Now that we have had our deep dive into the sulfur side of Iceland as well as some form of explanation about its rather unexplainable beauty, I’d like to dive deeper into the most unforgettable experiences I’ve had on Iceland that I really want everyone to have, because it just makes you a better person to experience beautiful moments like these. The one that pops up in my mind most was actually a visit to a local sheep farmer. As mentioned before, the amount of sheep on Iceland basically out-doubles the amount of residents on the island. This is not the first thing that would pop to the mind, right? Visiting a small sheep farmer that is, as always, far away from everything? It was the second and also last day that the weather was bad and thus, we had to find something else to do than hiking. Finding hikes is anyways not the easiest in Iceland. I was used to Norway, where paths disappear into grass or mud and where walks are usually a whole workout where one must be careful for cliffs and edges. But Iceland simply did not show me any trails. Where did one start? Where did one end? You really have to pay careful attention to start any trail there, and the ones that lead to big attraction usually are very safe and easy because you do, to be honest, walk in a bit of a parade and usually it is also not far from the main road. that does however, turn Iceland into this amazing themepark where one only has to stop by the road, find a parking spot and follow a short trail to a spectacular surprise. Yet at that given location I wasn’t near any grand attraction and the weather didn’t allow for self-created hikes and off-track exploring, so I simply decided to find something indoor for the day.
One really has to dive further into the internet or go to tripadvisor or even better, visit a tourist info centre, to find something unknown. But every place in the world, even the most visited cities on earth or worlds most spectacular waterfalls, will have secret corners. And it is always my mission to discover a few of these on my holiday. Today, I will talk about a few of these. And to finally get to my sheep-story, my visit went to Solvanes farm. On the northern part of the island, below moody foggy skies and surrounded by the greenest fields and mountains, I followed some bumpy roads off the main road. I hadn’t seen any houses for the last 20 minutes, and the ones I saw before all looked like abandoned or at least very solitary farms. The fog really turned them into a mood of their own. According to my navigation I had arrived at the sheep farm were supposedly, organised farm-walks were given. And if there is anything I enjoy just as much as finding remote pearls of a place, it is to see a place trough the eyes of a local. I myself live in a small village but, if I see the way tourism info promotes us, I can already mention at least 5 places where I would go that they do not mention. Yet again, I don’t want to mention them because then the whole magic of remote corners disappears. But if that is combined with a local being able to tell their story and earn some money for it, that changes everything. This visit only costed us 10 euros per person.
Arriving to the gloomy farm (I’m sorry, it probably looks happier in a different daylight) I was immediately welcomed by 2 overhappy dogs. Of course the owner, a very sweet and humble lady, put them back in order for us to have a peaceful walk with the sheep. She did honestly tell us September wasn’t the best month to visit, as the sheep were still out in nature. But September is apparently the month where all sheep are gathered to go back to the farm. You wouldn’t think so maybe, or you would if you knew more about sheep farming (I don’t) but I really had no idea the farmers would still go into the hills to gather the sheep with dogs and basically drive them back to the farm. Once you have the leaders, you have them all. So at the moment she could only lead us to her 2 pet sheep whom were in recovery from injuries and therefore stayed at the stables for now. They were also very young and adventurous, which was the reason that reaching their stable was an adventure itself. We had to shove away several gates, step over more gates, open (and immediately close) more gates. When we managed our way through, her peaceful voice seemed to have attracted tome interest. The 2 cutest Beh’s I’ve ever heard approached us in the form of 2 very small white furballs on short legs that kind of ran our way. it was one of these ‘so cute I want to cry’ moments – if you are obsessed with bat-eyes, furry furs and noises that come out of these. She told us many fun facts while, surprisingly enough, the 2 white sheep followed us around into the big stables like guard dogs.
Sheep farming is a big industry in Iceland, yet farming wasn’t even in the top 3 icelandic industries. A lot of the products of the sheep like the fur, milk and meat, anyways stayed on Iceland itself. The sheep maintained the great ecosystem of Iceland because of their light feet basically stimulating growth besides their grand obsession for grasses. I asked her if there was a reason why the sheep were concurring the roads in Iceland as well and if this wasn’t leading to danger. I was surprised to hear that the sheep were actually not meant to enjoy the freedom of roaming literally everywhere, but that the fences just never held long enough due to the extreme and unfightable weather conditions of Iceland. There were many days where people were told to not go outside which people take very seriously, as this usually happens in case of deadly snow storms or fog so thick you’d hardly see your own hand before your eyes. I loved how chill she was about all that. I had already been quite stress about todays fog, but this was absolutely nothing. What I did notice was the massive change in weather today, as yesterday it had still been 16, and today only 7 degrees. Winter was approaching sudden and unannounced, even though I was already incredibly grateful for the bonus-sun I enjoyed in this early autumn month. After the visit, we were invited inside for some complimentary coffee and homemade pancakes. As a Dutch, I still have to get used to sweet pancakes, ill be forever in favour of pancakes with bacon or cheese. But, these pancakes, thin and tasty, went very well with some sugar and caffeine.
Having thanked her for the little local tour, we drove back trough a fog that slightly was travelling to the tops of the mountains as if the air was vacuuming it back upwards. It created spectacular sights of fast moving greyness racing above the green hills, small still-standing red trucks at the green foot of the mountains next to endlessly long stables. Sometimes cows were grazing around them, and quite regular the Icelandic horse and the Icelandic only, but the sheep was by far the winner and the only one to enjoy the luxury of dangerously roaming around the entire island. We made a stop at another small black beach. Don’t be mistaken, most Icelandic beaches are black. So you do not necessarily have to go to a special corner of the Iceland to see the most recommended ones. All of them are pitch black with sticky sand or lava-alike rocks. The waters are all extremely wild with suspicious sneaker waves that one must not underestimate. It is a rather regular event that tourist get hypnotized by the black waters and beaches, but forget about the immense power and inhuman cold of the waters, that own you within a few seconds. So keep a safe distance from the waters of the black beaches and please don’t think you can outrun the waves, and I am writing safety instructions normally, but I really want to stamp it on everyone’s travel-adoring heart to be careful at the beaches. By now, I have basically dedicated my entire blog to sheep and fog – yet funny as it may seem, these 2 rather usual sights for me were one of the most impressive parts of the trip, the unusual amount of sheep as well as their terrifying power to rule the roads (without moving for cars) and the fog basically stood for how fast the weather could change on Iceland and how much it ruled nature, animals and locals. And I can tell you, after a day like that a fish and chips (surprisingly popular and beloved dish on Iceland) and a warm bed in a small cosy B&B, are all one can ask for.
- It's an amazing life
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