Picked up at Leif Ericsson hotel and taken to CarPro to pick up our car.
Leaving Reykjavik was an experience – told to take three rights and then get on Hwy Did not work out and wandered a while but finally got on one and headed out. After a while, Patricia said the GPS says about 400+ miles to our initial destination. Right after we came over a hill and the ocean was on the right. Stopped and checked and indeed the people at the car rental had put in the wrong destination. Turned around and headed west – lost about an hour. Stopped in Borgarnes for lunch. Then headed out via the H47 circling the Hvalfjordur fjord instead of the tunnel. Very scenic! From there headed up H54 via the plains of Myrar. Very scenic – stopped at a large volcanic eruption debris field and continued to H 56 to the Snaefellsnes peninsula. Stopped for pictures along the way. Did stop at a small LCEI in Grundarfjordur – a small fishing village. We went into the church and the pastor was there. Spent some time talking with him about the Lutheran Church in Iceland and his parish – extremely interesting person. On the way out of town stopped a small waterfall – us and a bunch of other people. The place is rife with waterfalls from the snow in the mountains. We continued on around the peninsula through several other small fishing villages. Stopped at Dritvik and walked down to the beach. Saw, on the way the wreck of a trawler from 1946 scattered along the beach. This area was a major Diana area in the 40s – since has completely died off. Next interesting stop was at Pufubjarg which has a large colony of nesting seagulls and other birds on the cliffs above the ocean. Quite interesting! After a couple of other stops along the western coast we made it to our first stop – Kast Guesthouse. Supper was lamb – the absolute best I have ever had and mushroom soup which was quite good.
BTW as I am typing this it is right now 2223 and am typing with no additional light. Still bright out but looks like late afternoon outside. The sun rises about 0230,
So I guess I better go hit the sack for today.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Pick up your car in the morning and start your road trip adventure. Leave Reykjavík and head to Borgarnes town where you will find the Icelandic Settlement Centre, whose main objective is to present the fascinating sagas from the settlement times as well as a special exhibition of the famous Viking poet, Egill Skallagrímsson.
Continue to Snæfellsnes Peninsula where you will come upon numerous natural wonders. Cross the plains of Mýrar and head to the South Coast of the peninsula. In the northern part of Mýrar, you will pass a number of spectacular craters. Continue to the charming hamlets of Arnarstapi and Hellnar where you will find easy access to bird cliffs and beautiful lava fields.
Continue around the tip of the peninsula at the foot Snæfellsjökull, a graceful glaciated volcano that is a popular destination for glacier hikers, snowmobilers, and skiers. For those not familiar with the glacier, a guide is recommended. Daily tours to the top of the glacier are available by either snowmobile or snowcat when conditions allow.
Highlights:
Borgarnes-Town
Hellnar
Arnarstapi Village
Lóndrangar Rock Formations
Snæfellsjökull Glacier
Photos