Driving around the Snaefellsnes Peninsula (from Reykholt to Hellnar)
Day 3, 4th August 2023
Today we had to drive back again to Borgarnes to then drive further west into the wonderfully scenic Snaefellsnes Peninsula. We pulled over when we saw a group of cars which had stopped to view a friendly herd of ponies. We saw many Icelandic ponies of various colours with beautiful full manes. We later discovered many horse farms offering horse treks which I think would be a wonderful way of exploring the country if you were a horse rider. We also discovered horse meat on the menu which was a bit of a surprise!
Everywhere you looked presented something of interest. While much of Iceland was grey/black from volcanic material, there was also a lot of colour around. Below is an ancient crater at Eldborg, seen shortly after we left the horses and discovered the Snaefellsnes Visitor centre with its much-needed toilet! Such things become a preoccupation on these long drives.
The Snaefellsnes Visitor Centre was in a spectacular setting. To one side was this stunning mountain range and to the other side this small hamlet with its prominent church.
Kirkjufell mountain and its associated waterfalls are a very popular tourist attraction, and rightly so! But is was frustrating to find so many tourists climbing over the barriers to get their Instagram shots close to the waterfalls.
The mosses which grow around these waterfalls was lush and colourful, in stark contrast to the grey mountains behind this scene.
At the far west of the peninsula is Djupalonssandur beach, a truely black sand beach. The clouds had just started to lift as we arrived and drove across an extensive lava plain covered in this pale moss. This beach sight was also popular and finding somewhere to park was tricky.
Dotted on the beach were the rusty remains of a British trawler which was wrecked here on 13th March 1948. Many many sailors have lost their lives in the dangerous seas surrounding Iceland. The shoreline is dotted with rocky outcrops.
We stopped at a viewing point further along the coast and you can see the ragged nature of the coastline. The white splotches on the rocks are bird droppings from the many seabirds which have made these cliff faces their home
We had intended to stop at the small fishing village of Arnarstapi to photograph a rock formation on the coast, but we could barely see the coast for the rain so decided to continue to our destination of Hellnar; it too being cloaked in cloud.
Blink and you would miss Hellnar! Iceland seems to have so many small remote villages that you wonder how people survive here? The small churches are often the most visible structure in view. I believe the black buildings in the photo below are holiday accommodation.
