from the Borderlands to Snæfellsnes



4 November 2013


The North Atlantic Arc Home
October November
S M T W T F S
4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6



Monday 4 November 2013--We're headed back toward Reykjavík today, but first will have a look around the local area. The ring road runs inland along the eastern side of Reynisfjall, the ridge that forms a headland west of Vík. A minor road then leads down the western side, past the farm Reynir in the hamlet of Reynishverfi to the black sand beach, Reynisfjar. All of these names derive from Reyni-Björn, the Norwegian who was first to settle here. There are spectacular basalt columns in the cliffs by the beach, and Reynisdrangar can be viewed from a different angle. Legend has it that these jagged rocks were trolls towing a boat through the tide, turned to stone when they were caught in the sunrise. I'm not sure why the boat turned to stone, too.

Back along the ring road and down another side road, we come to the next promontory along the coast, called Dyrhólaey. There are more peculiar rock formations here, and a nice view east back to Reynisfjall. To the west, the black beach stretches as far as we can see. It looks almost satiny from this height. A cleft in the cliff leads down to a sheltered beach, and the light above and the remnants of some maritime hardware--a mooring cleat, a pulley--suggest that this was a working harbor not all that long ago. It's hard to imagine how the mooring cleat would have been used, so high up above the water on the clifftop.

Then we are off to the northwest, following the Ring Road through Selfoss and on past Reykjavík. We pass through the Hvalfjörður Tunnel and turn off toward the town of Akranes for a look around. We haven't booked a room for this evening, and this is the first of two possibilities. It is, at first glance, a charmless place, and after making a loop through, we move on.

Another half hour up the road, a causeway and bridge cross Borgarfjörður to the town of Borgarnes, which sits on a little spit of rock extending from the northern shore of the fjord. It's about a quarter of the size of Akranes, but seems to have a bit more charm. Too bad if it didn't, because this is where we're staying, in any case--it's getting late in the day, and there isn't another town of any size for a long way. There's a surprisingly large hotel, and we're lucky that there are a few guests already booked in--otherwise it would have been locked up. The hotel clerk recommends Eddu Veröld for dinner. It's a handsome little place, and the food and beer are good. Very quiet, though...about what you'd expect on a Monday night in early November in a small town in Iceland, I guess.

Next



Overnight Snow




Dyrhólaey


Dyrhólaey


Cave And Basalt Columns At Reynisfjell




Reynisdrangar










Reynisfjell From Dyrhólaey


Dyrhólaey


Dyrhólaey


Dyrhólaey


Dyrhólaey


Reynisfjell From Dyrhólaey


View West From Dyrhólaey


Dyrhólaey


Dyrhólaey


Cleat


Pulley


Dyrhólaey


Reynisdrangar


Reynisfjell From Dyrhólaey

And Back On The Road....

























Approaching Borgarnes


View From Hotel, Early Evening


Eddu Veröld

Next


October November
S M T W T F S
4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6

The North Atlantic Arc Home















Mr Tattie Heid's Mileage

Results may vary