We've just returned from a week in Iceland. The scenery and wildlife were excellent, but it was also very expensive. Eating out was particularly pricey and a bottle of beer in one café cost over £8. It would be an excellent place to diet; plenty of food available, but you can't afford to buy it!
We arrived in Iceland with the afternoon available to explore the area around Keflavik. The weather was gorgeous. However, the following day when we did the golden triangle (the geyer at Geysir and the impressive waterfall of Gullfoss) the weather was dull and overcast with persistent drizzle. In the afternoon we drove to Grundarfjordur on the Snaefell peninsula and the weather deteriorated further with a gale-force SW wind and torrential rain.
Not surprisingly the whale-watching trip the following day was cancelled and so we drove around the Snaefell peninsula. At Malarrif the rain finally stopped, the sun appeared and we walked to the Christian and Heathen rock stacks. On arrival we were subjected to a heavy sleet shower before the sun appeared briefly again. I just managed to find a couple of Brunnich's Guillemots before my scope became unusable.
The following day we returned to Olafsvik for a whale-watching trip. The wind was still strong, the sea lively, but at least it had stopped raining. At £100 it was an expensive trip. The sea conditions were unpleasant and most people were ill, but excellent views of an obliging Fin Whale made it all worthwhile (well almost). Blue Whale was my hoped for target, but sadly we couldn't head out far enough for them.
Conditions were still windy and wet the following day so we decided to drive north-east towards Myvatn. This was a long drive through variable and dramatic scenery. We eventually reached Akureyri, but continued on to Godafoss to make the most of the fine evening. Although Godafoss is a much smaller waterfall than Gullfoss it was still impressive and it was possible to stand close to the water pouring over the lip. The long hours of daylight enabled us to explore the Laxar River and the south-west corner of Lake Myvatn and we saw our first Harlequins, Barrow's Goldeneye and Slavonian Grebes.
The next day was a long one. We returned to Myvatn in the morning to see the bubbling mud pools and to view the lava fields near the town and to have another look at the birds on the Lake. Later we headed north through a huge area of volcanic ash (bizarrely planted with rows of lupins) to reach Husavik. At Husavik we joined a whale-watching trip and headed out into the fjord. Despite the forecast the rain never properly stopped, but the sea was almost flat calm and we were treated to good views of Minke Whales, but nothing bigger. Just to the south of Husavik we investigated a steaming pool with the idea of taking a swim, but it wasn't that warm and so we left it to the Red-necked Phalaropes and several families of Scaup. We returned to Akureyri for an Italian meal and then embarked on the long drive south (mostly in the rain). At mid-night we were treated to an impressive sunset. At about 02:00 we pulled into the campsite at Borgenas where we spent the remainder of the night sleeping in the car.
The next morning was dry and the wind had decreased further and so we headed on to Stykkisholmur and took the ferry to Flatey Island. We spent several enjoyable hours on the island. We couldn't find any Grey Phalaropes (presumably we were a little too late), but saw plenty of breeding waders and several pairs of Snow Buntings. That evening we stayed at Stykkisholmur Youth Hostel and ate at a restaurant within easy walking distance. The food was excellent, but it was sad to see Black Guillemot and Puffin on the menu.
On our last full day we awoke to sunshine and a mostly cloudless sky. The scenery as we drove west looked fantastic and we had our first view of Grundarfjordur in the dry. A brief stop to view a small flock of Glaucous Gulls produced an Iceland Gull and several male Harlequins. At Olafsvik I joined another whale-watching trip and Susan decided to stay on dry land (wise move!). Within a few minutes of leaving harbour we saw a couple of Minke Whales and a little later a couple more and then nothing for the remainder of the trip. The conditions were not as bad as the first trip and nobody was badly ill. However, the conditions prevented us from heading out far enough for the best chance of encountering a big whale. A further insult was that 2 Blue Whales were seen on the trip the next day. After the trip we drove to Reykjavik and stayed at the Youth Hostel.
The weather was still great the following day with an almost cloudless sky. We decided to revisit Geysir and Gullfoss in the sunshine. This was a good idea as Gullfoss looked even more impressive. The drive to Keflavik was memorable. Our estimate of the time required to reach the airport was optimistic and was not helped by staying longer at Gullfoss than we had intended, several road works on the way to Reykjavik and heavy traffic around Reykjavik. The result was that despite not topping up the car with fuel and handing back the keys with a brief explanation we found ourselves at the check-in desk only 10 minutes before the flight was due to leave. Incredibly, we were allowed on and celebrated with an expensive glass of wine each, using our few remaining Krona.