Where we stayed We travelled clockwise and covered 4500 km over 22 days
Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Hallgrímur) stands tall over Reykjavík
Looking out over Reykjavík from the top of Hallgrímskirkja
Sólfar (The Sun Voyager), Reykjavík
Gulfoss Waterfall
Icelandic horses near Gulfoss
Strokkur geyser starts to erupt It erupts every 5-10 minutes, reaching 15-40 metres
Autumn glow at sunset, near Lake Thingvallavatn
At Þingvellir (Thingvellir), the separating continental plates have formed deep fissures filled with crystal-clear water. It's a Mecca for divers
Þingvellir was the site of Iceland's outdoor parliament for many centuries
Þórufoss (Thórufoss). It was barely sign-posted and we nearly missed it
Kirkjufell mountain, claimed to be Iceland's most photographed mountain
Lóndrangar, a pair of basalt volcanic plugs. Cassie and Jacqueline are near the low point between the two stacks
Valasnös, an outcrop with arch and amazing rock patterns
Icelandic horses on a farm at Helgafell, where we stayed for two nights
Rauðfeldsgjá, a deep and very narrow gorge. If you clamber 40 metres inside, along and through rushing water, you reach a waterfall
Sea arches near Arnarstapi, on stunning Snæfellsnes peninsula
Lóndrangar and surrounding coast, Snæfellsnes peninsula
A lake above Dynjandi waterfall, in the remote Westfjords
The magificent Dynjandi waterfall and lower falls
Dynjandi waterfall
An arctic fox at The Arctic Fox Center, Súðavík, Westfjords
Near Bolungarvik, Westfjords
Hvítserkur
Before winter, horses are mustered from the mountains and owner-sorted Note the character on the left
The town of Húsavík is known for fishing and whale watching We saw several whales in Westfords and Miðfjörður, but none at Húsavík
Eyjan ('The Island') sits in the middle of the spectacular Ásbyrgi Canyon
Ásbyrgi Canyon, a contender for the most beautiful place on Earth
Ásbyrgi Canyon
Autumn colours at Ásbyrgi Canyon
Our trusty VW survived many challenging conditions This road from Ásbyrgi to Dettifoss closed for winter the next day
The tense drive through snow to Dettifoss (east side) was well worth it
Dettifoss (from the east side). Said to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe
Downstream of Dettifoss
Further downstream of Dettifoss it looked like 'north of the Wall'
Grjótagjá cave is filled with hot spring water Claimed to be where Jon Snow... broke his vow to the Night's Watch
Mývatn Nature Baths. Toasty warm, despite it being 1°C and snowing
Lava formations at Lake Mývatn
Lava formations at the spectacular Dimmuborgir lava field
Dimmuborgir
Hverfjall crater is 400m high, 140m deep and 1 km in diameter
A continuously running hot shower and basin in the middle of nowhere (somewhere near Krafla)
Dettifoss, from the more accessible west side
Dettifoss
Just upstream from Dettifoss (in the distance) is Selfoss
Reaching Hengifoss involved a scenic 60 minute hike
Heinabergslón glacier lagoon. We had it entirely to ourselves for two hours
Signs that Heinabergslón isn't always deserted
Jökulsárlón, the most famous, and busiest, glacier lagoon
Jökulsárlón
Jökulsárlón's icebergs float out to the ocean and wash up on nearby 'Diamond Beach'
Fjallsjökull glacier Just one tiny finger of the massive Vatnajökull glacier
Hofskirkja turf church
Svartifoss and its basalt columns. Autumn is definitely the time of year to visit the area
Fjaðrárgljúfur is a stunning 2km long canyon, up to 100 m deep The fading light added to the atmosphere
Reynisdrangar, basalt sea stacks at Vik
Northern Lights, seen near Vik We were lucky enough to have good displays on four nights
One of several stunning waterfalls above Skógafoss waterfall (Skógafoss itself is big, famous and pretty... boring)
The hike above Skógafoss waterfall was spectacular
Gljúfrabúi is hidden inside a small canyon With some effort, you can enter the canyon for a great view
Reynisdrangar sea stacks again, viewed from Reynisfjara beach
Reynisfjara beach is so famous, even the aliens visit This one maybe succumbed to one of the infamous 'sneaker' waves
Northern Lights and sculptures in our yard at Cosyness Cottage, Hafnir
Outside the famous Blue Lagoon Having soaked at Mývatn Baths and elsewhere, we were fine to skip it
Instead, on our last full day we soaked in a hot river at Reykjadalur Valley
