First two days in Snaefellsnes peninsula
Yesterday we drove into the Snaefellsnes peninsula. We marked on a map all of the places we wanted to stop… Waterfalls, cliffs, caves, pools. Our plan is to drive around and see them all and then when we are done, take a ferry to the Westfjords from Stykkisholmur to Brjanslaekar with a stop at Flatey Island on the way. We could drive to the westfjords, but the ferry is a popular option because it cuts out a lot of driving in this direction and stops at Flatey.
Yesterday we drove along the south of the peninsula. Our first stop was at the Gerduberg Cliffs. It was very windy, so Sage and I looked at the cliffs from the car as Steve ran closer.
Then we went on to Ytri Tunga Beach. Sage had now fallen asleep so Steve and I took turns walking to the beach to take a look. It was beautiful. It’s been very clear, which makes it nice to see. When Steve went, he saw lots of seals and got some great pictures.
From there we went to a local geothermal swimming pool, Lysuholslaug. It was super windy and cold outside, but the two hot tubs (38-40° and 40-42°) were very nice. We all Sat and enjoyed them. Sage was a bit apprehensive at first, but then didn’t want to leave by the time we went to go.
Warm and clean, we headed on. We stopped to look at Bjarnarfoss waterfall and made a note to come back and hike up it in the next few days.
We drove to the north of the peninsula to Ólafsvík for dinner and camping. Dinner was delicious. Soup and fish and a sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
In the morning, Steve got up and ran before breakfast, then we went west along the end of the peninsula. Its beautiful and very desolate out here. We stopped at Svodufoss waterfall and Skardsvik beach.
Then we went to Vatnsheller cave, where we took turns taking a tour of the cave while the other stayed and ate snacks and lunch with Sage.
The cave was really cool, it’s a lava tube formed about 8000 years ago by an eruption from a volcano nearby. When the lava flows, the top of the lava that is exposed to the cold Icelandic weather freezes into solid rock while the lava continues to flow underneath. As it flows down the mountain it creates underground lava pools, rivers and it can fall into other lava tubes creating lava-falls, basically a waterfall of lava. When the lava stops it flows out of the tube, leaving caves, and lots of cool rock formations. As the lava drips from the ceiling it can create stalagtites and stalagmites too.
The tour was really cool and very informative. In this area, there are lots of lava tubes, often with holes from above into them. Moss can grow over the hole making it a hazard for animals and even sometimes people to fall into these lava tubes accidentally by stepping on the moss, which will then shape back into it’s original spot over the hole leaving the tube in complete darkness. It’s so dark in these caves that there’s no life beyond bacteria in the walls. It’s too dark for spiders or bats. It’s common to find skeletons of animals that have fallen in. In this tube there is a fox skeleton.
The early Icelandic people believed that trolls and other fabled animals lived in these caves. Our guide told us about their version of the Christmas story that all Icelandic parents tell their children. There are thirteen Santa Clauses, all brothers. Their mom is a troll who watches closely the young Icelandic children. If they misbehave, she will come and kidnap them in the night, take them back to her cave and cook them for her sons to eat.
After the cave tour, we drove to Saxholl Crater where steps lead to the top of the crater and a great view of the peninsula and the ocean. Then on to another volcanic crater with a road that takes you right into the center.
Sage fell asleep again, so we took turns walking to look at the cliffs and views at Londranger. There are two tall rock formations here that are the remains of an ancient volcano. The cliffs are also very volcanic looking, and lots of birds live here in the cliffs.
It was getting quite windy and close to dinner time so we drive into Arnarstapi for pizza and make plans for the evening. Sage likes pizza, fries and dipping anything in the sauces provided.
Apparently there has been lots of earthquakes near Reykjavik in the last day, including a few over 4. Experts believe there’s a likelihood of an eruption at the volcano near Grindavik where we just were which erupted in 2021 and 2022. If so, we may adjust it trip to go back and see the lava. We will monitor it.
