NORTHERN ICELAND IS HOT...!

Typical old lava field and cinder cone

My ten-hour tour of northern Iceland was stellar in every respect: remote, contrasts, nature's power, desolate, and sunshine.

Saga Travel gave me their Diamond Circle tour that travelled 300kms through terrain that changed round every corner: Farmland, ancient and modern lava fields, lakes, their two biggest waterfalls, geothermal activity, and glens. Some of the roads were very rough with potholes and deep washboard surfaces that just about loosened every filling in my teeth. The wind blew strong and very cold, so my scarf, hat, and gloves were essential outside the van.

Saga's tour was essentially private, with only one other, my hubby, and our terrific Icelandic guide "Paul" who was knowledgeable and fun. We were all firm friends at the end. To some extent, Paul customized the tour to fit our interests and need for photography. One participant typified the ancient and modern for me. We were driving through a region with two houses in 100kms and he was Facetiming his mother in New York. Charles introduced me to her and we conversed, then he showed her the wild landscape out of the van's windows. Even in the remotest areas, Iceland has strong cell signals. Hilarious!

At every stop, there were spotless, flush toilets. Iceland is clean, clean, clean everywhere. Icelanders are an independent, hard working people who are very proud of their country.

The easiest way to show the story of this tour is with some images, rather than a long text post. So here are a few:

 
Iceland's top two waterfalls: Godafoss (L) and Dettifoss (R). The roaring waters of both are deafening. The hike to Dettifoss from the carpark is steep and tricky, but worth it. Hiking boots are the safest footwear and the spray blows over cameras if the wind changes.

High up in a remote plateau is a hot spot — fumaroles that roar, mud that boils, and cracks in the hills. Spectacular!

The Icelandic horses and sheep are unique breeds to Iceland and they are kept pure by law. No other breeds are allowed on the island.


The northern coast has cliffs, mountains, and islands. Puffins breed here (R) and on an uninhabited island in the spring so I didn't see any. Here too the earth's crust is thin and the European and North American tectonic plates are splitting apart by earthquakes and about 2cms per year. The last earthquake changed the course of the river from Dettifoss.





On the delta, are many sheep farms. At this time of year the flocks are gathered from the mountains and brought down to fields by the farms for the second shearing. They winter in barns.

Tomorrow we do the tour of Akureyri and its surrounding countryside and the fjord. Can't wait.

IMAGES: Photos by Pharos 2014. All rights reserved.

ISLES OF HARRIS AND LEWIS – IN FOG

I couldn't believe it when I woke this morning. Sun gone and replaced with pea soup fog. I s'pose it was not surprising given the heat yesterday and the much cooler night that followed.

I drove to the ferry on the Isle of Berneray to learn that the first ferry of the day couldn't make it across to Harris. "Be prepared to wait, take much longer than an hour, or to turn round half way across," a crew member told me. As it happened the captain decided to give it a go and left on time with a double load. He must have sweated blood navigating through islets, skerries, and sandbanks, which is known to be difficult enough in good visibility. He made it too, only five minutes late. We saw lots of sea birds – eider ducks, Great Northern Divers (loons to Canadians), shags, and some eagles.

I decided to go the wild and winding route to Tarbert along the southeast shore. The fog made me go slower than usual over this tortuous road. It was narrower and more up and down than I had driven so far. Sheep were all over the road. Harris is so completely different from the Uists. It's rockier and much more hilly. Granite boulders litter the land.

About noon the sun began to break through the gloom and I could see the sea lochs that I was driving around all the way north to Tarbert. I was headed for two Harris Tweed shops out in the wilds. Found them too, but they charged more than twice the price than the bigger centres for the same products.  Found a third at Plocipol that was much better, but didn't have the colour I wanted. They guided me to their big Tarbert store, about five miles further on where we had planned to eat a late lunch.

On the way we saw these lochs with the hint of big mountains to come. They were beautiful in their autumn colours.

I found the perfect Harris Tweed jacket in the colour of heather and bought it, along with a tiny kilt for my granddaughter age two and a half.

Here is a shot taken on one of the roads showing the sign indicating a slight
widening where vehicles can pass. I have Honda Fit, very small. It is the width of this secondary road. You can also see that a driver often cannot see a car coming over the top of the rise until you get there. I was not out of second gear the whole way from Leverburgh where the ferry docks to Tarbert. It can be unnerving when you meet a semi or a tour coach on one of these single-track roads.

After Tarbert driving north to Stornaway, the landscape changes dramatically to huge mountains, glens, and inland lochs. This main road is two lanes and a fast drive. Sometimes the drop on one side was 1000 feet and sheep wandered freely. These sheep are bred for their wool for tweed and are sheared twice a year.

My guest house is on the east of Stornaway by the airport so I decided to avoid the bustling town of 9000 citizens on this referendum day. Braighe House is just before the causeway to the Eye Penisula and has a view of the Scottish mainland and the north of Skye. It is a very upmarket B&B run by a delightful young couple.

The fog suddenly lifted at dusk and I'm hopeful my planned adventure around the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis tomorrow will have clear weather before I fly to Iceland on Saturday morning.

IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2014. All rights reserved.

BREATHTAKING TIREE

Soroby Bay with byre for the Highland cattle

Windswept, treeless, quiet, Tiree is the most unspoiled place I've been to in a long, long time. The white sand beaches are empty of people and the sea is turquoise.

I arrived in fog, the air so humid it condensed on my face. The light was terrible and I wondered if I was going to see the island as I had always longed to experience it. Next morning the breeze blew away the fog and the sun shone all day giving me perfect visibility.

Scarinish Hotel and harbour

There are two hotels here and a handful of B&Bs. Mine is the oldest, the Scarinish Hotel on the main harbour, which is tiny. The hotel is tired, but the rooms clean and comfortable. It overlooks the small harbour entrance. This is a workers' hotel — the snug is packed at 5:30pm every day as they stop for a beer on the way home. It's old-fashioned with worn wood and hasn't been painted since the 1950s. it's noisy too. The dining room is clean and serves reasonable dinners, but mediocre breakfasts. Service in the evening is extremely slow — I waited 45 mins from ordering to getting my main course. But there is little choice here. Tonight I tried the Tiree Lodge, and it was terrible. Poor service, chips with everything, and kids running around the resto. However the bar is nice and serves good IPA from Colonsay.

© James S. Ferguson as I was driving!!

I drove around this tiny island taking the odd side trip today and it was nothing short of stunning. There were no tourists, except the odd cyclists and the roads are all single-lane with passing places, which made me happy to be driving a midget car. The houses are mostly converted crofts and stand out  from the grassy landscape as they are white-washed. The islanders farm, sheep and cattle mostly, and the livestock run at liberty all over the place. They are the only cause of traffic jams!

I'd been longing to see some Highland cattle — rust red with huge horns. Not only did I see them, I saw them close, along with one calf and several bigger youngsters. They came right up to the fence for close-ups and one posed for his photo. These had all won awards except the calf. Their owners run the only place I ate a decent meal. Farmhouse Café is unprepossessing on the outside but is friendly, fun, and serves home-made, delicious dishes with quite a flair. It has a lovely view from the back where the tables are.



Some old churches dot the landscape. Two were still in use, but others have been converted into homes. There are largish farms, but not many, and the occasional modern windmill provides power to homes. Some residences cluster together in tiny villages, but most are widely spread out. Almost all enjoy the spectacular views.

In fact there is a new vista round every corner and they had me stopping so often that I took from 10am to 3:00pm to travel around an island that is 10 miles long and about 6 miles at its widest point. From the west coast, there is no more land until you reach the USA.

Salum Bay on the northwest coast

Images: © Photos by Pharos 2014, except where noted. All rights reserved