how you might avoid such a parking ticket if you visit.
My next stop was Vaglaskógur Forest, the second largest forest in Iceland. It was completely empty when I arrived — no staff and no visitors. I went for a short walk to enjoy the trees, which are a somewhat unusual sight in Iceland, especially in large numbers. Lots of evergreen and birch trees and a very nice place to walk.
On my way back down the hill, I heard some twittering and finally spotted a small, fast-moving bird with my binoculars. With the light falling and without my tripod, I managed to get a passable, identification-quality photo (below). I’m pretty sure it is a Goldcrest, which I had never seen before. A nice bonus!



Next, I stopped at Goðafoss. It was getting late, I was very tired, the weather was not very good, and I was starting to suffer from waterfall overload (something I never thought could happen to me). For those reasons, I didn’t even bother shooting the falls — maybe next time. But I did see some Rock Ptarmigans on the rock face across from the parking lot. Bad light, but the shots were good enough for identification. Love those legs!

My last stop was at Laxhús in Laxamýri — about 28 miles from Akureyri — my lodging for the next two nights. Laxhús has a small number (five?) of very modern, very compact, two-person cottages that are beautifully situated with a view to the north and the west. I was extremely lucky that the sky was clear on my first evening and I was able to see the Northern Lights. It was also crazy that I could shoot them from my private deck and then walk inside and quickly check on my laptop that the exposures looked okay before going back outside to continue shooting. Each cottage has a name and I recommend you ask for HÖFÐAGERÐI since it is the last cottage in the row and the most northern so you have the best view from your deck. I ate dinner from supplies since there was no food option at Laxhús.

Proceed to Day 4.