This gallery contains photographs of Iceland which we visited in June 1996. We circumnavigated the island using the coast roads, only venturing into the interior where 2WD vehicles could sensibly go. Well, that is not strictly true as I did follow one 4WD track - this 25 km shirt cut took us about two hours, but probably saved us £90 in additional hire charges. More importantly, Angela enjoyed walking in front of the car removing large stones and occasionally peering under the car to see if the exhaust box was still attached and the sump still contained oil.

More extensive travel in the interior requires 4WD and group travel. Given the cost of car hire, it's probably cheaper to do organised trips than DIY. The summer season is short - mid June to August - however you do get 24 hours of daylight in June. This is great for travel and golf, but takes some getting used to when trying to sleep. Accommodation can be difficult to find in some places, so you should consider booking a couple of days ahead. Having said that, in one hotel in the north we were one of only three guests in a 120 bed hotel!

Iceland (Google Maps) is a land of contrasts - ice and black lava, hot and cold, wierd and bland, wet and dry, etc. There's a distinct lack of mammals (other than domesticated) and few birds. However, the landscape offers more than enough compensation. If you are a petrol head, see if you can shoot some of their amazingly adapted cars. Water is everywhere in Iceland, so protect equipment accordingly. Be prepared for all weathers and all seasons, often in the same day. If you go in high summer, take advantage of 24 hours of daylight - it truly is amazing. The roads are empty, so there's little excuse to stop and shoot whenever you feel the urge.

All these photos were taken on a Minolta Dynax 7xi with 100-300xi and 28-105xi lenses. Film was Fuji Velvia (50), Sensia 100 or Sensia 400.