Meet my Icelandic nemesis, the Kjalvegur route that winds its way through the central Highland plateau.
Shortly after taking this image the razor-sharp lava at the side of the road eviscerated a tyre when I pulled in to let a speeding 4WD past. When I managed to fit the spare – a job made more difficult due to the freezing rain, biting wind and the hire company not including all the tools in the toolkit – I soon discovered that it wobbled in a worrying fashion. It was only when I took the car to a garage that I found out that the spare wheel had a twist in it and I was lucky to have made it as far as I had.
So, round one goes to Kjalvegur but I will be returning for a rematch in 2016!
2 Comments
What a great shot. Did you also take the pics in Namibia? Some on the Namibia shots are simply stunning! Yes, Kjölur is not the nicest road to drive on here in Iceland. We just wrote a blog about the different types of roads here, what to expect and such. Like single lane tunnels and bridges. We hope someone will have use of the information.
Welcome back Dave!
http://www.goiceland.com/blog/roads-in-iceland/2448/
Hi,
Thanks for the comment. Iceland is a wonderfully photogenic country and despite being barren the highlands have some breathtaking beauty – not that I have seen it yet! Most of the shots from my 2015 trip have become black and white as I feel that it reflects the brooding weather I experienced there. I will be uploading them soon.
I think that describing the various roads in Iceland is a great idea – many first time visitors are not used to this. As a hire company you are in a great position to advise people about potential dangers in Iceland, such as the sudden changes in road surface, or animals in the road, or taking care when opening the car door because of strong wind.
I am mostly very happy with the Namibia photographs. It is very different to Iceland, both in landscape and climate and each present their own challenges. But the advantage of Iceland is that it is a very easy and safe country to travel by yourself. The only danger for a visitor is not being prepared for Icelandic weather!