Spindrift Snow
Late November, and a day of storms in the Eastfjords of Iceland. Not bad enough to keep us from travelling, but enough to make the sky angry and dark.
Swirling winds are sculpting the low clouds and lifting loose snow from the mountain peak.
Kollufjall (998 metres / 3274 feet) between Fáskrúðsfjörður and Reyðarfjörður in Fjarðabyggð.
Golden Sky
It's late November, and the temperature has hovered around freezing point all day. The sun is currently at today's zenith at 6° above the horizon in the south.
Over the eastern sea, a cloud bank is collecting colour from the low light.
Hamarsfjörður in eastern Iceland. On the left is Krossanesfjall, 716 metres / 2349 feet tall and the highest peak on the right is Snjótindur at 802 m. / 1358 ft.
#SilentSunday #StillerSonntag #Stunday #Iceland #Photography
Overview
Early October, a day of mists and mountain-hugging clouds with hardly a breeze to disperse them. The air is moist and cool.
Reaching the top of the mountain pass down to the fjord, we stopped for a moment to appreciate the verdant beauty of the landscape below.
Berufjörður in eastern Iceland.
Three Sheep
Fjallabak is a beautiful yet desolate place, a fragile ecosystem shaped by volcanic activity and the flow of water. Disrespect can be fatal.
Its colour palette is wide, with vivid greens, yellows and reds, mostly due to rhyolite and obsidian. There's even a blue volcano.
Friðland að Fjallabaki (Fjallabak Nature Reserve) or just Fjallabak, literally "The Back Of The Mountains", in southern Iceland.
And the eponymous three sheep? Look closely at the photo...
Would You Like Ice With That?
Early October, and we're at Fellsfjara, also known as "Diamond Beach".
Jökulsárlón is full of icebergs today, and the high tide has lifted some from the glacial lagoon and swept them out to sea. The waves have deposited large pieces of the ice on the black sand and the tide is now ebbing.
Some of the beached icebergs are still saturated with water, and are a lovely turquoise colour. A helpful visitor has provided scale.
'E Clips
March 2015, and a frustrating morning spent trying to image the partial eclipse from our home in Fife.
I had a small success with a kitchen colander, but nothing I tried gave me a satisfying result. I went upstairs for a break and walked into my bedroom, where a crystal was hanging in the window.
Spread across the bedroom wall were lovely rainbow crescents, dozens of them.
For tomorrow, I have my telescope with a solar filter, so no worries!
Wild And Free
In the late 18th century, reindeer from Norway were introduced to Iceland as a livestock experiment which failed. Hard winters and limited food supply quickly proved too challenging, and they were considered extinct.
Nobody told the reindeer this, and a few managed to survive. Today, there are thousands of them living mainly in the Eastfjords.
November: A large group of them is grazing in Mýrar in south-eastern Iceland. The glacier is Fláajökull.
A slight detour for me today.
One of the problems with living in Scotland is that the sky doesn't get fully dark during the summer.
Last night was our first "proper" dark since May, so the telescope came out to play.
I concentrated on one area for about 45 minutes, knowing the Milky Way was in that part of the sky but not expecting to get very much from it.
Oh boy, was I wrong!
Zwo SeeStar S30 Pro, ISO 200, f/5, 2750 sec. Portrait image.
Sunbeams
Crossing Dynjandisheiði on our way to Barðaströnd on an overcast and showery day, we climbed the road to Botnshorn mountain.
We had planned to stop at the top of the road to admire the view, but there wasn't a safe place. So, I wound down the car window to take this shot of the glorious sunbeams striking the ridge below.
September, overlooking Geirþjófsfjörður¹ in the Westfjords of Iceland.
¹ 𝙂𝙖𝙞𝙧-𝘵𝘩𝘺𝘰𝘸𝘧𝘧𝘴-𝘧𝘺𝘳𝘳-𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘳
#SilentSunday #StillerSonntag #Stunday #Iceland #Photography
White Ice, Black Beach
March, and a storm is brewing. The wind is already howling in from the southern ocean, and Reynisfjara is being hammered by increasing surf.
The river flowing across the beach from Dyrhólaós carries chunks of ice into the sea, the wave action throws them back onto the black sand.
Above us and below the clotted clouds, seabirds ride the wild wind; otherwise, we are alone.
From Dyrhólæy, Vík í Mýrdal in southern Iceland.
August 12th 2026: The first total eclipse to be visible from Reykjavík since June 17th 1433 and the first in Iceland since 1954.
Me, I'll be watching our 90.6% eclipse from home in Scotland!
In the article:
Þjóðhátíð = National Festival
Alþingi = Parliament
https://grapevine.is/mag/cover-feature/2026/07/31/darkness-descends-as-eclipse-looms/
Good morning, friends, wherever you might be!
I've just published another PeerTube video for you to enjoy.
This time it's Háifoss; at 122 metres it's the fourth highest waterfall in Iceland.
Kola's Canyon
Kolufossar is the collective name for waterfalls cascading through Kolugljúfur, a 50 metre deep canyon carved by the Víðidalsá river. In February, when we visited, only a small amount of water was still flowing through a thick crust of ice and snow.
Local legend says that the gorge was created by a female troll named Kola, who caught salmon by hand and cooked them in nearby Koluketill hot spring.
Húnaþing vestra, north-western Iceland.
Áróra
Another night, another good forecast for aurora but not for weather. By 7pm we were parked in a safe place and armed with tripods and cameras, warm clothes, and our books to read, waiting to see what transpired.
It was quiet until about 9pm when three things happened. The clouds began to break up, the aurora began to dance, and we quickly unloaded the cameras!
Early November, Berufjörður in eastern Iceland.
#AuroraTuesday #NorthernLights #aurora #AuroraBorealis #Iceland #Photography
Help, please. 🙏
One of the world’s largest AI data centres is being planned next to the quiet village of Auchtertool in Fife, Scotland.
It is estimated that this monstrosity will consume 20% of Scotland's total energy output.
I've put together a few screenshots to show you how it'll impact the area.
If you haven't done so already, please sign this petition. Add your voice to those who want to stop this unwanted obscenity from being built.
Thank you.
Phenomenal
You might have hear of wind shear, but have you ever seen it?
Late October, the maximum sustained wind speed was 75.9 kph (47.2 mph), a Beaufort scale force 9 - a "strong gale."
We were hurrying back to our hotel, breaking no speed limits but not hanging about.
I spotted this strange cloud formation and took a few shots. It wasn't until I had chance to look at them properly that I realised what I had.
Rangárþing eystra, southern Iceland.
The Volcano, The Elf Rock And The Rainbow
On a clear day such as this one in late October the view from Dyrhólaey is astonishing.
In the distance is Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano which disrupted air traffic for a week in 2010.
The steep-sided mountain is Pétursey; good elves live on one side and evil elves are on the other. Be quiet and respectful near their home and they will leave you in peace.
And the rainbow? Just serendipity!
#SilentSunday #StillerSonntag #Stunday #Iceland #Photography
Golden Crown
15:30 late afternoon, mid-November in eastern Iceland, and the sun is setting in the south-west.
Looking north across Berufjörður, the mountains behind us are casting shadows onto the peaks on the opposite side of the fjord. Gradually they have crept up the faces of the mountains, and I have watched, spellbound.
A bizarre mountain named Stöng has a strange spiked pinnacle. For a perfect moment, only the very tip of it is sunset-lit.
Infinite Loop
Over the 12 years that we've been taking holidays in Iceland, I must have snapped thousands of aurora photos. This one is still among my favourites.
November. The 94% illuminated moon was high in the south-east, and lit the mountains on the opposite side of Berufjörður. The night was clear and still.
This curl of green aurora looping over the peaks and reflecting in the fjord gave me this great shot.
#AuroraTuesday #NorthernLights #aurora #AuroraBorealis #Iceland #Photography
Inclusiveness
September 2025: There are lots of rainbow arches and pavements around Iceland, but this has to be my favourite.
The LGBTQ+ pride colours changing to transgender pride and back again at the far end is a clever idea.
The location of many happy marriages, I'm sure, this pavement can be found at Ísafjörður in the Westfjords of #Iceland.
