Woke up to blue sky and sunshine, with the promise of much improved weather. Sadly it was short lived, but we did enjoy the patches of warmth that we did get.
Packed up our bags and bid farewell to our Horgland Cottage and began our journey to Mid Hvoll Cottages near Vik.
Our first stop was Stjomarfoss waterfall. David managed to find a very small patch of ice to skate on, which made him very happy. The water flowing from the falls had washed up huge chunks of ice along the riverbank, it must have been pretty impressive during the winter months when everything was frozen.
We then moved on to Fgadrargljufur Canyon where we walked up an incredibly muddy path and along the edge of the canyon, looking down onto the river below. The weather was kind to us at that stage and we even enjoyed some patches of sunshine.
Driving further east we stopped in Vik, the largest town in this area (about 360 permanent residents) Went to the supermarket to stock up for dinner - pizza seemed the safest option as we had no idea of what some of the other food was. They had the biggest capsicums we had ever seen, which also turned out to be the sweetest and tastiest that we have eaten. Ella was very excited to be able to have her first coffee since we arrived.
Further along the coast to Reynisfjara Beach with the same incredible black sand and amazing rock formations at one end. Sadly the place was full of tour busses and people like us. Interestingly, although Iceland has clearly embraced and welcomed the money bought by tourists, it doesn't feel touristy in the same was as so many other places do.
Gigjagja Cave, which was under whelming and not worth the effort of getting bundled up in our warm gear, to walk to. In fact the best part was the really bumpy drive to the beach.
Last stop was the Skogafoss waterfall, which included 370 steps to view the falls from above. This also gave an incredible view of the South coast. The steps were a bit shaky and the viewing platform seemed a bit dodgy, but we lived to tell the tale. There was a walking track along the edge of the river that also gave great views of the smaller falls further up the river. We had just climbed back down and were walking to look at the bottom of the falls when an incredible hail storm blew in. The wind was so strong that the hail stones were really quite painful. As quickly as it arrived, the wind changed direction and blew the spray from the falls toward us. End result we were freezing cold and very wet. Still, well worth the effort.
We are now snug and warm in our cottage, as the weather blasts around us. Still hoping for a glimpse of the Aurora, but it's not looking good.
Packed up our bags and bid farewell to our Horgland Cottage and began our journey to Mid Hvoll Cottages near Vik.
Our first stop was Stjomarfoss waterfall. David managed to find a very small patch of ice to skate on, which made him very happy. The water flowing from the falls had washed up huge chunks of ice along the riverbank, it must have been pretty impressive during the winter months when everything was frozen.
We then moved on to Fgadrargljufur Canyon where we walked up an incredibly muddy path and along the edge of the canyon, looking down onto the river below. The weather was kind to us at that stage and we even enjoyed some patches of sunshine.
Driving further east we stopped in Vik, the largest town in this area (about 360 permanent residents) Went to the supermarket to stock up for dinner - pizza seemed the safest option as we had no idea of what some of the other food was. They had the biggest capsicums we had ever seen, which also turned out to be the sweetest and tastiest that we have eaten. Ella was very excited to be able to have her first coffee since we arrived.
Further along the coast to Reynisfjara Beach with the same incredible black sand and amazing rock formations at one end. Sadly the place was full of tour busses and people like us. Interestingly, although Iceland has clearly embraced and welcomed the money bought by tourists, it doesn't feel touristy in the same was as so many other places do.
Gigjagja Cave, which was under whelming and not worth the effort of getting bundled up in our warm gear, to walk to. In fact the best part was the really bumpy drive to the beach.
Last stop was the Skogafoss waterfall, which included 370 steps to view the falls from above. This also gave an incredible view of the South coast. The steps were a bit shaky and the viewing platform seemed a bit dodgy, but we lived to tell the tale. There was a walking track along the edge of the river that also gave great views of the smaller falls further up the river. We had just climbed back down and were walking to look at the bottom of the falls when an incredible hail storm blew in. The wind was so strong that the hail stones were really quite painful. As quickly as it arrived, the wind changed direction and blew the spray from the falls toward us. End result we were freezing cold and very wet. Still, well worth the effort.
We are now snug and warm in our cottage, as the weather blasts around us. Still hoping for a glimpse of the Aurora, but it's not looking good.
1 comment:
Incredible photos. Hope the weather improves for you. Gay
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