Last Wednesday our little team of landscape hunters with Eyþór Ingi Jónsson and Sindri Swan decided to visit the island Hrísey. This little island is known as a peaceful place with outstanding mountain views, earning it the nickname pearl of Eyjafjörður. Not going with a specific plan we did expect to have some shots of the little town and maybe some birdlife, especially with the ptarmigan in mind. The ptarmigan is protected in the island and there are no cats, no foxes and no minks to hunt them.
Approaching Hrísey.
Weather forecast told us we were to expect mild frost, low winds and probably snow for the whole day. As we would be traveling by foot for the whole trip on the island this would mean some good layers of clothing but not too much to carry with our photographic equipment. This weather is perfect for our icelandic woolen sweaters.
Hríseyjarkirkja – Church of Hrísey
We caught the 9:30 ferry to the island, riding with the ferry is a short trip and a scenic one. With no plans on the island our choice was either to take a right turn or left. We chose left, taking a few shots in town until reaching a pathway towards the eastern shore on the island.
Destination unknown.
Over the hill and far far away we found the shore, reaching the rocky landscapes with some interesting place names. Stóri boli (Big Bull) is a small island surrounded by oval shore and some interesting cliffs. A little further are the ruins of the desolate farm of Hvatastaðir with a small bay beneath not easy to access. Finally a large cliff, Borgarbrík, rising above a rocky landscape shaped by the open sea.
Borgarbrík cliffs seen in the background.
On our way back to town we started to miss the thing that was our largest sacrifice in this trip, our coffee. So when back in town our first stop was at the grocery store and our shopping list, three cups of coffee and a bag of cinnamon buns. Our plan was to catch the ferry home at 17 and with some time left we walked around town searching for birds. Finally we found a couple of ptarmigans, one eating bird food provided by some of the locals and the other one keeping watch from the rooftops.
Look at me, looking at you.
Back to the ferry with wide smiles and tired feet we went our way home.
Look up Sindri’s and Eyþór’s social media or websites to see some of their shots from our trips.
Eyþór’s website – Eyþór’s Instagram
Sindri Swan website – Sindri’s Instagram
