Búðir Church

‘I still don't know why, exactly, but I do think people can have a spiritual connection to landscape, and I certainly did in Iceland.’
Hannah Kent
Our mini trek to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula begins with a light breakfast at Erik the Red’s Guesthouse, where we were treated to my first sight of the Northern Lights last night while welcoming K2 and R – our ‘tour guides’ for the next few days. The landscape is quite understated in Reykjavik with views across the bay promising much to come. Our journey took about 7 hours overall with several stops for photos (waterfalls, massive mountain ranges, isolated churches), and coffee and cake in Stykkisholmur port. Epic voyage and got a reminder of how bleak and cold - bitingly cold winds - it can be here, but that’s what creates such a fantastic landscape and a photographer’s dream. As K2 quoted once, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. A last-minute visit to Mountain Warehouse before leaving (suggested by J) meant I was properly prepared and stayed (mostly) warm under several layers. A diversion off the road to the church at Búðir in Búðahraun lava fields was a reminder of just how precarious an existence living in the shadow of volcanoes can be. Although the day was very windy, cloudy at times and always cold, by the time we reached Anarstapi (home for the next two nights) the skies were clearing and after dinner we settled to wait, hoping for another light show – this is ‘dark sky’ country after all and none of the city light pollution. It was a real cracker, starting just before 11pm and we were all mesmerised by the shifting and shimmering veils of colour. Welcome to Iceland indeed!