From our hot pool in Pollurinn we head back through Talknafjordur,
Patreksfjordur and out to the Latrabjarb Peninsula. We have been here before,
but not out to Red Beach/Raudassandur. As we wind down the mountain we can see
a massive arc of sand ahead of us. We head to the parking area at the end and
head off to the best view point. There are seals on the beach, but as the tide
is coming in it is the wrong time to trek out to see them. As the light changes the beach glows redder.
Then back up the mountain and to the headland at the Latrab cliffs. It is too late for puffins but we head along the
cliffs anyway. The wind is ferocious and it’s not long before we head back. It’s
getting late and chilly so time to go back to the campground at Patreksfjordur
for the night.
Wake to another chilly gray morning and head over the mountains before
following the coastline. When we spy another truck like ours from Switzerland,
we stop to chat. There is a hot pool here - Krosslaug so we pop down for a
swim. It is a lovely stone-edged pool right on the waterfront, but alas it is
not hot enough for us and we soon leave. A bit further down the road we stop to
give GR3 a clean. She is filthy. Many petrol stations have an area to wash cars
with hoses, mops etc …and all free. There
is another hot pool - Hellalaug on the beach just around the corner and this
one is hot enough for us. We join a German family and enjoy a long hot soak
with views over the beach. By now most of the day has gone so we plan to drive
on to another campground at the Reykholar Peninsula, but as we are crossing a
headland we encounter a long queue of traffic and we realise we have found a
sheep roundup or Rettir as it is called here. There are locals out walking and
guys on quads all chasing the sheep down from the hills. We continue down the
road and follow the cars into the paddock with the huge sheep pen in it. We
park, watch and wait. The sheep are herded down the hill into a paddock and
then driven into the central circle of the pen. As they race around the owners
grab their sheep and pull them into their separate pens off the circle. It is a
huge family event. They are all here in their knitted sweaters and gumboots
ready to chat and catch sheep. The trailers get backed up to each pen so they
can be taken home for the winter. I watch most of the action from the open roof
vent in GR3. An awesome spot to take photos and keep warm and dry.
Much later we pull into our campground at the end of the peninsula. No
one comes to collect fees and there is no way to pay. So, a free night. Bonus!
As we head off in the morning, we see the guys out again rounding up the sheep
that got away.
Time to go to our next peninsula – the Snaefellsnes. We toured this one
extensively last time so will try to find something different to see. It is a
magic area with lots of moss draped lava field scenery and mountains sprinkled
with snow. We stop at the pretty port town of Stykkisholmur and wander around
despite the chilly wind. Later we detour off the main road onto another F road
that winds through lava fields and past some stunning volcanic scenery. Back at
the coast we spy a campground at Grundarfjordur and pull over for the night. Again,
no one comes to collect money. It is the end of the season, and the campgrounds
are starting to close.
In the morning we stop just down the road to admire the iconic
Kirkjuellsfoss with its double waterfall right beside Kirkjufell -a lovely
domed mountain. Time to head to the F570, a new road for us. The track runs
high up the hill beside the Snaefellsjokull Icecap and is a stunning drive.
Going up it is all waterfalls and steep, narrow windy tracks, and coming back
down is dry and barren with even steeper tracks. Once down we are on the other
side of the peninsula the wind is incredibly strong, so we simply head back to
the mainland. All the other sights we did years ago.
By now we are back on the main road with all the traffic, but soon after
Borgarnes we turn and head north. We want to tackle the highlands again and it’s
not long before we turn off on another back road following a long lake dotted
with holiday cottages. At the end of the lake it turns into an F road making it
much slower going. It comes out near Reykar, so we decide to hunt down a hot
pool that we went to years ago. There are no signs, only a monument so nobody
is here. Krosslaug is a very old baptismal pool only big enough for 3 or 4
people and is set right in the middle of a small forest. It’s perfect at 42deg!
We now plan to drive the F35 that runs right through the centre of
Iceland north/south and to access it from here we decide to return to the F338
that follows the pylons west/east. We are sure we can find a spot to wild camp
for the night on the track, and sure enough we find a great spot amongst a tiny
group of huts in the middle of nowhere with great views of the Langjokull
Icecap. There has been no other traffic so we shouldn’t get sprung! As an extra
bonus our app starts beeping at the very civilized time of 9.30pm and we rug up
to head outside. What an awesome night. John gets too cold and heads to bed
while I stay out just watching the sky change above me. The streaks of light
keep moving and changing for hours. By 11.30pm I head back inside, too cold to
stay out any longer. John is happily snoring.
How can we top that. We wake to vivid blue skies, a gleaming white
icecap and sparkling frost covering the ground. A truly magic sight. Iceland is
delivering in spades, can she keep it up…..
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