Day 38 – 16 August 2023 – Napur to Reykholt, Iceland

The day started overcast & cloudy, a stark contrast to the glorious weather yesterday, however, by the time we reached our first destination, the sun was shining. Fjadrargljufur is about 100 metres deep & around one kilometre long, with the narrow canyon formed by the glacier fed river. It is visually stunning with the rocks carved into all types of shapes by the water & covered in beautiful green moss.  It is a national park so we had to pay, but my phone app wouldn’t work. They will most likely charge me when I will return the car.

Just down the road is Renisfjara or Black Sand Beach & there are crowds of people there. Warning signs tell of treacherous killer waves that can occur at any time & to stay away from the edge of the water. There are crowds on the beach, some close to the water & others climbing all over the accessible basalt column cliff areas. On the left side of the beach in the sea there are a couple of large weathered basalt columns that have stood the battering of waves for centuries. Looking in the other direction the next landmass has different but equally striking columns & large arches. The sand is black, hence the name, from the granite rocks that have been ground down to fine sand size particles by the nearby glaciers. There are seabirds nesting in the cliffs & flying everywhere plus countless others resting in the water just offshore. I spot lots of puffins flying to & from the cliffs.

The next promontory down is called Dyrholaey & has more picturesque rock formations plus another deadly small beach that has had a drowning fatality recently. These clifftops also are alive with birds & we spot lots of puffins standing close to the top of the cliff near their nests, others walking into their burrows & lots of puffins flying to & fro bringing food back for their chicks. A tall lighthouse aids sailors from the great height this cliff is.

Skogafoss is putting on a show for us this morning, the waterfall is thundering with the melt of two glaciers & the rain that fell last night, dropping 62 metres in an impressive display. To add to the show the sunlight is reflecting on the huge amount of spray & producing a rainbow for us in the sunshine. According to legends, a settler hid his chest of gold behind the Skogafoss waterfall. We don’t get too close, there is a huge volume of spray.

More amazingly beautiful scenery as we drive through countless kilometres of lava fields stretching out either side. These lava fields are covered in thick moss & the rocks are jumbled everywhere as they cooled & cracked. It has a raw beauty about it, with not a tree in sight.

We stop for lunch at a roadside rest stop with an amazing view of the towering Eyjafjoll mountains & a number of small waterfalls running down the sides, amazingly beautiful. At the rest stop is a small rock shelter with a grass roof that was used by the farmer for storing milk pails out of the sun & also for sheltering when waiting for the school bus. It is rustic & still in use.

Our next stop is the Seljalandsfoss waterfall that you can walk behind, it is a beautiful waterfall & there is a crowd of people there, but not too many walking behind the falls so we put on our wet weather coats & venture forth. The track is slippery from all the spray but we walk slowly & surely (Ron holds on to me & guides me onto safe rocks) until we are in the cavern directly behind the waterfall.  It is very special. There are at least 2 more big waterfalls that we can see. Our coats are wet so we walk to see the other waterfalls & to dry ourselves in the sun.  We cannot get over how magnificent these waterfalls are. We see another waterfall but only visible from the top & the rest is behind the rocks. Reluctantly we keep walking on to see one more water fall & then we will really have to go.  We have a long distance to drive before we will get to our accommodation. We got to this fast flowing river & see people clambering on big rocks to get into or out of (all wet) this narrow cave, so Ron the scout told me to stay while he will check out this rocky cave.  Big grin, come you cannot miss this! Wow, what a sight!  A wonderful secret hidden absolutely stunningly beautiful waterfall between the rocks. The walk was worth it to see the Gljufrabui waterfall.  We really must go.

Ron is getting tired, our daily distance is not too long, but all the walking to get to these special places is extra. Today we walked 7 & 1/2 km.  Ron is doing all the driving, planning, carting bags, writing most of the blog, he is looking after me so well.  We are driving along & Ron is trying to make sure not to miss the accommodation place.  Missed it, by 7 km, the signage in Iceland isn’t the best (still my excuse). To turn around we drove into Reykholt, a place where they had the most magnificent hot house set up, heated by lights powered by underground thermal energy, they grow a lot of their vegetables & even fruit here.

Since we have been here we have stayed in ordinary hotels, flash modern ones, & tonight is the 3^rd time in a guest house where we have to share bathrooms.  We wanted adventure, this is Iceland. Tonight it is a farm, our host are a husband & wife. Tonight we were treated to a real Iceland feast – smoked wild goose with salad & lovely fresh bread, main course – Arctic Char fish (so much at home it would be 3 meals for us 2), roast potatoes, vegetables, all very delicious.  Panna cotta followed.  We told the host that we ate too much & cannot walk upstairs, he said it is OK there are some benches downstairs we are welcome to sleep downstairs.  We had another wonderful day.