Iceland blog
1st Sept to 16 Sept 2022
Mann Tours returns!
A short one this time 16 days to Iceland Sept 1 to Sept16
Day 1
Flight from Heathrow to Reykjavik 1.20pm Icelandic airlines
The flight was easy and no mishaps on the way.
On arrival at airport, we met 8*c and grey rainy skies.
We found our way to our first hotel in our 4wheel hire car. We brought our sat nav from home!
The hotel was lovely with open fire baskets around the ground floor and restaurant. Our room was 222. We dropped everything and headed out to explore while there was good light. We were right on the harbour near the
Maritime museum.
We found a fish and chip van….of course! Ate them standing up by the van in the rain. Then we took photos. Thousands of jelly fish (really!) were in the harbour, all alive and swimming. Amazing sight.
Walking on we saw buildings of glass and many small cafes and restaurants as well as museums of all kinds.
We walked as far as the Viking ship, before walking back. What a long but lovely day, very tired now.
Day 2 Reykjavik to hella
We had a comfy nights rest and a huge varied breakfast to set us on our way. We left the city and climbed up to the plateau. At the first view point I opened the car door and it nearly blew off the car. It was an icy wind and we had our thick coats and hats on. Gradually as the morning progressed, the sky changed to blue with long lenticular clouds and then fluffy white clouds and sunny blue skies. The winds were warmer too.
We stopped at a cultural centre with shops and exhibitions and a post office. We chose a custard pastry and had a coffee. Such a choice at this bakery.
Further down the road we saw a fierce river and stopped down there to see. There were falls and a torrent of water it was so impressive.
We reached Hella and continued onto falls. Here masses of people were visiting. You could walk behind the highest waterfall, we tried but chickened out. The spray got us soaked but it was fun.
I got some fab photos.
We checked into our hotel. It is more like a huge conference centre with many rooms and facilities.
The sunset tonight is amazing and 360* views. This is truely and an
amazing country.
Day 3 Hella.
We might have seen the aurora last night. It was very pale green and wispy. We weren’t sure and thought it might have been a cloud. Talking to others it was what they saw too. Fingers crossed for tonight.
Today we were so energetic! Feeling proud. We drove along the A1 road towards VIK and stopped at Skogafoss.a 60 metre high majestic waterfall. The thundering noise and spray was unbelievable.
We put on warm clothes, waterproof over trousers hats and coats. Carrying camera bag, tripods and a walking stick. We walked like this up to the top of this waterfall. Up many steps with loads more tourists.at the top we were boiling hot and stripping off hot sweaty clothes! I had to rest for a while to cool down, and then took pics. There was a walk at the top that continued to further waterfalls. This walk was not too steep and we did it! It was so worth it. Most tourists went straight down from the viewing point and missed the other bits. It would have been wonderful to follow the river up to its source, the glacier but we couldn’t manage to any further.
The way down was quite scary, it is very steep and you can see where the ground is way below, you don’t notice on the way up!
So now was our time for the soaking spray…. We ate biscuits and had a drink to restock…. The spray was everywhere we got very wet
It was difficult to get good photos because of the people there, even two girls in wedding dresses. We did our best.
As we left and headed back we kept stopping to take photos hope you like these.
Then along the edge of the road came several riders on horses herding lots of horses along the verge. Among the riders were older children.
So now back at hotel and as starving went to restaurant. Very lovely food but very expensive! Won’t be doing that very often….. xxxx
Day 4 vik
This morning we woke up and ate a huge breakfast to see us through the day! We set off towards VIK on the A1. First stop was the waterfall again, we wanted to take more pics at ground level and the foggy start soon lifted from the mountain tops. We had lavata coffee at the gulfoss hotel and really liked this location with its views from all the windows. We could see how high and far we had walked along yesterday.
Continuing along our way we turned off left and took the road to Katla ice. Wow what an experience. We drove over black volcano ash for ages until we reached the glacier. At the carpark we had a walk along a path towards the ice. There was a deep lake of melt water in which were broken of ice bergs. They were white and dirty black striped from the volcano dust. We climbed down carefully to the water and then along and back up up to the path view point over the glacier nearby. A guy told us he had visited here last January and could see how it had receded.
Back in the car we were so pleased by all along this A1 road. It is so beautiful and we stopped at the view points to take advantage. Near to vik we diverted to see the black sand beach and the view points above it. Wow! ! Beauty in all directions. To reach the headland that is a nature reserve we crossed a causeway over water and marshland. Not too scary as we feared.
Much later we headed to the Katla hotel. It is lovely in a valley leading to the glacier and views to the stacks.
To finish a perfect day we had a buffet tea there and…… we saw the aurora.
From 9.30 to 11 pm outside and to 2.30 am from our bedroom window …heavenly day.
Day 5 VIK
Blue skies no cloud today we have been so lucky with the weather!
Today we went to the lighthouse above the black sands. The views were 360* it’s a geographers dream. Glacier, volcano, silt marsh, causeway, caves, basalt cliffs, Tula rising from the black volcanic ash, stacks and arches receding seas, leaving ocean floor behind covered by volcano residues.
Next to the black sand beach ….with it’s dangerous waves that undercut the drifting sand. Here we found many people arriving by the bus load.
Fulmars are nesting all over the cliffs, all the way along we have seen fulmars, swans and ducks. Today we saw a seal at the black sands.
The sun was shing too brightly to take picks at the end of the beach , so we returned about 5 to take those photos.
We had coffee in VIK and then continued along A1. There is a huge desert area of volcanic residue with false cones and a completely flat environment for miles in all directions.
We followed a dirt track past isolated farms to a church. Here had been a monastery and nunnery until the huge Katla volcano erupted covering fertile land and destroying everything. There was a legend about witches and curses and a Viking stone. Another church was built on the monastery grounds with the loudest bell in Iceland. This was also destroyed by subsequent eruptions. So now there is a small white church with a red roof and surrounding graveyard.
Returning we travelled up the valley passed our hotel. Up a gravel road higher and higher towards the glacier. It is so picturesque up there!
VIK certainly is a beautiful area.
Lovely sunset tonight. Will we see Aurora tonight? Hope so….
Yes it was there from after midnight to about 4am, the clouds had gone and stars showing. I watched it from hotel bedroom but too tired to get dressed and got outside tonight!
Day 6
Travelling from Vik to Klausterhauf guesthouse, in kirkjubaejarklaustur our furthest point east on south coast. We are here for 3 nights.
Another blue skies sunny day and temps today reached 20*c.
We set off east and followed the A1 again. First stop was at a gorge. It was the ice age melt water that caused this spectacle. We walked up and along to 3 viewing platforms to see the water cascading down to the river below. The water is from Katla the glacier on the volcano. This volcano and glacier is the largest of its kind in Europe. It dominates Iceland.
It was another climb up and along and we took it slowly but managed so well.
A kind Japanese girl asked me if I needed help down the steps, “ I will help you” she said. I must look old!
Next stops were to see waterfalls. They are all so different from rivers coming down over the cliffs from the glacier.
We reached Kirkjubaejarklaustur and explored a pretty valley with a waterfall and a basalt pavement, formed in the same way as the northern Irish causeway.
It was only 2pm and we had done so much already but too early to check in our guesthouse. We continued along the volcanic desert over rivers and volcanic larva deposits covered with lichen and grasses, very mundane light green and also golden orange yellow grasses. More sheep but no horses here. We saw gigantic cliffs with sheer drops. The glacier was very close to the road here. We turned back. We will pass this way again tomorrow on the way to Hofn and diamond beach.
Day 7
We set off earlier today, determined to travel as far as Hofn. We agreed not to stop at anything but the glacier lagoon near to diamond beach.
At the lagoon we walked up from the carpark and were met with an amazing sight. A huge area of icy water lagoon coming from the glacier and then the calved icebergs floating. All shapes and sizes, colours and all flowing towards the sea. We walked along way down to the shore and along the lagoon edge.
We were so impressed this was something we had never experienced before.
We knew we would be able to return tomorrow
We continued along the A1 towards Hofn …
At one stage we stopped for coffee and fig cake an Icelandic cake.
We reached Hofn by early afternoon. It is a fishing port and a small town.
It was raining and very cold and windy. We walked around the harbour and nature reserve on an island reached by a causeway.
Dinner was lamb and carrots potatoes etc and then a licquorice cheese cake. Today. We have been tasting Icelandic foods.
We left and returned back to the hotel calling by diamond beach as here the river of ice flows reached the sea..
Day 8
A more relaxed day. The sky was foggy then blue sky and sunshine.
We photographed waterfalls, glacier in sunshine
ice lagoon, diamond beach in the rolling misty fog much colder and windy. The photos show our last day in south Iceland. A wonderful area and a wonderful time had here
Day 9
Last night it rained all night as soon as it became dark and continued all today until about 6pm. Fortunately it was our big travel day retracing our path back along the A1 to sellfoss where we turned onto the 35 road on the circle tour. We arrived at our hotel the Geyser hotel and then travelled onto the gulfoss waterfall.
On the way we braved the rain to get coffee and lunch breaks and petrol.
The waterfalls were full and new smaller ones were coming down the mountains. We were in a thick cloudy fog and couldn’t see much, so thankful we had lovely weather for these places last week.
At the hotel we can see the geysers. The large one explodes every 5 mins or so.
As it stopped raining we returned to gulfoss after we checked in hotel.
It is amazing so much water is pounding down over a large area. Seeing is believing it’s hard to describe how powerful and huge it is. The sky was black and very atmospheric.
Now back in this sumptuous hotel room with a huge room and very comfy bed. Our best hotel to date xxx
Day 10
Very wet and raining most of today. We decided to go around the golden circle Pingvellir national park. We loved the countryside, you could imagine we were in the Lake District at times. We paid to park and walked up to the waterfall at the north of the lake. The rocks were very dynamic and dark and the dark clouds surrounding made this very dramatic.
As it was so wet we followed the paths for a short way and took some photos.
Then we did a circular tour of the lake. The reflections were deep and still. We saw hot streams, hydroelectric stations and heat pipes up the hills towards Rejkavik.
There was a church on the lake and it looked so pretty in this setting.
We were feeling hungry so went to Milka a family owned home made food. It was fantastic, so creatively presented on the plate and totally delicious lamb dinner and chocolate cake and fruit pudding. It melted in our mouths.
Although we are now in rain Iceland has so much to offer, so pleased we came. It’s expensive but for 16 nights and the joy we are having it’s worth it. I’ve wanted to come here ever since I was a teenager.
Day 11
We saw beautiful blue skies and great clear visibility so after an early breakfast we packed up and loaded our car ready to move on. First we thought we would catch the geyser, no luck we waited 20 mins. It is supposed to shoot up every 5 minutes….we gave up on it and headed to Gulfoss one last time. Conditions as I said were great but we hadn’t reckoned on the biting wind easily force 10 whipping down the gorge and sending spray everywhere! So funny we were hanging onto our cameras,tripods, hats and each other to stop us being blown over. All the time the water drops were all on our lenses. Not the photos we hoped for.
We went onto find a brown minor road that leads from the national park to bergarnes. We passed the great divide between the euro Asian and North American plates. Lots of rifts and cracks along in a line through this area.
The brown road was marvellous. Not many cars were along it and we felt we were on the top of the world. The views were so good our photos don’t do justice to the area. The tarmacked road turned to gravel but it was easily passable all the way.
We are now at the next hotel at Borgarnes, a large coastal town west Iceland.
In the evening we explored the coastline. It is all reclaimed land from the sea with ditches and grasslands, sheep and horses. Little farmsteads along way from each other.
Day 12
Borganes hotel B59 is lovely, we had a good breakfast and even had smoothies!
Not knowing the area we looked at the hotel IWB and saw the falls
Hraunfossar, lava waterfalls in Borgarfjord and the smaller waterfall above Barnafoss, (river hevita lava falls). It was a short walk from a carpark and really was interesting. Water gushes out all along the mountain sides for a long way along in a line from under the lava above.
The river hevita is a strong deep river and has a sall waterfall above the pathway too. The lava falls feed the river too. Such beauty!
It is very cold today not Iceland summer but Iceland autumn.
We followed another brown gravel road in the area of Reykholt yes another Reykholt! Back to borganes passed hot springs and small geysers.
In the afternoon we explored the next fjord south. Havelfjordjur. Translating to whale fiord. It seems in the past whales frequented this fiord and there is a old whale station deep in the fiord😢. In WW2 this area was taken over by British forces and their old barracks are still here.
There is another waterfall of significance in this area but it takes a 3 hour walk over dangerous terrain to reach. Needless to say we didn’t attempt this!
Tomorrow we move on to the last hotel on the west before returning to Reykjavik. What a lovely holiday we are having, too short!
Day 13
What a journey! We went through the dalir. It’s an area of dales natural beauty. We left Borganes and went via the Dalir towards Budardalur along the Brattabrekka route 60.
At budardalur we stopped for petrol. The lady in there is danish and married to an Icelandic man. She told us the danish queen margarete was celebrating 50 years on the throne this weekend but because of the death of our queen, her friend,
she has decided not to parade the streets and to keep everything low key…so respectful. It has saddened all the world
Then I persuaded vince to follow a gravel dirt road for miles and miles to reach Stykkisholmur a harbour. The road was hazardous to say the least and very scary as we went along the fjord side. We did get a few good photos though! We saw birds of prey and possibly a sea eagle.
At “sticky pudding” we saw a basalt cliff it was so high and straight down into the sea. So impressive, we climbed up behind the cliffs via steps to a cliff walk with views over many islands out to sea in the fiord.
Hope you like the photos.
Now we followed a much easier tarmac route to our hotel which is at a cross roads of the routes 56/54 no villages for miles each way but a clean beautiful room at a restaurant cafe stop.
Not so many photos today but plenty of dramatic scenery and scary travels!
We settled in and then went down the road to see the seals and ducks swans and cormorants on a yellow sandy beach at YTRI TUNGIA. We passed Olkelda sparkling water, I think it is full of bubbles from springs but not sure. It was too windy to photo. The sky is clearing and hopefully we may see the aurora tonight. It is very cold tonight.
Day 14
We are at Rjukandi cafe hotel at the junction of route 56/54 south coast of snaefellsnes peninsular west Iceland. I’m writing. These details so we can return here one day and spend a week here. There is so much to do and see. The hotel gave us a map of highlights to visit and we followed it today, stopping at most places. We can also revisit some tomorrow hopefully.
So in order of stopping bjarnarfoss waterfall and others along this mountainside. Budir and the black church, raudfeldsgja canyon,
The cliffs at londrangar.
We passed by the glacier and volcano and through Snaefellsjokull pjodgardur national park.
At Olafsvik town we stopped for lunch a homemade burger and air fried chips mmmm.
Next we spent ages visiting kirkjufell. We saw the pointed mountain from all sides possible and particularly enjoyed visiting the waterfall close by to the mountain. Great pics and fun taking them too. Eventually 2 tired people crossed 2 fiords by long bridges and found the route 56 down Vatnaleid to Rjukandi our hotel. We had done the full circle, setting off befor 10am and arriving back by 5.30pm.
We had walked and climbed and driven through beautiful lava fields past by a volcano and glacier, gone through a national park. Seen the oldest wooden church in Iceland, seen beaches birds and gigantic rocks mountains and waterfalls! Wow……!
Day 15
We had hoped to have stayed at this hotel one more night, but they were fully booked. We managed to find a one night hotel near Borganes. So we
We’re able to stay on snaefellsnes peninsular for the day. We headed up the route 56 and on the way to kirkjufell area. There had been a frost and water frozen on ponds. Route 56 is beautiful there are scenic stops to view the waterfalls and volcanoes. The morning light was radiant. We stopped along the coast taking photos and watching all the sea birds. Using our tripods we got deep reflections in the sea and lakes. At the kirkjufell waterfalls the light and skies were so different to the afternoon before!
Later we crossed back to the southern coast via a brown road that was superb all tarmacked with steep sides and wonderful views. We went to arnarstapi. Somehow we had overlooked this part of the coast beyond the black church. There were sea stacks arches caves and basalt cliffs. So wonderful. We walked along the cliff top paths and really appreciated this area.
The day had been spent so well and went to our next hotel beyond Borganes.
Here it was a dated and dusty family room with a bedroom separate from the lounge and kitchen. Two single beds a settee a large dining table cooker fridge crockery and cutlery and pans it was all there. The water came straight from the thermal heat and smelt of sulphur. Drinking water was from the kitchen. There were hot tubs and a great view over to Borganes from our veranda.
We hoped for the northern lights and watched a beautiful sunset disappear a clear sky stars and a bright moon rise up. For two hours we stayed outside looking for the aurora, sadly it did not appear. It was bitterly cold!
Day 16
Last day sigh 🥹. We set off for Reykjavik in good time. We parked the car near the church and took our little tz cameras with us to photograph the sights. We visited a souvenir shop and a coffee house. We couldn’t find any place to park near the harbour so just slowly drove along and then headed for the airport .
It was interesting to see steam or smoke in the sky coming from the recent volcano eruption.
At the airport we bought a small pizza and a coffee each and it cost £35!Leaving Iceland was sad,we will return. We did find such beauty, were so lucky with the weather, but it is very expensive!
We will return there is much more to see and other parts we want to revisit.
I will add photos some .
Retirement Here I Come 