Great Northern Divers in the west fjords of Iceland

Great Northern Divers

It was a gorgeous morning today. The sort of morning that makes you feel like you should have got out of bed several hours earlier. We lazed about for a while enjoying the sun before heading off. Sea was like a mirror and there were excellent reflections of the surrounding hills.

View out of the front of our series IIA Landrover in the west fjords of Iceland

We drove over a mountain pass and back down to the sea where I saw a group of birds that looked like great northern divers. As I was driving, I screeched to a halt and got out the binocs. The birds did not have green heads; they had black heads, black bills, white collars and speckled bodies. Pretty sure these are GND and took some pictures for later verification.

We drove on and took the track marked on the map as being a ‘short cut’ to the long winding coast road around the north west fjords. It turned out to be a track o’ interest; lots of hairpin bends, and continuously rough, although no need for 4WD. Stopped for a walk when we got to the top, and Tom complained at the enthusiasm that Andy and I took in everything we found. There were some large snow fields though, which were steep enough for us to ‘ski’ down on our boots.

Tom, showing us the perfect walking boot skiing technique

During the rather steep descent on the track, the Landrover’s gear box started to whine rather alarmingly. Also, keeps popping out of 3rd gear. Fingers crossed it does not totally conk out. Camping in Fjarðarhornsdalur, a pretty valley with a small river running past the tent. Spend a good hour or so with the shovel making a small dam.

Civil Engineering graduate on holiday