HFG Norse Bound – Gareth’s Photo Diaries – The Aurora

Throughout the inception of this crazy idea, through all of the initial planning stages, the booking of ferries, accommodation and the vehicle build – one goal stood tall at the top of the list at all times. The Aurora Borealis, the fabled Northern Lights – we just had to get a shot of our Isuzu D-Max AT35 beneath Earth’s greatest light show.

Plenty of research showed that towards the end of March, the peak Aurora viewing season would be coming to an end. And with the weather as unpredictable as ever, all the planets would have to align for us to stand any chance of seeing the lights.

After spending our first few nights in Iceland confined to the ferry amidst blizzard conditions, our first night on the road saw us head straight to sleep, exhausted having driven through the aftermath of the aforementioned spring snowstorms well into the night. The next day, we drove across the country’s width to collect Martin from the airport. After 11 hours of driving, we all looked forward to a good night’s sleep. But with the whole team finally assembled and some warm food inside of us, thoughts turned once again to the Aurora, we all had several different apps installed on our phones and after a fair bit of debate and comparisons we came to the conclusion that between 1-3 am would be our most likely chance of getting a glimpse. We had spoken to a family earlier in the evening at dinner and they had been there a week already and out every night in search of the Northern lights to no avail, their luck had to change sooner or later.

Eager to get some sleep after the day’s adventures, Darren and I tried to grab some shut-eye leaving Martin to the first watch. It wasn’t long before we could hear an excited ‘I think it’s out already’ and it was only 11.15 pm. At first, it was just a whisp of pale white in the sky, a low cloud hanging mid-air, a smoke trail against a star-strewn canvas. Martin fired off a few shots on his camera to be sure. And although the colour was faint, there was visible green and purple colouring to the sky showing on the back of his camera screen. We had made camp for the night in the small town of Vik on the southern coast, and on the way in we spotted a Church which sat high on the hill overlooking the town. We all called it straight away as a good vantage point, so having hastily packed away the roof tent, and quickly thrown on as many layers as possible we quickly reconvened and headed for the higher ground above the town, a clearer unobstructed view of the mountains available from the church.

On arrival, it was clear we were not the only ones with this vantage point in mind. As what seemed like every visitor to Vik that evening was present gazing up at the sky. As the whisps intensified the whole sky became an amphitheatre for this ethereal natural wonder. The longer we watched the brighter the show became, purples, reds and greens dancing in the skies above us, the heavens showcasing the most spectacular light show you could ever hope to witness. Unfortunately, the parking spot at the church became a bit of a circus as cars drove in and out without much consideration for anyone else – amazing who is about at 12:30 am on a mountainside. On several occasions, people were nearly run over, or a car would sit their engines running, stereo blaring, lights blazing up the mountainside. As much as this natural phenomenon was there for everyone to see, human nature always seems to find a way of ruining the moment.

We braved the biting winds and sub-zero temperatures, the mass of other star gazers and constant vehicle jenga for nearly 2 hours as the Northern lights performed all around us. The odd moment of darkness was soon transformed into vivid almost violent bursts of intense colour as the show just kept on giving. Exhausted but adrenaline pumping through our veins we tried to get some sleep and headed back to our camp for the night, the clock had ticked over to 2:37 am. We vowed that if we got another clear night, we would find our own location away from the disturbances of others where we could enjoy the Northern Lights uninterrupted.

Martin was up at first light, still buzzing from the night’s previous activity and went off to explore on his own on foot around the town. Darren and I enjoyed a bit of a lie-in (we had driven for over 11 hours the day before). Martin returned a couple of hours later having sourced a couple of locations that would prove perfect for that evening’s viewing should the Aurora choose to bless us again with its presence. After another full day of exploring, and very little sleep the night before we all craved an early night, and as if by some diving intervention someone up above was listening we were blessed with an early night show. As we finished our evening meal, the same telltale whisp appeared in the sky above us and it was only 10 pm. As we could see a trail of headlights heading up to the high vantage perch of the church, we turned tail and drove off in the other direction out of town. Following Martins’s directions to a rough gravel track that ran through the sand dunes of Vik’s famous black sand beach. The location proved near perfect, with only distant light pollution from the town and a 360-degree vista to view that night’s light show. Although nowhere near as vivid and dynamic as the night before, the isolated location on the shores of the Black Sand beach gave us the undisturbed darkness we had craved, without having to worry about getting run over.

With numb fingers from the unrelenting wind, we called it a night an hour or so later as the light show started to peter out. Another amazing show, and even better we manage to get to sleep before midnight. The Aurora Borealis had been well and truly witnessed!

Having never seen the Northern Lights, it was a bucket list tick for all 3 of us. But nothing can quite prepare you for seeing it in person. Iceland again had delivered in the most epic way!

Watch all of the episodes from our epic HFG Norse Bound expedition here: HFG NORSE BOUND

An early start beckoned for a hastily arranged off-road trip scheduled with David from Arctic Trucks in Iceland. Meant we were up, fed, packed and ready to go for a 7 am departure. A good 120-mile journey back West and inland towards the Golden Circle and our arranged rendezvous spot. Although we had already enjoyed various driving conditions in the short few days he had been here, David promised to show us some true Icelandic off-roading. There was talk of mountains, glaciers and volcanos and plenty of snow as we stopped off mid-route to stock up on energy drinks and sustenance for the day ahead.

We made our meeting point at Thingvellir Tourist Information Centre in plenty of time, allowing for the wintery weather as we neared the Icelandic Highlands the ground and skies cleared, and a beautiful day beckoned. A quick chat with David gave us a brief overview of what we could expect for the day, a route through the highlands that would leave us near our planned stop for the night. So off we went following David and his family in the Arctic Trucks AT44, already giving Gareth a size complex at the visible size difference between the two vehicles. We wound through some stunning mountainous terrain as the main road gave way to single-track and eventually gravel roads. Equipped with walky-talkies we were in constant contact with David and as we approached our destination, he pulled over to help with altering our tyre pressures.

As we were quite heavily laden with roof tent and on-board kitchen, plus all of our luggage the Glacier was out of the question, so we settled on a 1000-metre-high Volcano lowering the tyres to 10 PSI on the front and 15 PSI on the back to help distribute the weight better on the uneven terrain, and to help make the off-road ride a little more comfortable. As you can imagine our excitement was building and even a little bit of trepidation was starting to show at the unknown challenge ahead.

As the clear differentiators between road and track disappeared, we passed several signs reading ‘Warning, Impassable’ before David pulled over to show us just where he planned to take us. Mount Skjaldbreiður stands a neck-aching 1066 metres high and as we looked across the baron foothills before us the summit remained in the cloud.

A final tyre check and we set off, winding in and out of electricity pylons following the ruts of vehicles gone before us. Over rough shale and loose rock, plodding ever onwards without seemingly covering much ground. As rock gave way to ice and then eventually snow, we started to feel the incline. Martin our photographer jumped out and positioned himself in the flatbed of the AT44, as we were following, it enabled him to get some great shots of our Arctic Truck as we climbed higher, true dedication to the cause as he bounced around trying to hold the camera steady.

The reveal as we broke the skyline was just incredible, a 360-degree panorama of snow-capped mountains and sub-arctic wilderness for as far as the eye could see. The summit revealed a large bowl-shaped amphitheatre that we were informed was the crater of the now-extinct Volcano, apprehensively we took a run down to the bottom of the bowl, an experience we could never have even dreamed up before. As David spent some time with his family, we got down to the serious business of testing just how good the AT35 in the snow 1000 metres above sea level.

We never knew driving up a snow-covered volcano would be a bucket list thing, but we were all so glad to have ticked it off. Our time at the top of the world however seemed far too short and it was soon time to regroup ready for the descent and trip back. Following David and the AT44, we set off down the mountain at a fair pace, the snow a lot fresher on this side of the peak. As we left the slopes behind and started to level out in the foothills, we hit several patches of deeper snow, the AT35 bottoming out even as we hit a large drift at momentum, we had been here 5 days and this was our first time getting stuck, quite an achievement considering the weather conditions, mainly due to the capabilities of the AT35. For some reference, the AT44 also got stuck momentarily until David utilised his onboard tyre inflation system and dropped his pressures down to 4 PSI.

Tow rope attached we were back up and running again, and cruising back through the tundra, stunning landscape all around us. A couple more hiccups over the next mile or so involved a tow, but we were clear of the worst. Travelling east towards our stopover point for the evening.

As the snow and ice cleared, we were back on recognised gravel roads, the pace increasing as the altitude decreased. However, David and Iceland had one last challenge for the AT35 that day as we neared our end point at Geysir. We had to cross two large expanses of sheet ice. What lurked below was unknown, and as we set out tentatively across it the Last thing, we wanted to hear was the cracking of ice, but as we reached the middle the noise from outside the truck was audible inside. Spurred on by the cracking peril, Gareth accelerated, all of us sighing with relief as we made it safely to the far side.

A huge thank you to David and his family for giving up their time to take us out on what proved to be a truly memorable adventure and an experience we cannot imagine ever having on our own, one that will live in our memory forever. The AT35 proved as it had throughout this entire expedition that it could handle anything we could throw at it – snow, rock and even a VOLCANO!

Catch up with the HFG Norse Bound journey so far here: HFG NORSE BOUND

After a couple of days confined aboard, watching the snowfall in the eastern port town of Seyðisfjörður our schedule for the early part of the expedition was in tatters, we had initially planned upon disembarking the ferry early on Tuesday morning and taking a northern route across Iceland with the plan to arrive in the capital in the far west at Reykjavík on Wednesday evening, whilst visiting some key areas in the North of the island along the way. However, come Wednesday afternoon we were still sat waiting in a convoy outside of the port town, the Icelandic emergency services organising a convoy of vehicles to follow a Snow plough through the mountain pass and out onto the clearer highways.

Finally underway around early evening and nearly 48 hours behind schedule a tough drive through driving snow and ice ensued as we finally managed to clear the worst of the wintery conditions and leave the pass that wound up and out of the port town behind. Once clear of the convoy we drove on ever cautiously as the weather had cleared ever so slightly. Keen to get the trip back on track we soldiered on along the Southern coastal route in the hope of covering as much ground as possible, as the ARB Solis iQ lights took over as day turned to night, concentration was a must, with sheet ice, thick snow and bends without barriers appearing out nowhere driving condition seemingly hadn’t improved at all. Eventually after what felt like an eternity somewhere around 10:30 pm we arrived at our hastily planned stopover in the small town of Höfn. Time to erect the ARB Esperance Roof Tent and crash after a gruelling few hours behind the wheel.

A new dawn and a fresh outlook, with the bad weather behind us we awoke greeted to clearer skies and a hint of sunshine. Time to hit the road, Martin our expedition photographer was due to join us this morning (Thursday) for 4 days and his flight was set to arrive at Keflavík airport at 11 am. Only a small matter of being 8 or so hours and 300+ miles away from our current location. We had planned to be there to greet him on time but plans changed, and we had a pretty good excuse for being late. The long drive was pretty uneventful, just mile upon mile of stunning Icelandic landscape to gaze at as we headed west, constant gasps of amazement as we rounded countless bends in the road which unveiled yet another vista of wintery wonder.

We eventually made it to the airport around 2.40 pm only 3 and a half hours later than initially planned, a great effort considering the distance away we found ourselves at the start of the day. Martin luckily had managed to keep himself entertained in the confines of the airport and as he loaded his gear aboard the AT35 was rearing to go and explore the land of Ice and Fire. With all of the team together, it finally felt like HFG Norse Bound was all systems go! In hindsight we should have changed our plans, trying to get back to our planned itinerary meant another 3 hours driving back along the same road eastward to the town of Vík situated upon the Southern Icelandic coast.

But clear of the Reykjavík suburbs we were soon back among the empty rural vastness of this frozen landscape, the ground starting to morph from rocky terrain to snow-covered wonderland as we headed further east. Keen to get some footage of the AT35 off the road and among the terrain it was built for, we pulled in at the first waterfall we could find at Seljalandsfoss. Although the time of day was well into early evening, the car park was full of visitors as they crowded the short pathway from the car park to the falls. Our hopes of footage faded fast, but among the throng of people, we spotted a road heading up into the mountains behind the falls. Back into the truck and onto the mountain road, 4-wheel drive engaged as the gradient increased dramatically. We climbed higher and higher up into the mountains as the road (gravel track) wound around crevasse and outcrop deteriorating the higher we travelled. As the track eventually reduced to stone and ice we stopped and looked back revealing the epic landscape of rock, river and sea we had just travelled through.

Off-road adventure in the bag for the day we made another pit stop at the larger and more impressive Skógafoss Waterfall before finally making it to our base for the next 2 days at Vík around 8.30 pm. All exhausted from a long day travelling we enjoyed a cracking dinner and a couple of beers in a local restaurant and reflected upon the trip so far. We thought he had earnt a decent bed for the night so booked into a local hotel and handed the keys to the AT35 over to Martin (still fresh). The combination of an exhausting drive, good food and a warm bed meant we slept in a little, and whilst Darren and I enjoyed a lie-in in our comfortable twin room, Martin had been up at the crack of dawn exploring the town of Vík at sunrise. Visiting the church of Vik I Myrdal which stood sentinel on the clifftop above the town and beach, it also made a very photographic backdrop as the rising sun rounded the mountains in the east.

With a high vantage point already utilised, Martin then headed down to the beach, the Black Sand Beach at Vik is renowned for its volcanic black sand and with the dramatic rocky outcrop of Reynisdrangar just offshore it proved another great location to go off the beaten track in the Isuzu D-Max Arctic Trucks AT35.

Refreshed from a good night’s sleep and with a clear blue sky above us we headed east again towards the Glacier lagoons of Jökulsárlón an area we had passed the previous day that had looked stunning. With no real-time constraints for the day, we took our time to enjoy the landscape and the sunshine. Although around -7 degrees Celsius the sun had real warmth and coats were not necessary. We found a couple of great side routes off of the main highway to explore, with the snow-covered ground and deep royal blue rivers snaking through the scene.

If one thing this trip had already taught us is that best-made plans often go awry, you just don’t know what Iceland is going to throw at you next. As we rounded a bend in the road, we were presented with a vehicle stuck deep in the snow having drifted off of the verge. We stopped to see if we could offer some help, the passengers two American ladies celebrating completing their medical training had tried a 3-point turn in the middle of the road, we had already come to discover that the Icelandic roads are built up a little and the verge each side drops off dramatically. With snow ploughs constantly clearing the road network, the ploughed snow fills these voids, creating an illusion of level ground where in reality there is a drop off of 2-3 feet in places. As the Jeep’s tyres had hit the verge the vehicle had got itself embedded deep down on the passenger’s side in some pretty hard-packed snow. Keen to help two damsels in distress and to put the whole host of ARB accessories to use in a real-world situation, something we hadn’t expected to do, we jumped out to lend a hand.

Armed with the Bushranger Revo winch we made an early attempt at pulling out the Jeep, but the harder we pulled the more it bedded in against the hard-packed snow. It was time to get physical, and the first use of the shovel we had packed. We all got to grips with digging around the tyres trying to make enough clear space to wedge in the ARB Recovery Track boards to add extra grip on the tyres. Even though the temperature gauge remained firmly below freezing, it was warm work digging in the snow. Ready for another attempt the tyre gained traction and the Revo winch pulled the Jeep back out onto the road.

Successfully recovered and back on their way the Ladies left us to get back to exploring. Mid-afternoon found us make it to the Glacier lagoons, and although absolutely breathtaking they where currently being visited by every other tourist in Iceland. Which made getting great views and the AT35 involved impossible. We had good walk around and at Jökulsárlón and on the Diamond Beach where the glacier lagoon joined the sea, where huge chunks of ice wash up on the shoreline. Back in the truck and another pitstop at Fjallsárlón a small lagoon but with a more impressive panorama.

We seemed to race the setting sun as we headed back west towards Vik, detouring again at the same location we had found earlier in the day. With the road to ourselves and the shadows lengthening we just took a moment to enjoy the incredible place, we found ourselves in, the setting sun reflecting a kaleidoscope of colours off of the frozen ground. An extremely memorable way to end an eventful day.

Catch up with the HFG Norse Bound journey so far here: HFG NORSE BOUND

Days 1-6 of the expedition featured a lot of motorways and empty seas but as the ferry docked in Torshavn on the Faroe Islands things started to get a lot more picturesque. So, we thought we would share a few photos from the Faroes and our first couple of days in the land of Ice & Fire.

Please let us know what you are enjoying about the expedition so far. The truck, the landscape or even the people we look forward to your opinions. 

Here is to building on 2021’s success throughout 2022!