Northern Iceland - Part 2 - Mývatn Lake

The second half of our trip to northern Iceland was after we had visited Siglufjorddur (see Part 1 blog post). I had wanted to see the highly volcanic area around Mývatn Lake for a long time and finally had the opportunity last week. The explosion crater of Hverfjall, the pseudocraters of Skùtustaôagígar, the boiling mud pools at Hverir and the lava field of Dimmuborgir were sights I'd wanted to photograph for a long time, and to do so in mid winter freezing ice and snow was something special.

If you have read Part 1 of my blog post then you will know that we had a Toyota LandCruiser with studded tyres for our journey to Siglufjorddur and this would prove a god send over the next few days as a snow storm was forecast to blow in over the next few days, and we had planned to travel to the 160kms to Mývatn Lake. Now living in Scotland, 160kms does not sound too difficult but in Iceland in winter, thats a whole different ball game! The night before we set off from Siglufjorddur I was obsessed with the weather forecast and the Roads status app for northern Iceland both something that is essential to check before setting off on an journey in Iceland. I could see that a weather front was forecast to come in from the north that afternoon and bring high winds and deep drifting snow, so we took the decision to leave Siglufjorddur early morning, well before the sun came up around 11am and get on the road by 8am. This would get us ahead of the worst of the weather and hopefully get to us to Mývatn before the front arrived there around 6pm.

Siglufjorddur - Looking south at dawn the day before we left.

The journey went to plan, yes it was dark and the roads already had a lot of snow on them from the previous days snow, but honestly the 4x4 and the amazing studded tyres worked so well we made good progress through the enormous 7km tunnel south of Siglufjorddur and onto the capital of the north Akureyri we were stopped for coffee mid morning. The snow was really heavy there but we managed refuge for an hour or so in the lovely Blàa Kannan Cafe. Suitably refuelled and with the snow still coming down we opted for the 6km toll tunnel (€20 each way) instead of the long route "around the mountain" which was now showing white (snow) on the roads app. The snow had eased a little but winds were still gusting 45mph as we approached one of Iceland's major waterfalls Goôafoss, another place I'd long wanted to photograph in the snow, so we took the opportunity to stop for a couple of hours and photograph this incredible sight.

It's a few minutes walk from the carpark and as it was very icy and snowy we attached the Yaktrax to our boots and set off with the camera gear. Goôafoss translates to 'Waterfall of the Gods' and that seems a fair description to me. It's magnificent and a must see if you find yourself in northern Iceland. The contrast of snow and ice with the blue glacial water crashing over the 100 feet span of the walls is an unforgettable sight.

We drove the rest of the way to Lake Mývatn (pronounced "Mee-Vah) without much drama but the weather was definitely deteriorating as we checked into the excellent Berjaya Hotel in Reykjahliô for the next few nights. Watching the snow fall over dinner, easily over the knee deep, we made plans for the order of the coming days.

I wanted to shoot the explosion crater of Hverfjall in the snow and the weather for the following day was perfect. Snow on the ground, light winds pefect for the drone, so the decision was made to be there before dawn to photograph from the rim of the volcano as the sun came up at 11am.

So the day for me had finally arrived. Photographing Hverfjall in winter snow was, if I am honest, the main draw of visiting northern Iceland in January. Arriving at the base at 9.30am at least an hour before sunrise, it was clear not a sole had been here for days. Unmarked snow everywhere and our LandCruiser tracks where the only ones as we drove in down a rough unmarked road. Loaded up with a selection of lenses, drone, batteries, filters etc. we set off up the snow heavy track that led up the side to the volcanos rim. It was heavy going and took twice as long in snow that was knee deep in places and over the snow poles. But what a view at the top as the dawn arrived with mist and fog clinging to the edges of the crater as sunlight seeped over the horizon. For me, one of the finest sights I have ever seen and to be able to fly the drone up and over the rim was incredible and worth the journey and the climb! The image below is one of my favourite shots that I've ever taken

'Hverfjall Volcano at dawn' - shot by DJI Mavic 4 drone

'The massive Hverfjall volcano seen in the distance'

After such an amazing start to our day, the light was just fantastic and we decided to also drive south of the lake to photograph the pseudocraters of Skùtustaôagígar. They are not explosion craters of a volcano but are craters formed by bubbling lava fields as molten lava flows from a volcano. We just had to make the most of the amazing light this day and the frozen snowy ground as the forecast for the coming days was not good with high winds, and would restrict my ability to get the drone up, something I thought important to capture the size and scale of the craters.

'Driving south through the Dimmuborgir lava field'

There are more pseudocraters in the area than I realised. It's a vast lava flow field and you can find them all around Lake Mývatn, but the ones at the south of the lake are the highest concentration. Flying over them with a drone, with the frozen lake all around them was another stunning photographic experience. Iceland just leaves you lost for words at times.

'Skùtustaôagìgar pseudocraters'

The final part of our trip to northern Iceland will be in Part 3 and possibly one of the most dramatic photography days Ive ever had, and proof that even the best laid plans can go wrong, and an example of the dangers of Iceland in the winter. More to follow...........