Fire & Iceland

Six days aren’t nearly enough to explore the diverse landscapes of Iceland, but when I was offered a free stopover on a homeward flight from the USA, I wasn’t going to miss it!

Day and night become a figment of your imagination if you visit Iceland in June or July, as the sun never sets. You’ll see people setting off for hikes at 10pm – and why wouldn’t they? We followed a similar philosophy, driving as far as we could along the west coast in our little rental camper van, forgetting about the time until, far too suddenly, it ran out and we were back on our flights home.

What did we see along the way? Endless fields of lupins, black sand beaches, drooling glacial tongues, waterfall after waterfall, moonlike landscapes coated in moss and sheep – lots of sheep.

The most impressive sight was probably the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlon, where we camped in front of the beach and watched the icebergs drift out to sea. The blue, white and black-striped sculptures seemed to bid us a sad farewell as they danced in the waves and scattered little radiant diamonds across the black shores. An hour later, they were gone.

The weather in Iceland is almost as variable as its landscape. Barely could we smile up at the warm morning sun before we were pounded by rain. Add in a little icy wind and a thick cloak of fog engulfing the beautiful vistas we were hoping to admire. It was in these situations that I was most glad to have packed my Mirada Jacket. I’d just put it on first thing in the morning and leave it on all day, because it’s so soft and comfortable to wear and allows my body to breathe, even climbing up steep hills.

Whenever the sun came out to tease us again, I’d just push up my sleeves and open up my vents, and save myself the trouble of switching around layers because I knew it wouldn’t be long before a flock of dark clouds came to surprise me again. I even tested it out under a waterfall at Seljalandsfoss – with total success!

Julia Winslow