Black volcanic ash washes down the Sólheimajökull Glacier, the blue ice below like a glimpse to another world deep beneath the surface.

Waves of sound like high-tension wires being plucked ripple through our feet. The ice is 4 inches thick beneath us but moving constantly and deep cracking noises skip heartbeats. Old fissures seal with clear ice and fine crystalline shards.

Scottish Winter Stream, Buachaille Etive Mòr.