Free car rental winner of February
Congratulations to Aidan Maccormick and his wife who are the winner of the February competition for the free rental car. Aidan both took some wonderful shots and also added a video we love to his contribution. Of course we wanted to ask him a few questions and here they are.
For how long had you planned your trip to Iceland and who where on the trip with you?
The trip was booked pretty much at the last minute. I had really wanted to return to Iceland after my first trip in October 2013. However I didn’t think I had the time until just a few weeks before booking the flights for February. My wife and I were looking to go away somewhere warm and sunny for a few days but the limited time my wife had free didn’t match with any flights available to southern Europe. Through a considerable amount of persuasion I managed to get my wife to opt for a few days in Iceland. I had greater flexibility than my wife so decided to fly out a few days earlier to do some photography. Photography isn’t exactly a spectator sport, even less so in an Arctic winter, so I was quite pleased to have a few days to myself to explore Iceland with my camera.
Tell us the route you chose to drive and how did you come down to exactly that trip?
I decided to explore the south and east coast of Iceland. Although I had previously travelled the coast route before I really wanted to see how the glacial lagoon at Jokulsarlon looked in the depths of winter. I also wanted to spend a bit longer visiting places like Vik, and mount Vestrahorn near Hopn and hopefully see the aurora over Jokulsarlon. My plan then was to come back the same way and head to see the orcas (killer whales) and Kirkjufell near Grundarfjörður in the west. The last few days of the trip were a relaxing few days in Reykjavik enjoying day trips to the Blue Lagoon, Þingvellir national park and Geysir.
Why Iceland and why in February when the driving can be quite tricky?
I really wanted to see Iceland in the middle of winter. I had only visited Iceland once before in October and really wanted to know how the place looked and felt when covered in ice and snow. I really wanted to see the northern lights again and try to photograph it. Also late winter is the best time to see orca at Grundarfjörður. Groups of them come really close to the shore to feed on herring which means Iceland is one of the best places in the world to get almost guaranteed close views of orca feeding in the wild. I wasn’t that concerned about driving in winter in Iceland. I live in Scotland and although the winter isn’t quite as extreme as long as you drive slowly and carefully in Iceland you can get most places without any problems.
It‘s obvious you spent some time editing the video of your Iceland trip, did you get the idea immediately to do a video or was that something that was born during the trip?
I didn’t plan to do a video until a day or two into the trip. The weather was terrible and I was having trouble trying to get good photographs. To relax a little and have some fun I thought I would play around by videoing a few bits and pieces. So every time I packed my camera gear and went for a walk I tucked the Great Auk into my winter jacket pocket.
When you initially was handed over the Great Auk, what was your response?
At first I wondered why Go Iceland didn’t choose a cute, colourful puffin over a bird that went extinct when Icelanders killed the last Great Auks! But the auk looked really quirky, fun and I really liked the idea.
Did you know about the Great Auk competition before you booked your car?
I had read something about the Great Auk photo competition before I travelled but thought it was something that had happened the previous summer.
Tell us about the best part of the trip.
Iceland is such an amazing place it is hard to choose a single highlight. Just driving around Iceland and seeing the scenery is jaw dropping and so much fun. I have been lucky enough to travel to some really remote and spectacular places in the world but Iceland is something else. It’s what I imagine Mars would look like – although without the horses. But watching the sunset over Mount Vestrahorn and watching an Arctic Fox playing in the snow during a brief break in a blizzard in Þingvellir national park were unforgettable experiences. Also the flight home allowed us to watch the sun set over the snow-covered Scottish mountains, which was a beautiful way to end our trip.
Was there anything on the trip around Iceland you didn‘t like too much?
The weather was terrible during most of the trip. Living in west Scotland I am pretty used to bad weather but I was really surprised how long the storms went on for. But there is no point getting annoyed with the weather and if it was too bad we relaxed and read or hid in a café.
Was there anything that you were surprised to discover here?
Discovering Skyr (Icelandic yoghurt), Hangikjöt (smoked lamd) and Flatkökur (rye pancakes) in Bonus supermarket – they are delicious. Traditional Icelandic lamb soup was an excellent discovery; I could happily eat it every day. I was also surprised how beautiful Hallgrímskirkja was. I had seen many photos of it but in person it was a powerful experience.
If you could do the trip all over again, what would you do differently?
The only thing I would change is to stay longer. Even though I had a very relaxed itinerary the poor weather meant I wasn’t able to get to Grundarfjörður to see the orcas or Kirkjufell.
What advise do you have for people coming here to drive around Iceland?
Many people still think Iceland is very expensive. But if you visit between September and March car hire is about half the cost compared to summer prices. Also there are many Airbnb locations throughout Iceland and lots to chose from in Reykjavik. Our Airbnb was situated in the heart of city, clean, peaceful and about the 1/3 the price of a hotel.
Thanks for your pics Aidan and you can see more of his pictures on our Facebook, Flickr or Pinterest page. Now we need to decide who the winner for March will be.
Drive safely out there. The sun might be low and we still have snow and ice out on the roads! #GoIceland