To celebrate eight years of publishing Ernest, we ask contributors to share their memories of journeys undertaken for the journal, from seeking ancient burial mounds in the North York Moors to seeking wild bison in the Carpathians. Here, photographer Daniel Alford reflects on his first ever travel assignment – walking in the footsteps of Viking settlers in south Greenland
Photo by Daniel Alford
I have so many wonderful memories from my trip to Greenland with Ernest’s deputy editor, Abi. It was my first travel assignment so I was incredibly excited, as you can imagine. The first day of the trip stands out the most for me. I remember looking out of the plane window like an eager child as we flew over the ice cap; I was completely awestruck. At its fringes, huge mountain ranges towered over fjords, glaciers and icebergs. I couldn’t quite believe I was there.
We arrived on a surprisingly warm and bright day and made our way to the site of Eric the Red’s village by boat – the driver kindly stopping half way across the channel so that Abi could touch an iceberg. We then hiked to the village of Igaliku – an extremely picturesque place with brightly painted houses beside a brilliant blue fjord – where we would stay for the night. It was a mesmerising trail: green and yellow fields sloping down to a fjord that was teeming with icebergs. To me, they looked like giant slabs of polished marble shining through the crisp air.
We arrived at our guest house and celebrated with a beer. That night, the Northern Lights flickered and meandered above us in purple and green.What a way to start my first commission, and to kick off many more adventures for Ernest.
