Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Day 1
Updated: Aug 20, 2023
When I was in Iceland earlier this month, I traveled counterclockwise around the Ring Road, exploring the southern and eastern coasts, and moving fast through the north and west to complete the circle. This week, I'm concentrating on the west and north of the country, and I won't go back to the east or south. So, I'm starting on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, the first peninsula north of Reykjavik. My friends Susan and Karen spent some time here after I'd headed to Norway, so I had their recommendations, which really helped my planning. (And they steered me right, but more about that later.)
My first stop was Bonus, to replace my ruined groceries. I also hit up an ATM, so now I've got some cash in case the campground guy was wrong and he's not the only one in the country who won't take a card.
My next stop was Akranes, home to two lighthouses. Since I count as a senior (67 here), I could climb for free! It wasn't the tallest lighthouse I've been in, but still pretty nice. The smaller lighthouse is the old one.
Next up was Ytri Tunga, known to be a good place to see seals. By now, Iceland had started to do its thing: rain and more rain. But I brought really good rain gear with me, so I can stay warm and dry in almost any weather. Actually, at Ytri Tunga, I think it was sleeting. I hiked along the coast and did see harbor seals, probably about 10 in all. This one was just hanging out near the shore, rolling around. I thought the flipper was interesting. Unfortunately, on this hike I discovered that my binoculars are no longer weather sealed. They are Zeiss binocs that I won in a contest, and I love them, but I'm going to have to go binocular-shopping when I get home. I put them in front of the heater in the camper to dry out, and they are usable now, but not like they should be.
I headed further west to Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge, one of Susan's don't-miss-this recommendations. And, wow, was she right! I posted some pictures on IG yesterday, and one friend said it looks like somewhere from Middle Earth and that I was probably following Frodo and Sam. It really was a magical place. There was a trail from the parking lot to this crack in the rock cliff. When you got to the crack, you follow the creek into the gorge. (Yay for waterproof hiking boots!) You can follow the water further back into the gorge, but I went only about 50 feet. And when you look up, the walls are covered with green moss and the sky is visible above.
I passed a guy as I came down the trail from the gorge and he said, "Nice hat!" I said thanks, and then realized he had OR (Outdoor Research) on his jacket, so it was the same brand as my Gortex rain hat. That's when I realized that I wasn't showing any brand loyalty in my gear choices. Besides my OR hat, I was wearing REI pants, Frogg Toggs rain pants, Icewear wool baselayer and socks, 66 North jacket, Salewa hiking boots, Mountain Hardwear gloves, and an Osprey daypack.
I took another rainy hike along the cliffs at Arnarstapi. There are several stone bridges and I got to watch idiot tourists do idiot things on cliff edges to get selfies. It was raining (of course) but I kept going because there was a lighthouse. When I hadn't found it after a couple of kilometers, I gave up. Then discovered that it was a little building that I passed at the beginning of the hike. I thought it was a bathroom or something. I consoled myself with fish and chips from a food trailer and moved on.
It seems like abandoned buildings here are graffiti magnets. Even farmhouses that are way out of the way, like the Dagverðará farmhouse. It was built around 1930 and has been abandoned for 20-30 years.
My final stop was the Malarrif lighthouse. It was a short hike and the rain had stopped briefly. The lighthouse was nice, but I was mesmerized by the beach below, The beach was covered with black rocks, and when the waves receded, the sound was like nothing I'd ever heard. Also, the video was shot on my iPhone, so it is in color, but there was no color!
Since it was getting late, I headed to Hellisandur and my campground!
Another photographer climbing to Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge behind me took my picture and emailed it to me.
The world is so large and so beautiful and so different all at the same time