We stopped to brave the cold, rain and extremely windy conditions of Dyrhólaey bird sanctuary and viewpoint on Iceland’s south coast. This sanctuary is on a high cliff overlooking the beaches far below.

This is the North Atlantic ocean and there is nothing between Iceland and the Horn of Africa – more precisely, the Horn’s interference is minor, so there’s not much between Iceland and Antarctica – stopping that wind, so it really gets up to incredible speeds.

M and I had a hard time keeping our feet, as did others; the wind literally almost sent me flying since it was about 65 kph (40 mph). There were few birds about; most were sheltering in the cliff crevices.

The beach is comprised of black volcanic sand, and we would have loved to take a walk along the trail to the beach, but the wind was just too strong. We opted to get back in the car – literally without breaking the door hinges – to admire the view in dry comfort as we ate our lunch. But what an incredibly picturesque view, even if the weather was terrible!