Eldfell Volcano, Iceland

Our little plane was cleared for takeoff after a two hour delay, but it was worth the wait. The weather had improved enough to be able to see the spectacular Westman Islands. By far the best we have seen of Iceland.

puffins don't arrive until April!! So no Puffin blip. This is Eldfell volcano which erupted in 1973. It caused 400 houses to be buried under the lava and 5,000 inhabitants to be evacuated to the mainland. Eldfell is on the only inhabited island, Heimay, of the Westman Islands.

The first colonisers of the lava were mosses which can be seen in the foreground.

The trip was really interesting and the scenery some of the most remarkable I have ever seen. Eldfell was exactly as I imagined a volcano. When it erupted the lava created new land which improved the harbour and covered several square kilometres, it was staggering to see.