Longing in Langanes

Forlorn terrain.

Close to the Arctic Circle, the far-flung Langanes peninsula on the northeastern corner of Iceland is a world unto itself. Not in Langanes the visual drama found elsewhere in Iceland with its cast of mountains, fjords, volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls and geysers. Instead, there is a subtle, staid beauty on offer here.

The headland tapers into the cold waters of the Greenland Sea, and when not lashed by ferocious storms, its still, isolated expanse evokes a sense of melancholy, what the Portuguese aptly refer to as saudade. Summer brings an astonishing array of birdlife to Langanes, including one of the largest gannet colonies in the world.

This photo essay attempts to bring some of the mood and emotions felt in Langanes.

Skálar
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 Makro Planar

Route to Skálar
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 Makro Planar

This cross memorializes 11 British fishermen who perished here in 1955 after their trawler “Daniel Quare” ran aground on the north side of Langanes. The hapless men tried to walk to Skálar but died from exposure. The inscription translates to, “Here rest 11 British seamen.”

“Here rest 11 British men”
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 Makro Planar

Driftwood washed up from Siberia
5D Mark III, TS-E 24L II

Abandoned farm Heiði
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Alone, in still waters
5D Mark II, Zeiss ZE 50 f/2 Makro Planar

A long drive on a rough track brings us to the Fontur lighthouse at the very edge of Langanes, seen in the image below to the left of the vanishing point (barely visible at this image size).

Final stretch to Fontur lighthouse
5D Mark III, TS-E 24L II