Into the even further west (of Iceland)
Seal beach, Snaefellsnes peninsula
6/1/23
We are staying near Stykkisholmur, which is on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The area is around two hours north of Reykjavik which means many people visit due to the location. It’s also said that this one area is like a mini Iceland. It has a glacier, the coast, an active volcano (hasn’t erupted in a very long time), and mountains. Like most of Iceland it is incredibly striking.
We head out this morning and do a minor bit of shopping at the Bonus store…..the Iceland equivalent to Food Lion. One of the cool things is that they make things that will serve two for one meal. We bought a two pack of hamburger buns, and two fresh ground beef patties for our dinner, along with some potato salad.
We are staying near Stykkisholmur, which is on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The area is around two hours north of Reykjavik which means many people visit due to the location. It’s also said that this one area is like a mini Iceland. It has a glacier, the coast, an active volcano (hasn’t erupted in a very long time), and mountains. Like most of Iceland it is incredibly striking.
We head out this morning and do a minor bit of shopping at the Bonus store…..the Iceland equivalent to Food Lion. One of the cool things is that they make things that will serve two for one meal. We bought a two pack of hamburger buns, and two fresh ground beef patties for our dinner, along with some potato salad.
Arnarstapi Harbor
It’s so cool that they make sizes that will serve a couple for one meal. That way everything is always fresh and there are few if any leftovers. You can buy small loafs of bread, small containers of butter, all matter of things that cut down on waste and make it so easy as a traveler to cook for yourself. We also stop at a bakery and buy baked goods for our lunch, to be eaten on our road trip.
We head south, across the mountains to the south coast. We plan to go clockwise and do the entire peninsula. When we reach the coast road, Laurie needs to use the restroom and they are very far between out here. A hotel is at this intersection so we stop. We wind up in their coffee house having a latte and tea while it rains buckets outside.
We head south, across the mountains to the south coast. We plan to go clockwise and do the entire peninsula. When we reach the coast road, Laurie needs to use the restroom and they are very far between out here. A hotel is at this intersection so we stop. We wind up in their coffee house having a latte and tea while it rains buckets outside.
Fogged in, it comes in quick.
I haven’t planned this part of the trip as I got sick the weekend before we left and I didn’t feel like it. In the length of time to drink a cup of coffee, we put together a list of 20 possible stops, marked them on google maps, and shared it to all our devices. Technology is truly amazing.
We followed our list to stop number one, a beach known for lounging seals…..and there were several. The beach was covered in multiple types of vividly colored seaweed. We quickly found it was slicker than snot on teflon. We picked a path through the seaweed to the water and watched seals lay around, swim, play, and chase fish.
We followed our list to stop number one, a beach known for lounging seals…..and there were several. The beach was covered in multiple types of vividly colored seaweed. We quickly found it was slicker than snot on teflon. We picked a path through the seaweed to the water and watched seals lay around, swim, play, and chase fish.
Our guide into the Vatnshellir Cave
Next stop is the harbor at Arnarstapi, a small working harbor with a quaint little town. We walk the cliffs and watch the thousands of nesting birds. We watch from above as crews unload fishing boats and pack their catch for travel. It reminds me a lot of New England, except the cliffs in New England are granite instead of lava rock.
As we leave the town, the fog rolls in and visibility drops to maybe 100 feet. This means so many of the sights we were to see on the south coast are not visible. We reach each one and make the decision to keep driving as we can’t see anything…until we arrive at one that the weather doesn’t matter.
As we leave the town, the fog rolls in and visibility drops to maybe 100 feet. This means so many of the sights we were to see on the south coast are not visible. We reach each one and make the decision to keep driving as we can’t see anything…until we arrive at one that the weather doesn’t matter.
The only way in and out of the cave
I had read about Vatnshellir Cave during trip planning. It is a lava tube from the active volcano on the peninsula. While the volcano is active, it hasn’t erupted in 1800 years. Note that the standard for “active” means it has erupted in the last 10000 years….so we’re in that window.
They had time windows for advance booking on their website but I had no idea when or even if we would make it there so I didn’t reserve a time. We wound up walking in and straight into a tour! While not cheap (about $32 each) when is the next time we’ll go down in a lava tube at an Icelandic volcano?
They had time windows for advance booking on their website but I had no idea when or even if we would make it there so I didn’t reserve a time. We wound up walking in and straight into a tour! While not cheap (about $32 each) when is the next time we’ll go down in a lava tube at an Icelandic volcano?
After our cave tour!
Access to the tunnels is via spiral staircases several stories high. We go down the stairs and into the darkness. Our tour guide does a wonderful job explaining everything including how the caves were formed and the things we saw. Two spiral staircases wind up taking you around 100 feet below the surface of the ground.
We backtrack out the way we entered, and emerge at the surface finding that the fog has not lifted. As will all things Iceland, you adapt and work with the weather you have. We head on up the coast to our next destination…….not knowing if it will be socked in or not.
We backtrack out the way we entered, and emerge at the surface finding that the fog has not lifted. As will all things Iceland, you adapt and work with the weather you have. We head on up the coast to our next destination…….not knowing if it will be socked in or not.
Ólafsvík Harbor from the air
We skip several more stops as visibility is for all practical purposes zero. When we hit the north coast, we punch out of the fog and it is clear…..for a while. We stop at a shipwreck on the beach, and take photos of a fishing vessel in front of an incredible mountain backdrop.
Our next stop is the village of Ólafsvík. They have a grocery store, hotels, gas station, it’s a real town. Maybe next time we’ll stay there….it does look inviting. I’m also excited as I get to fly my drone over the harbor AND at a waterfall! Photos are with the post, and videos are to come. This country is spectacular.
Our next stop is the village of Ólafsvík. They have a grocery store, hotels, gas station, it’s a real town. Maybe next time we’ll stay there….it does look inviting. I’m also excited as I get to fly my drone over the harbor AND at a waterfall! Photos are with the post, and videos are to come. This country is spectacular.
Kirkjufell mountain
We head towards our cottage about 15 miles up the coast as the brief respite the weather has given is over. Even though we couldn’t see a lot of things…..it was still a wonderful day…..not to mention I really enjoyed the company.
Tomorrow we head to Keflavik for our trip home on Saturday morning. Hopefully we’ll see more interesting things along the way and I’ll get a post off before we fly home. Be sure and check out the photos in the gallery!
Tomorrow we head to Keflavik for our trip home on Saturday morning. Hopefully we’ll see more interesting things along the way and I’ll get a post off before we fly home. Be sure and check out the photos in the gallery!