A trip around Iceland on the ring road – Part 5
Since we managed to drive longer distances over the previous couple of days, we were now well on our way towards the Snæfellsnes peninsula. This little gem, just a couple of hours away from Reykjavik, offers many of the scenic features of the Icelandic landscape on a small scale, which makes it a perfect getaway for those who don’t have time to do the entire ring road.
Erpstadir and Curly the lamb
On route to the peninsula, we stopped at Erpstadir, a dairy farm in Northwest Iceland, run by farmer Thorgrimur Einar Gudbjartsson and his family. Visitors can experience a real Icelandic diary farm and the animals. Coming from a farming background as well, albeit without the automation of a milking machine, I found it really interesting to see how the cows were autonomously queuing up and entering the device to get milked, and how the device detected when each animal was done. But the real highlight for all of us was a new little friend we found upon entering the premises, called Curly.
Curly is a one-month old lamb that lost her mother, so the farmer is bringing her up with a bottle. She welcomed us with a chirpy “baa” as soon as we entered the shed and then followed us around as if she was our pet. Before we got into the shop to taste some local delicacies – ice-cream and Skyr made from the milk we had just witnessed being taken from the cows – Mona got to feed her with the milk bottle while the farm cat was purring along next to the two of them.
Trying (or not trying) to eat rotten shark
After this cuteness overload, we moved on to a place I really dreaded – the Bjarnarhöfn Shark Museum, on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. This place not only showcases how the infamous fermented shark (called Hákarl) is made, but also gives visitors the opportunity to try it as part of a short presentation. Fermented shark is a local delicacy and is produced from the (poisonous) meat of the Greenland shark. The process of fermenting it by means of a particular fermentation process and letting it hang to dry for four months eliminates the toxins in the meat and makes it edible. During the tasting, it was served with rye bread and Brennivín, a clear, unsweetened schnapps that is considered Iceland’s signature distilled beverage. I’m not the biggest fish fan as it is, and trying some that is essentially rotten really wasn’t something I fancied. Even the thought of it turned my stomach around so although everyone said it wasn’t that bad, I have to admit, I chickened (or sharked?) out.
Mount Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss
Further on our route through the peninsula, we passed the beautiful Mount Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss. The mountain is said to be the most beautiful on the peninsula and some even say in the whole of Iceland, and in combination with the small but beautiful waterfall, the scenery can be found a lot on postcards and online. Via a small walking path, the waterfall with the mountain in the background can be observed from different angles and it’s really worth going there because it is absolutely stunning.
Camping near Snæfellsjökull glacier
We spent the night in Hellisandur, camping in a lava field (another first timer!) in the most beautiful sunshine. Our initial enthusiasm about the beautiful spot and the weather was challenged a little by the fact that an ice-cold wind made it near impossible to enjoy a few beers on the bench right next to where we pitched the tent. Despite being in full gear, including hats and gloves, we had to retreat into the car in the early hours of the evening to finish up our drinks, and called it an early night right after. What we didn’t know then was that the wind chill came from the vast Snæfellsjökull glacier behind us, something we learnt from an Icelander the next day. It was an amazing spot but certainly not suitable for long nights around the campfire – at least when there is a lot of wind coming from that direction.
The golden beach of Skarðsvík, Saxhóll crater and Anarstapi
Golden beaches in Iceland are rare, since most of the local beaches are black with volcanic sand. Despite another change in the weather the next day, we did a quick stop at the beautiful Skarðsvík beach, featuring golden sand near Hellisandur before proceeding on to the Saxhóll crater. At 100 metres elevation, the crater is very easy to climb via steps. It was another brief visit as rain and wind didn’t provide us with great visibility anyway. Unfortunately, the weather also meant that we didn’t even get a glimpse of the Snæfellsjökull glacier and volcano since they were completely covered in clouds. Instead, we continued our drive through to Anarstapi, a very scenic little town in the South of the peninsula with charming little houses scattered in front of the stunning Mount Stapafell. This is a pyramid-shaped 526 m high volcano right next to Snæfellsjökull glacier and volcano. In the mist and fog, unfortunately we didn’t get to see this volcano either but we did get a glimpse of the extraordinary columnar basalt and cliff formations along Anarstapi’s stunning seaside, as well as it’s natural harbour.
Lýsulaugar
Since the weather didn’t help our sightseeing efforts that day, we decided it was time to retreat to yet another geothermal bath, Lýsulaugar, around 30 km from Anarstapi. The difference between this and the other natural hot springs we visited on our trip is that whilst the pool is more simplistic (and cheaper! (7 GBP / 8 EUR)) than e.g. the Blue Lagoon or Myvatn Nature Baths, the waters in this one are rich in green algae (chlorella) and various minerals, which are said to have a soothing and healing effect on the body. The bath consists of a larger pool for swimming and two smaller hot tubs. We spent just over an hour and a half there chilling out before continuing on to Borgarnes, where we staid in the very comfortable, friendly and clean HI Borgarnes hostel for the night (25 GBP / 28 EUR per person and per night in a 6-bed dorm) .
The settlement centre in Borgarnes
Since even though we drove quite a bit that day, it was still early afternoon in Borgarnes when we arrived, we decided to pay a visit to the Borgarnes Settlement Centre (18 GBP / 20 EUR). It features two exhibitions that are created in a really neat and entertaining way. Visitors are taken through animated exhibits, supported by a voice over, which is a great way to learn more about Iceland’s history and the sagas, which are present in nearly every aspect of Iceland. I found especially the second part of the exhibition, the Egil’s saga, really worth my while and I was glad that we managed to get some culture under our belt on our trip.
Total driving distance and time:
- Day 1 from HI Saeberg to Hellisandur approximately 200 km / 3.5-4 h – we drove via the coastal route 59 rather than taking the ring road, which would have been faster. The drive was slowed down even more because most of the road was gravel so we really took it easy in terms of speed.
- Day 2 from Hellisandur to Borgarnes approximately 200 km / 2.5 h
