Fragments

After a very windy night at a hotel, we drove further around the south coast - the forecast wasn’t good and the threat of road closures later in the afternoon forced an early start. Whatever the weather in Iceland, travelling is exhausting- if it’s not snowing and the roads are clear, you have to rest, because the white landscape is so dazzling that your eyes get incredibly tired.  Taking regular breaks is vital, and the ring road has lots of picnic spots to take a breather. About an hour after leaving the hotel we pulled into what at first glance looked like a typical snowy spot. As I sipped my tea I noticed a few footsteps to the right that led around the side of what can only be described as a snow dune. 

So, I followed them.

After about a 15-minute climb I found myself looking out over a vast expanse of frozen water, scattered with thousands of icebergs and in the distance the vast Jökulsárlón Glacier. The previous glacier at Skaftafellsjökull was graceful and stately – this one was menacing in its scale; a very beautiful monster. 

The glacial lagoon sits on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, and the tides roll in and out of the estuary carrying large fragments of the icebergs out to sea. The black sand and the ice being dragged out by the tide is one of the most incredible sites I have ever seen. Icelanders call the coastline Diamond Beach, because the ice, some well over 1000 years old, sparkles along the black velvety shore. 

The weather was on the turn when we got to the beach, but I spent a good hour drawing the ice in the sea. My hands were frozen to the bone when I finally got in the car, and the sketchbook wet through, but the water marks added to the mark-making, which was interesting.

It was seeing all this and driving across the 80km Sandar, the day before, that put the nature of the glacier into perspective. In 1994 one of the smaller glaciers had been destroyed after a volcanic eruption, causing 50,000 square meters of floodwater per second to rush out across the Sandar plain. Bridges were ripped from their moorings and huge sections of the glacier were turned into steam and flood water.

The landscape here is mind-blowing. The sheer magnitude and power of nature makes me feel very uneasy. The weather can change within minutes. Bright blue skies and clear roads are consumed by fierce grey clouds, blizzards and snowfall so heavy that the yellow markers at the side of the road are the only way to keep safe. Guide books suggest that a trip can take anything from 4.5 hours to 11 hours depending on the weather, and you can’t plan your days. The weather here determines everything.