Island Life: New Speed Limits, Falling Through Ice & Rare Birds In The Countryside

The Icelandic Road Administration recently took the decision to lower the speed limit for single-lane bridges to 50kph, in hopes of making them safer to traverse. As the lion’s share of these bridges can be found in southern Iceland, the move is expected to have the greatest impact there. Hopefully, for the better.

Four people fell through the ice at Meðalfellsvatn lake, just south of Hvalfjörður, last month. They were Icelanders who were shooting for the news programme Hringbraut. All of them managed to rescue themselves, and sustained no injuries apart from being very, very cold. Whether footage of the accident will be broadcast remains to be seen.

A rare bird made a surprise appearance in East Iceland: the Eurasian bittern, one of which was spotted near Egilsstaðir. These birds, which belong to the heron family, are normally only seen in southern Europe. How this visitor made its way to Iceland is still a mystery.