Saturday 28 June 2014

The Long Road to Latrabjarg

The pull of the Puffin is strong! Strong enough to make me leave the house at 6 o'clock and drive some 350km, half of which is rough gravel roads, to the western most part of Iceland. Latrabjarg though is worth it, not just for the millions of sea birds that live there but also for the views you get whilst driving what are some of the most difficult roads I have ever been on.
Six hours and some breath-holding moments later, (these tend to happen when the rough road you are on has a 200m sheer drop on your side and a lorry is coming the other way) I arrive at Latrabjarg. It is easy to forget that the people who live in this remote area still need supplies and a lot of these come by road.
Regardless of all this, the road that ribbons its way around inlet after inlet is wonderful. Every turn gives a different view and each view is incredible.
I arrived at Latrabjarg as the Sun was breaking through the clouds and left when it became hidden again. Time enough to enjoy the spectacle and time enough to take the photographs that I wanted to. Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, many other species of gull and a few Arctic Skuas were always visible but it was the Puffins that I had come to see and I was not disappointed.
Latrabjarg - 14km long and up to 400m high.






1 comment:

SimonK said...

Excellent images and story, Juliansson

Quiet but never silent.

I missed the Sun this morning, not because I was late but because the early wander was done and dusted by the time the clouds cleared. When...