Today we take the coastal road for about 50 minutes to Ásbyrgi Canyon with its horseshoe rock formation standing 100 metres high. It's a beautiful day, sunny and warm. We spend some time in the Visitors' centre learning all about how it was formed by catastrophic glacier floods, which occurred when a volcano erupted underneath the Vatnajökull ice cap, thousands of years ago. The water didn’t carve the rocks into the current shape, it merely washed...

This morning was bitterly cold as we set off towards Lake Mývatn. A highly active geo-thermal area around a spectacular lake. We travel through a mixed landscape of lava rock, expansive fields and dessert with geo-thermal springs filling the air with the wonderful smell of sulphur. We stop at a lake in a crater near the Krafla power-plant. Construction work on the power plant started in 1974/5 with drilling and a contract for the two units was signed. Unf...

We leave the hotel and head for Glaumbær in Skagafjörður, which we are told, is a museum. Not really sure what to expect, this place took us completely by surprise. It is described as a turf farm but no, it wasn't used to farm turf, it was actually made from turf! Apparently, it was quite common for houses to be constructed in turf due to the lack of wood for building and fuel for heating. IGlaumbær, the facade of the house is made from wood a...

This morning I cooked my egg on top of a hot spring! The weather is cold and windy but there is some blue sky as we prepare for a long journey ahead. We take a little detour to visit a pretty little church in a beautifully peaceful setting. The weather has become very still and warm. We start heading north via the ancient Kjölur Plane. The name refers to the plateau between the glaciers Langjökull in the west and Hofsjökull on the east at an al...

Our optional hot breakfast this morning was to cook your own egg on the hot-springs oven. The rye-bread is also baked in this oven overnight and brought steaming to the breakfast table. What a beautiful setting to eat your breakfast overlooking the River Varma from the conservatory. This morning our little group of intrepid explorers is complete with the arrival of Elham. Why is she so late? Well that will be to do with the three flights she had to endure from h...