Goodbye Denmark, Hello Iceland
Monday 15th June
Last week in Tolne – well it’s not even a full week because we leave late Thursday night. Interesting daily brief today – I was updating FB with the weekly blog whilst listening to points pertaining to me in the daily run down of necessary chores when Greg ‘saw his arse’ and told me to put my Notebook away ( apparently whilst I can multi task, Greg can’t!!) But of course this isn’t the first time he’s ‘lost his rag’ – certainly working for him has been the least rewarding workaway experience to date. It’s like being caught between a rock and a hard place; either (a) ensure you’ve had his express permission to carry out a job in a certain way or (b) act on common sense and initiative and previous discussions to get a job done. Understandably after our military experiences (a) is insulting and unpalatable but (b) regularly leads to a ‘Greg tantrum’ especially as something that was acceptable to him one day, isn’t the next. We’ve never been so poorly managed for so little return. Today’s chores – this’ll probably come as no surprise but more wood chopping. Our favourite chore as it keeps us busy and ‘out of the line of fire!’
Tuesday 16th June
Our last day off and we go to Bangsbo Manor and gardens just outside Frederikshavn and go geocaching. 16 caches sought and found and a beautiful walk with fantastic weather.
Wednesday 17th June
Today the good weather comes to an end so we return to the guest bedroom that we’ve papered and painted. We empty it of furniture and sand down the skirting board and paint it and put another coat on the ceiling.
Tomorrow we’ll put a third coat of paint on the walls. Then we have a go throwing a clay pot with mixed results – we’ve been messing around for sometime when Janne comes in and gives us a demonstration. Of course she makes it look effortless. Daz manages to produce 3 pots but I’m not successful and my pots keep collapsing or flying off the wheel.
Thursday 18th June
Our final day and Alejandro has a day off today. It’s a busy day for Greg and Janne today. There’s a meeting about qualifying for grants which is really important as they need to generate as much supplementary income as possible since the B&B is only busy for the summer months. And this afternoon they have been booked by Hamilton’s (Greg’s oldest son) school to come in and demonstrate how to make Japanese kites. This is surprisingly lucrative and they leave shortly after lunch taking Alejandro so he can see Hjørring. Meanwhile we paint the walls in the guest bedroom and then we need to touch up the skirting board once the masking tape is removed. Once it’s done we return the furniture.
Daz puts the final layer of chalk/sand on Greg’s pizza oven whilst I tidy and hoover downstairs. And then we’re done and packed. We take Lucy for a ‘last walk’ and come home and cook our dinner. The house is empty – Janne’s parents were there when we went out but Iben was crying uncontrollably, and now they’ve gone out. Our train from Tolne to Copenhagen Airport is at 2308hrs. We spend the time watching Brooklyn 99, Daz’s new favourite show and saying farewell to Janne, Greg and Janne’s parents. Alejandro keeps us company and walks us over to the train platform. He’s such a sweetheart – a laid back, good-looking, qualified vintner, guitar playing musician from the mountains in Mendoza, Argentina. We will miss him – he’s a very entertaining lad.
Friday 19th June
We arrive at Copenhagen airport at 6am for a 1305hrs flight. We could have taken the 0430 train but this was scheduled to arrive only 2 hours before our flight, insufficient contingency for Mr Broadhurst who still gets into a ‘bit of a tizz’ on travel days. It would be sweet if it wasn’t so annoying!!! We’re not allowed to book in until 11am so we just try and nap until then.
Once we book in we find a replacement for Daz’s Kindle. We land at 1425hrs in Iceland, having gained 2 hours, and there’s problems with the baggage and everyone’s waiting for their luggage. Finally we’re out and we collect our hire car. It would have cost £70 each in bus and ferry fares to get to Bildudalur but they only run early in the day so we’d also need a hotel for the night. I’m driving because Daz has barely slept – it’s the first time I’ve driven in 5 months. It’s 440 km, much of it on dirt roads and Daz is completely breathtaken by the landscape and takes 100’s of photos.
There’s still snow on many of the hills and we later discover that a late spring combined with unusual winter snow fall from the south, instead of the north, has left all the snowed unthawed. Usually by mid June the snow would be gone. We finally arrive at Bildudalur at 9pm and Ása and Maggi (our hosts) are up with the 2 volunteers Tyler and Chantrelle, from Ohio who have been here 6 weeks. We have dinner, fresh Halibut caught by Maggi, which is very tasty. Maggi is a fisherman and owns a boat with his son. It seems he mostly fishes for cod, haddock and halibut. Apparently he catches mackerel but it’s not a popular fish out here so he wouldn’t eat it, just use it for bait.
Saturday 20th June
It’s the summer solstice and it didn’t get dark last night. We slept so well – the bed was soo comfortable. Last night Ása put us in Stiklur, the B&B. It’s got the most amazing power shower and for breakfast a great muesli. We’re in heaven. Ása has kindly agreed that we don’t need to start work until Monday and so she gives us directions to the bird cliff. It’s Látrabjarg Cliffs, the cliffs of all cliffs. They are 14 km long and 441m high, with a vertical drop into the ocean. This Is Iceland’s westernmost point and Europe’s biggest bird cliff with a bird population counted in millions including puffins, Northern Gannets, Guillemots and Razorbills.

Safe from foxes, the birds are fearless, and provide stunning photographic opportunities. The puffins are particularly tame and frequent the grassy, higher part of the cliffs. We spend ages getting up close and personal with many puffins and then we walk along the cliff for a couple of kms admiring the cliffs and ocean views and watching the birds fly on and off the cliffs.
Not so admirable is the smell!! It reminds me of penguin watching in the Falklands.
From Látrabjarg we drive to Rauõasandur (Red Sand), a beach of endless red sand – well not endless because it’s only 10km long and it’s not red either. We walk out towards the beach, the Arctic Terns are nesting in the fields along the footpath and they become aggressive when Daz wanders towards their nests and start swooping down on his head.
Even when he walks away they don’t relent and continue to attack him. At the end of the footpath there’s a channel about 30m wide separating us from the beach. We paddle through and it’s not too cold and then we walk into the Atlantic Ocean which is so cold that it’s agony for our feet and legs. It’s pretty rough too.
We walk back once again braving the attacks of the Arctic Terns and admiring the red-necked Phalarope swimming on the stream with their partners. We also see a curlew. There is so much bird life here and much of it oblivious to humans. There’s a seal colony here too and we can just make it out through the binos – we could walk out at low tide but Daz thinks we might meet the same fate as the Morecambe Bay cockle pickers. There is a tractor and trailer the farmer uses to take tourists out to the seals and hopefully we’ll get a chance to do that during our visit.
We drive back to Patreksfjordur to drop off the hire car. Tyler and Chantrelle have recommended a restaurant there, End of the World, and we go and check it out. It’s not open for usual service but instead are having an all you can eat barbecue’. So that’s our plan and we’re just having a beer and checking if Ása can pick us up later (she’s 25km away) when she phones to say she’s just realised she needs our room in the B&B for guests. So we come back and move into Àsa’s house. There’s a ‘steam punk’ festival on today and Ása is taking us all to the Royal feast of roasted lamb and vegetables.
Sunday 21st June.
Maggi has gone fishing today at 6am and we don’t expect him back until Thursday. The B&B has a complete turnover of guests so Ása is locked in the laundry room dealing with the mountain of dirty laundry. Daz and I wander through the village. Bildudalur enjoys some of the best summer weather in the Westfjords. It’s on the coast of Arnarfjörõur and is sheltered from the sea breeze. Arnarfjörõur is one of the largest and most spectacular fjords in Iceland. It’s surrounded by steep mountains and valleys and is famous for its beautiful landscape. The largest industry in Bildudalur is a sea mineral plant that processes calcified red seaweed harvested from the seabed and mainly used in animal feed and fertiliser.
From the village we walk north west along the fjord coast to a beautiful beach.
We’re walking outwards over the sand when we spot a brown mound – we walk towards it and finally realise it’s a young chick. It’s brown with black spots and is brilliantly camouflaged against the browny/black sand.
It doesn’t run away or take any notice of us. We look round expecting a defensive mother to come running to protect her young but don’t see anything. We walk away and find another 2 chicks. We walk along the beach and back to the chicks but they are no longer there. We later find out they’re the young of the Arctic Tern.
Monday 22nd June
Our first day of work. We go to the B&B for breakfast. Our chores today: to do the laundry, clear cellar of the B&B, put a lock on the cellar door and put the Barbecue together.
After our chores we take the car – yes there’s a little Vauxhall Corsa at the disposal of the volunteers which we take along the shore of the fjord, to Selárdalur to view the artwork of Samúel Jónsson. As Daz put it, it’s completely underwhelming!!
The guy was never trained in art and it shows!!!
Tuesday 23rd June
We’ve moved back into the B&B just because the room is a bit bigger, there are 2 fabulous power showers and because Emilea, an employee of Àsa, prepares breakfast for the guests from 8am to 10, and that’s where we have breakfast. Àsa comes down from her house (100m) to chat to her guests whilst they have breakfast, in case they want to ask about local visits etc. We expected Maggi to be fishing until Thursday but Sunday night Àsa had to pick him up at midnight and Monday night she had to fetch him at 3am. She also spends most of the day running around between her various properties, checking on the B&B, dealing with guests and doing related chores such as shopping, paperwork etc. It’s a full time job.
Today she’s off to Isafjoröur to do some shopping. That’s a 2 hour drive each way. Whilst she’s away we defrost the chest freezer in her cellar, tidy her cellar and do some gardening.
Interspersed with this is the laundry chore. Most of the B&B guests only stay one night, so there’s always a mountain of dirty laundry. There are 2 washing machines to keep running and the bed linen has to be hung out to dry at Ása’s house, whilst the robes and towels can go in the driers.
Daz also attaches toilet roll dispensers in the toilets.
So we keep ourselves busy and when we finish we take a walk out of the village towards the golf course. Just on the edge of the village there’s a field, which seems a haven for more Arctic Terns. We watch for about 10 minutes through the binos. The Terns appear to have their own piece of territory but because we’re so close keep taking flight and then landing again. We scour the area for chicks but can’t see any and finally armed with a stick above my head I advance into the field. Within 5 metres of the fence I find some eggs so we conclude they’re incubating their eggs but it’s a dangerous game walking into their territory. They fly over head and make a clacking noise; we think this is their warning call because it precedes them diving towards our heads.
It’s actually very scary!
Daz cooks dinner for everyone using the haddock Maggi caught yesterday; breaded haddock, potatoes and onion and tomato salad yum.
Wednesday 24th June
I think we’re both suffering with the endless daylight we’re having here. We find we don’t notice the time because it’s so light all the time and then suddenly it’s nearly midnight. Then I’ve been waking at 3am ish and it’s like broad daylight. So we’re off to a sluggish start but 5 cups of coffee (but they’re only little cups) and we get started. Tyler and Chantrelle are leaving today. Originally they were going to leave on 27th but have brought it forward. They have about 14 days until their flight home and Ása has lent them the Vauxhall Corsa because the hire car was too expensive and they were going to hitch. They’ll have the car and if it makes the trip they’ll leave it in Reykjavík and Ása will arrange to pick it up. So to date Ása is by far the most generous workaway host and we’ve seen a lot of generosity. Today’s chores – laundry and preparing the outer wooden staircase to the first floor of the B&B. So once we’ve found all the tools and equipment we need, which is a surprisingly long process because Maggi hides tools in his truck and on his boat because he knows Ása won’t go there or they’re in one of the houses, we sand and scrape down the woodwork ready for painting.
Then Daz goes off to make a late lunch because Ása is off to a planning meeting this afternoon and won’t be back until late. Oh yes, nearly forgot, latest casualty of the trip our fantastic camera. Daz said it was drop proof but yesterday he proved otherwise. He says it still works but won’t focus – is it me or isn’t that the point of a camera!!!
In the evening we’re left in charge of Stiklur, the B&B, because Ása is at the planning meeting in Patreksfjordur, waiting for 4 guests to book in. Whilst we’re waiting we decide to rearrange Ása’s office/laundry. I had proposed this on Tuesday but she wasn’t keen. By Wednesday she did mention that it might be a good idea to do it at some point. By the time she returns 3 of the 4guests are booked in and her office looks completely different and all her bits and pieces are stored neatly in one of the cellar rooms.
before:
After:
Thursday 25th June
Fun start to the day – I finally manage to get some photos of Daz sleeping. I’d told him that he slept in some very peculiar positions; either with both hands behind his head or with his hands cupping his face and now I can actually show him and the rest of the world by putting it on FB – LOL
Today we go in search of more tools and equipment and then once Daz has the ladder he does more sanding of the staircase we were working on yesterday. Meanwhile I cut the grass at Ása’s house which is on quite a slope so is quite hard work.
Then Daz does some strimming and then we start painting the staircase with primer. Today is the start of the Bildudalur Green Pea festival. Bildudalur once had a factory from 1932 to 1972 which produced tins of green peas which were very popular and then after the factory closed there was a Green Peas song and so the festival is in celebration of this; any excuse if you ask me.
During the festival there’s lots of fun stuff for kids to do, a golf competition, football tournament and music and storytelling, with a bit of drinking involved too!! It proves later throughout the weekend to be a real community festival, with everyone getting involved putting up green bunting and balloons around their properties,holding musical events for all to enjoy in their gardens (lots of local Icelandic songs are played by the different musicians with people joining in the singing and with some good international stuff thrown in too) It’s great to see such community spirit with everyone having a thoroughly good time together. Today there is also a 5km fun run, Daz and I take part but I know his competitive streak will be at the fore so I make him run with me, he sulks for a while with his big fat bottom lip out but soon gets over it as we run together in the brilliant sunshine out of the village and into the countryside It’s a straight run out and then turn around at the half way point, which means we have to run past the nesting Arctic Terns twice, it’s funny watching the runners ahead of us waving their arms about in the air to deflect the swooping birds… Until it’s our turn underneath them of course!! One bad point about having Daz run with me is that it makes me run faster than I’d like but at the turn around point I am pleased that I am the first female, that is until a teenage girl whizzes past just after the turn as if she isn’t even trying! Back in the village I am pleased if a little breathless with my 2nd female place even if it is just a fun run and Daz is happy just to be out running in the sun, so all good there.
Maggi’s son is over from London so we all have dinner together, Daz has made fish curry. Then Maggi is off to the community centre to tell the story of Joi. He was Maggi’s uncle, single all his life and a womaniser. He was a great character in the area and so he’s been chosen to adorn the special beer bottles.
Each year it’s someone different. We look after the B&B until the storytelling is done. It’s in Icelandic so we don’t understand a word anyway. Then it’s off to bed. We sleep for a bit and then wake at midnight. We can hear music, it’s local musicians playing in people’s back gardens and the music and chatter goes on until 3am.
Friday 26th June
Today Maggi is leading a walk as part of the festival and we’re going too. We drive to Halfdan Pass and then walk north over Halfdan down to Bildudalur airport. On the way we see Iceland’s font. It’s the hill from which a Norwegian viking called Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerđarson, looked down into the Vatnsfjörđur which was full of pack ice, and named the country Iceland. The walk is superb.
There are 10 of us in Maggi’s group and we walk 4.5 hours. Daz has it as number 1 experience of our trip so far. We find 3 nests along the way with eggs waiting to hatch, one belonging to the Grouse and the other 2, Calidris Alpina (we think) and there’s the beautiful mountain flowers and the views down into the fjords.
A lovely but tiring walk. Back at Bildudalur we give Àsa a hand with some chores and then take our bags to one of Ása’s cottages where we will now be living. Once we’ve sorted our room we go back to the village to listen to music in someone’s garden.
After the music we go to someone else’s garden down by the water where they are serving fish soup, rolls and white wine and gaze out over the fjord.
Then we return to the village, where Ása finds us and we go to the opening ceremony where there’s more music and then a bonfire.
Finally we finish the day at the Sea Monster museum listening to a singer who proclaims himself world famous. He’s pretty shit so I think this is unlikely! This has been an absolutely fantastic day and so far Iceland is proving to be the best experience to date.
Saturday 27th June
It’s a slow start for me this morning. I’ve got a hangover from hell. Finally Ása phones wondering where we are. Apparently there’s shrimp down by the harbour to eat but by the time we make it they’re all gone. But there’s some lovely tender grilled lamb to try. We potter around and sit and listen to some music whilst enjoying the sunshine. Later we enjoy a BBQ at the B&B that Maggi cooks for their family andfriends, there are about 20 people there and we chat with his sons and nieces and nephews, a lovely evening of lamb and red wine.
To finish of the evening we pop back tot thefestival in the village and sit listening tothe music from the live stage. The drummer is very bizarre in his drumming mannerisms as he sems to be gurning through each set!!
Its funny to watch and we laugh and people watch as the night continues. Just after midnight we call it a night and walk back to our room in the midnight sunlight. Brilliant.
Sunday 28th June.
After being woken at 3am and 5.30am by the arrival of our drunken house mates we get a late start to breakfast at the B&B. We were originally going to walk to Tàlknafjordur which is a little village in the next fjord over and entails a ten km walk over the hills but we are a little tired so decide to go for a simple walk up the valley to pickup a geocache (one of the very few in the area) about 3.5km out of the village. After getting past the diving Arctic Terns we walk through the golf course and up the river course heading into the valley. We should turn off and go towards the road here and the geocache but Daz thinks there might be some waterfalls further up and so we continue along the river.
There’s no path and we are navigating high grass and low bushes and occasionally getting our feet wet crossing the numerous streams that join the river, but we persevere in our crocs and as we round a small bluff we see the waterfalls ahead, it turns out there are a series of them and as we go higher up the river cuts a deep gorge in places where the raging waters make it hard to hear our own voices, but it’s a stunning walk and we spend time admiring the power of the water and the sheer beauty. Finally as we walk up to the last waterfall we come across the road and leaving the river behind we head back down the valley towards the village. We even manage to find the geocache as an added bonus before trying to hitch a lift.
As luck would have it Maggi drives by and stops to pick us up and drops us off back at the B&B… Result!! Although we walked much further than anticipated it was another fab day in Bildudalur. Today is the last day of the festival and it’s back to work for us tomorrow. Maggi is off fishing again tomorrow. All our housemates have gone by Sunday evening – it’s just a shame they didn’t fancy cleaning up behind them! But we have the house to ourselves – result!
Monday 29th June
Oh joy, we’ve had a good night’s sleep. We’re up fairly early – 7.30am and take the dirty laundry and rubbish to Stiklur. We have breakfast, start laundry and get rid of all the rubbish from the weekend using Maggi’s truck.
Asa is off to the puffin cliffs with her sister so we’re going to get on with the staircase – we need to finish priming and then start painting. It’s going to be a moss green – all the trim will be this colour and the building grey – so it’s like a rock with moss.
We paint all day breaking to have lunch and then finish with a run! Then we cook dinner. Roll on the next week!!!
Tuesday 30th June
We carry on painting today but the wind is really picking up so excessive paint is getting blown everywhere and it’s much colder but the wind is drying the paint so quickly that it becomes as tacky as glue in no time, making it even more difficult than normal.
Wednesday 1st July
The wind was blowing a gale last night and rain is forecast so we have an indoor job today. We need to strip out all the cheap cladding in cottage number 2 and remove all the rubbish.
We don’t start this demolition job until we’ve moved all the furniture and bric a brac that Ása wants to keep into the cellar of the B&B then it’s claw hammers, lump hammers and jemmy’s to the fore as we rip out the unwanted stuff in the cottage. Great fun. Then it’s off to the hairdressers – I’m having my hair chopped off and dyed orange. It’s definitely shorter than it was but definitely not orange!
Thursday 2nd July
Today we’re on gardening chores. Some weeding, grass mowing and strimming. The ‘lawns’ around the cottages are either on steep banks or rough ground so both mowing and strimming are extremely hard work and we have the ‘lawns’ around 3 cottages to do. By the end of today we’ve finished one and have started on the second. So that’s our work for Friday.
Friday 3rd July
Another day of mowing and strimming – think this might qualify as abuse!!!! The grass in most places hasn’t been cut in 2 years so under the new growth is the old straw from last year lying down and blocking the mower and strimmer, it needs a pass by the strimmer then several by the mower before it is cut, and after only 5 feet with the mower the box needs emptying so it’s stop start work for Daz on the mower as I wield the strimmer back and forth like the Jedi knight I am!! The birds love us and the cut grass. We have white wagtails and redwings everywhere searching for the freshly disturbed insects. We also do some laundry as we occasionally rest from the grass clearing.
Saturday 4th July
After brekkie we’re off with Ása to Rauõasandur to do an environmental litter sweep along the coast. There are other volunteers there and Ása wants to socialise with everyone but instead we are told to work as a team. The 3 of us are sent down the coast a ways to an area of beach and grasslands, more walking about on ‘babies heads’ grass, sinking and stumbling in the deep ravines as we look for flotsam and jetsam, rubbish that has ended up here. There are old tyres, old fishing nets that have become entwined with the grass itself making it hard to pull up, old fishing net floats and lots of plastic tubs,pots and vessels which we pile up at regular intervals along the beach so that the farmer and his tractor trailer can pick it all up later.
We find a pile of whale bones and see some nesting birds and chicks as we go about our work.
After a couple of hours we get tired and head back to the carpark at the beach. We eat some sarnies we brought then decide after chatting with the farmer to walk out onto the sands towards where a herd of seals are lying on the beach in the sun. It takes about30 minutes for the 3 of us to get near them as we cross the gorgeous gold and black volcanic sands, but as we get near we realise there is a waterway between us.
It looks shallow enough to cross so we can get closer, but as Daz tries to cross he suddenly sinks about a foot into the sand and struggles to get out, quicksand!!! We have to make do with watching the seals for a while with our binoculars and taking some distant photos before we head back along the beach to the carpark. We walk back via the surf side of the sand spit and paddle in the water which is still cold but not as bad as last time. In the distance, past the local hills, we can see the glacial mount of Snæfellsnes in the distance, an amazing sight.
Daz and I have brought our walking boots with us and on the way back to Bildudalur Asa drops us in Tàlknafjordur so that we can walk over the mountain between the two villages, along a cairn marked track. It’s at least 10km over the top and as we sit on the grass putting on our boots we look up at the sight of the trek facing us, with the sun shining down it’s going to be a hard slog because it’s straight up the river valley as far as we can see!! We say bye to Asa and set off over a small stream and head up a small worn track that is marked by regular wooden posts and we soon gain a lot of height. Higher and higher in the heat we slowly ascend, one foot in front of the other, taking time and making sure we look up occasionally to take in the views behind us of Tàlknafjordur. The path gets rockier as it progresses and soon disappears but we can still see the posts ahead and we continue on. We are now also having to cross swathes of snow,the remnants from winter which makes it hard going as we sink a couple of inches with each step into the crust.
We reach a plateau and continue along until we reach a lake of snow melt water. With the sun still shining, we strip out of our sweaty kit for a skinny dip and stumble into the frigid waters. Wow it’s cold, but we have lots of fun seeing who will go deeper.
We both make it to about knee depth and wait, in the freezing water wondering who will dare go further… In the end I take the plunge first then Daz takes a dive and comes up squealing with the shock of the cold!! What amazing fun alone on the hillside, nobody else but a few birds, the sun and our mad laughter.
We continue on across the rocky landscape, now following cairns in the distance as our only guide. It seems like we are on the moon, and it’s quite surreal. We have been stopping occasionally and watching the birds, including a Grouse that doesn’t want to fly but would rather wander about trying to hide from us. And then we spot a small black and white bird on one of the snow patches ahead of us,eating off the insects that are caught in the snow. It seems to lead us for a while,always sat on the next cairn as we approach and then off to the next snow patch, we later discover it’s a snow bunting or Snjotittlingur in Icelandic – snow cock. We thoroughly enjoy watching it and hearing it sing.
Finally we reach the end of the plateau and can see Bildudalur below in the distance, but we still have a lot of ground to cover. Fortunately it’s much easier going down especially when we follow one long line of snow which we can jog down.It leads us to another snowy lake, no dip this time, and we are soon below the snow line again, now crossing grass and low shrubbery as we leap across the many little streams tumbling their way down the hillside.
Finally after 4 hours we reach the road and now only have a 3 km walk back into the village, but amazingly we don’t have to walk for long as along come Maggi and Ása who give us a lift to the village!!
An amazing walk in Iceland’s beauty and we celebrate with a glass of wine and fish ‘n chips in the Vegamot the village store/restaurant.
Sunday 5th July.
We are off on another day out. This time to Isafjoröur which is only 48km as the crow flies but an amazingly long 144 km away by mainly gravel road following round several fjords and under a mountain tunnel pass to get there. But it’s to celebrate Heulwen’s birthday which will be on Tuesday, so it’s all going to be worth it!! As usual the scenery is stunning, the gravel road climbs along the switchback mountain passes, hair raising at times,
but after a couple of detours to see some little fishing villages Ása recommended we should visit (typical Daz and Hels drive through!!) we reach the mountain tunnel that will take us into Isafjoröur.
It’s a one lane tunnel with passing places so as you are driving through the 7km tunnel if you see car headlights coming towards you depending which way you are going and the priority you have to pull into one of the little caves alongside the road before you have a head on smash to allow the other traffic past!!! Scary to say the least as the tunnel is barely lit and we can only imagine what it would be like on a bike, that is if they are allowed!! No idea how you would get there if not!!
We pass out of the tunnel and Isafjoröur is laid out below us, it has a small ski lift, a golf course and a harbour with more shops and cafes than we have seen in a while!! Our destination however is the number 1 restaurant on tripadvisor, an all you can eat fish buffet restaurant in a wooden hut near the harbour. All the food is cooked fresh from the day’s catch with a soup to start and several different fish courses and cooking techniques to try from.
It’s expensive but all the reviews say it’s worth it. Unfortunately… we obviously catch them on a very bad day as the service is appallingly bad, the food choice is meagre and we seem to be treated completely differently to other larger group bookings, who get more choice and better service even though we booked as well. We complain to the waitress but are getting nowhere so we ask to see the manager. 15 minutes later we are debating walking out, but ask her again and finally we are seen by the chef/manager. We make our complaint and apart from “we had a very busy night last night” can’t seem to excuse himself, but we stick our ground and finally he says we can have our meal for free, Billy bonus!! We pop off and go to the local bakery and have coffee and cake to make up for it!! We then head off to the Arctic Fox Centre which is about 17km further out of town and for once pay for entry and immerse ourselves in the world of the only native mammal in Iceland.
They even have a little orphan cub in an enclosure out back which we spend time watching as it played amongst the vegetation.
Finally we head off back towards Bildudalur, a 2 hour drive ahead of us, but also a couple of stops on the way, one to a waffle coffee shop in the middle of nowhere that was in an old turf roofed hut,
and was fab and then onto Dyjandi, the largest waterfall in the Westfjords. It’s an amazing scene as the waterfall cascades off the mountain top to fall 186 meters to sea level and you can walk all the way up to its base past smaller raging waterfalls, which we do, getting wet and windswept in the process!!
The most incredible thing is that we can see this most amazing natural phenomenon for no charge. This would never happen in the UK and also we are able to walk right to the edge – there aren’t safety barriers everywhere!
Finally we’re nearly home and we see flocks of Arctic Terns in the fields and we can see their nests just on the roadside. And there are eggs!! We sit and watch (from the safety of the truck) and get some great photos.
Monday 6th July
Late start today. The alarm didn’t go off because it ran out of charge. After such a busy weekend we’re both tired anyway. We struggle to the B&B for breakfast and then it’s off to finish the grass cutting. It takes us the rest of our work day to finish cottage 4 and take the grass to the grass dump. However, Ása says we still need to do her house and house number 1 so there’s still more to do.
Tuesday 7th July
Today is my birthday. Today is the day Maggi died. He had gone fishing on Sunday in the trawler and for some reason on Monday night it sank. The crew had time to don immersion suits….. But Maggi didn’t survive.

We’re finishing the last 2 gardens today. So that’s 5 gardens in 4 days – approximately 40hours of mowing and strimming!!
Ása is with Maggi’s son Bjössi who was also on the trawler when it sank. It’s a sad day and the flags in the village are at half mast. Ása’s cousin and his mother come back to the village, they were only here at the weekend. We’re expecting Ása’s mother, brother and her sister. We’ve offered to run the B&B for the next couple of days so we need to be available in the evening for booking in and at breakfast for ‘local’ knowledge of the area.
Wednesday 8th July
Today we – well Daz – puts together some Ikea furniture that Maggi brought back from Reykjavik on Saturday and I do the laundry and strip beds so Emmalea can get on with other stuff. Normally Ása would run breakfast from 8ish onwards and Emilea would start cleaning rooms but without Ása here, Emilea is stuck in the kitchen until after 10. Daz and I bicker for about an hour as to where the shelves should go and even about whether he should leave them for later.
Then we go back to painting our staircase, which we stopped when the weather turned nasty. Ása is off to Isafjordur with her sister to see Maggi before he’s moved to Reykjavik for an autopsy.
Thursday 9th July
Ása has gone to Reykjavik to see Maggi’s children. She’ll be gone a couple of days we think so we get on with the usual chores: more painting, more laundry but today we have a shopping trip to Patreksfjordur planned – the B&B is short of supplies.
Friday 10th July
Today there’s more laundry, more painting, and just checking all is ready for our guests. Some guests last night asked for an early breakfast. We agreed and text Emmalea to let her know. Fortunately we managed to drag ourselves over there just as thecguests were going into breakfast – Emilea looking at us – like ‘WTF?????’ – she’d given us an old number so had no idea what was going on. Later on we’re painting (again) and the famous singer of Bíldudalur starts talking to us in Icelandic. We told him we didn’t understand but he persists and continues gesticulating. We didn’t have a clue what he wanted but there was no sign of him leaving. Finally I called Emilea out to translate – bless him he only wants his ladder back. But clearly Emilea was not to be trusted because he sent someone else over to tell us to return the ladder. But we ain’t finished with it yet!!!
Saturday 11th July
Emilea is doing breakfast with Katerina. We’re there too to do the laundry and for Daz to do his ‘tour guide’ bit – he’s getting pretty good at reeling off ‘best places to visit’ locally. Ása should be back today and Maggi’s funeral will be next Saturday. We have a film session to wind up the day whilst Daz pops off occasionally to greet guests. We watch Magic Mike and Jurassic World.
Sunday 12th July
B&B duties today. The dirty linen is stripped and the beds remade by 1030. Laundry is on the go. It’s looking good – just the cottage to worry about. Ása got back late last night and once all is in order we take some time off. We take a packed lunch and plan a walk up some of the local mounts, in particular Lonfell and Klakkur. Lonfell according to legend is the place where Iceland got its name. But when we get there the cloud cover and imminent rain puts us off. Instead we drive around the Flokalundur nature reserve area for some exploring and walk up to look at a Waterfall and later a river gorge. We then take the coastal road past the ferry to the Snafellnes peninsula and on to Patreksfjörđur.
Monday 13th August
Today we have a full day off and we have a plan. We’ve had breakfast and made our packed lunch and we’re on the road by 0930. We drive to Látrabjarg. It’s the bird cliff. Last time we were there, there was a strong wind and it was really cold. Today it’s warm and barely a breeze. We’re going to walk East along the birdcliff and then down a river valley, turning West when we hit the coast and then back to the car. A 15km walk we think. The bird cliff is amazing as ever with puffins, razorbills, fulmars and their chicks and others we can’t identify.
Down the river valley we’re walking on moss so deep our feet sink several inches.
When we reach the beach there are more birds to watch; dunlins, sanderlings, turnstones and Arctic terns – if we’re identifying them correctly. It is not without a reason Iceland is sometimes called the bird watchers paradise. Up to 250 different species have been spotted and over 70 of them nest here regularly.
Once our walk is done and we say farewell to the puffins, we make our way back to Patreksfjörđur. On the way we spot an Arctic Tern nesting site and stop and spot their chicks.
At Patreksfjörđur we visit ‘World’s edge’ – TripAdvisor’s top restaurant here ( but there are only a handfull to choose from). We try Minke whale for a starter and have foal for our main. I’m sure many of you are throwing up your hands in disgust but these are Icelandic delicacies. However, the whale was overpowered by the sauce although the texture was nice, and the foal was rather bland and a little disappointing.
Tuesday 14th July
Today we’re back to B&B duties. All seems routine until the guests arrive. The family in the triple room want another bed/mattress in their room so we have to go to our house and bring another bed. Then the single occupancy, isn’t single so we need another duvet etc – that’s another raid on our house. And we’d already had to turn a double room into a triple. So we have 17 guests tonight.
We also finally manage to get rid of the wood / cladding we ripped out of house no 2 a couple of weeks ago. We thought the skip man came Wednesday and Saturday. We kept missing Saturday because it’s our day off and when I went to find skip on a Wednesday discovered we’d missed the collection because it’s a Tuesday. But today we finally get it right. The driver brings a big skip to the harbour and waits there for 2 hours, whilst people get rid of their wood and glass. Two truck loads later and the wood pile is gone.
Wednesday 15th July
Today it’s B&B chores, but after 17 in the B&B last night and a change over in house no. 1, there’s a laundry marathon and I fxxk up so there’s not enough linen for the B&B -it’s only ready after Emilea has gone home so we need to finish making up the rooms. We also go to Patreksfjordur for some provisions. I slept really badly last night so after Ted2 I just want to sleep.
Thursday 16th July
Today it’s B&B chores and painting signs
and a 2nd coat on the stairs – well a start anyway. And we want to do a geocache trail in Bildudalur in Maggi’s name – so we start preparing that too. So we walk around the village deciding where to put a cache and which to use.
We’ve been trying to remember all the ingenious caches we’ve ever found so that we can use them all in one trail. It’s turned into a lovely day – the sun is shining and it’s glorious!
Friday 17th July
More painting and B&B chores. Tonight at 8pm Maggi’s coffin will be open for close family to say ‘goodbye’. We watch family members walking past the B&B.
Saturday 18th July
Today is Maggi’s funeral at 2pm and then his wake at 4pm. We get the B&B done by lunchtime so Emilea can go to the funeral. We drive to Selárdalur to decide on the positions and types of cache for our geocache trail.
By 1pm we’re back in the village, which is absolutely packed with cars. The flags are at half mast and the Vegamot is shut. Everyone we see is walking towards the church. The church is too small to accommodate all those that have come to pay their respects so the overflow are in the Sea Monster museum, where a screen relaying the service has been set up, and the old school house where there’s an audio feed. The funeral lasts nearly 2 hours and then there’s the procession to the cemetery. Apparently 300 came to pay their respects – an indication, I think, not just of the strength of the community spirit here but also how highly regarded Maggi was.
Sunday 19th July
Not much to report today. We get the beds stripped and made up and the washing on pretty quickly so that Emilea can have her usual weekend half day. Then it’s back to the house for a nap and Kindle time. We’re finding this schedule very tiring even though it’s not hard work. I don’t know how Ása does it – usually she’d be here everyday through June/July and August greeting guests, dealing with problems, telling them all about the highlights of the Westfjords. In the evening a lovely Dutch couple arrive and we have a lovely chat with them and they tell us to pop in if we’re ever passing.
Monday 20th July
Ása is back – she’s off to Isafjordur to do a big shop. We’re planning an easy day with no meet and greet this evening because Ása is going to do it. But then disaster. We run out of hot water. The clients seem pretty pissed off but this has never happened before and we can’t get hold of Ása for advice. In the end we simply aplogise to the clients and Ása calls out an electrician and it turns out that the fuse has tripped but it takes 4-6 hours to reheat the water tank from empty.
Tuesday 21st July
Ása is doing breakfast today so we don’t bother getting up. Bliss! When we do get up we potter around and make a start on making some of our geocaches.
We’ve shown Ása our plan and she’s happy with it so we can shop for the stuff we need. Ása asks us to cover the arrivals in the evening.
Wednesday 22nd July
OMG the guest that hadn’t arrived by 11pm last night, rang us at 3 am. Daz tried to explain we’d left his key in an envelope in the foyer but it took a while before he understood by which time we’re both wide awake and struggled to get back to sleep. We do manage to get to breakfast at 9am only to find Ása desperate to leave. She’s finding it tough; when she chats to all the guests, she has always talked about Maggi and now she is still talking about him but then remembers he has gone. So very sad. She goes home and we do the usual chores around the B&B and some more painting. Ása told us Monday evening that Bjössi and Silya have gone away for a few days. We ask Ása if she’d like to do the same. If she were to go now we can keep things running until we leave on Sunday. (On Sunday my mum flies into Reykjavik and we’ve got a week with her in southern Iceland, it’s been booked awhile so there’s no postponing it!). Ása says yes and that’s it, she’s gone. We’re not entirely sure where but we know she’ll be with friends and better for it, I think!!! So we’re back on B&B duty full time!
Thursday / Friday / Saturday
Not much to report really. We do the B&B chores and cut the grass on the 3 cottages.
On Saturday afternoon Daz takes himself off to the nearest ‘hotpot’ – the Icelandic term for geothermal pools. The pool is 31degrees and the natural hotpot about 40 degrees. Beautiful! Then Saturday evening we pack for our week away, with my mum, in southern Iceland.
Sunday 26th July
We’re up early to finish packing and to do breakfast duties at the B&B. We’re only there 20 minutes and Ása arrives. We bring her up to date on what’s been happening and then we pack her car – she’s lending us her skoda estate for the week. And she’s had it in the garage too, to fix the tyres and brakes. This is so generous of her. We’re on the road by 10am. It’s a nice day and we make it to Reykjavik by 3pm after a stop off for lunch and to see Grábrókargígar, the site of 2 small volcanic craters, we enjoy a nice walk in the sunshine up and around the nearest one.
In Reykjavik we look for the first geocache laid in Iceland,
with 133 favourites; take a walk around the peninsula and then do a shop.
Then we find the city centre and have a look round. I wasn’t expecting much but actually it’s rather quaint, although not enough to keep you occupied for long.
After a bite to eat, we head out to the airport via Hafnarfjörđur to pick up the cottage keys. Mum’s flight is due at 2250hrs but is a little delayed, not landing until 2305hrs. She’s fine, although a little weary, and we head out to the cottage. We think it’ll take about 2 hours but it’s a little quicker with hardly any traffic. It seems a little darker, nearer twilight than daylight now that we are in the south of Iceland, and as we drive along the quiet roads we spot our first geothermal plumes coming up in the cool night air. We are realy looking forward to seeing what the south of Iceland has to offer. When we arrive at the cottage we’re all so tired that we get the car unloaded, have a quick cuppa and we’re all off to bed at 2am!!
Monday 27th July
Everyone starts stirring at around 0830am. I’d have liked more sleep but it’s not to be. We have a relaxed breakfast and enjoy the views.
The cottage is only 5km from Gullfoss and Geysir, which we can see in the valley laid out below us as we stand on the decking and we can also see Langjökull glacier to the north, an amazingly large amount of snow. After breakfast we drive to Gulfoss. Mum is just commenting that it can’t be anything special because there’s no high ground and then we turn the corner to see the land fall away in the river valley, and a fantastic waterfall. Awesome.
Gullfoss is Iceland’s most famous waterfall. Gullfoss means translated “Golden Falls” and is one of Iceland’s most beautiful and without a doubt Iceland’s most popular waterfall. Gullfoss is in the river Hvítá (engl. white river), which has its origin in the glacier lake Hvítávatn (engl. white river lake, simples huh??) at Lángjökull glacier about 40km north of Gullfoss.
Gullfoss consists of 2 waterfalls. The height of the upper waterfall is 11m and the lower one is 20m. The Gulfoss gorge was formed by flash flood waters that forced their way through cracks in the basalt lava layers. The average water flow is 109m3 per second, but sometimes reaches 2000m3sec (makes me want to go tinkle!!). The gorge is approximately 2.5km in length and up to 70metres in depth
Glacial water is brownish, since it carries lots of sediments that the glacial ice has carved off the earth. Gullfoss is called the “Golden Falls”, since on a sunny, day the water plunging down the three step staircase and then tumbling in two steps down into the 32 m deep crevice truly looks golden.
Sigríður Tómasdóttir, the daughter of Tómas Tómasson who owned the waterfall in the first half of the 20th century must have felt the same. She lived at a farm nearby and loved Gullfoss as no one else. At this period of time much speculation about using Gullfoss to harness electricity was going on. Foreign investors who rented Gullfoss indirectly from the owners wanted to build a hydroelectric powerplant, which would have changed and destroyed Gullfoss forever. As the story goes it’s thanks to Sigríður Tómasdóttir that we still can uplift ourself with the beauty of Gullfoss, because she was the one that protested so intensly against these plans by going as far to threat that she would throw herself into Gullfoss and therby kill herself. To make her threat believeable she went barefoot on a protest march from Gullfoss to Reykjavik. In those days the roads weren’t paved and when she arrived after 120 kilometers her feet were bleeding and she was in very bad shape.
The people believed her and listened and the powerplant at Gullfoss was never built.
Today you can see the memorial site of Sigríður that depicts her profile at the top of the falls.
We enjoy a walk to all the viewpoints and are stunned by the majesty of this natural phenomenon. After the visit we drive back to the cottage for some lunch and have a little rest.
In the afternoon we drive to Geysir. The Icelandic geysers are in an active geothermal field. The Geysir field is situated at the northern edge of the southern lowlands, at an altitude of 105-120 m above sea level. Until recently, the area was called Hverasandar. The hot springs are located to the east of a little mountain called Laugafell.
Strokkur (the churn) is currently the most energetic spouting spring in Iceland. It spouts every few minutes, sometimes to a height of 40 m, yet generally less than 10-20 m.
We know little of Strokkur’s age and past history. It was set off during an earthquake in 1789, having then been quiescent for some time. In all probability though, it had been active before. The Great Geysir (from which all others gained their name) has been adversely affected by earthquakes and now only erupts extremely infrequently. There are around thirty much smaller geysers and hot pools in the area, including one called Litli Geysir (‘Little Geysir’). The whole area is pretty amazing, but a strong smell of eggs makes me wonder if it’s Daz or the sulphur!!
We head back to the cottage and have a short walk to a wool market
before retiring back to the cottage for some well earned dinner and sleep.
Tuesday 28th July.
Today we are going to drive to the coast to Eyrabakki, the oldest but now defunct fishing village in Iceland, after we will go up to Thingvellir Nature Park and check out the Tectonic Plate area, where the American and Eurasian plates are splitting apart at an average rate of 2cm a year.
After a relaxed breakfast we head out into some glorious sunshine, on route to the coast. On the way we stop at the crater Kerið which was formed about 6,500 years ago and lies at the northern end of a row of craters known as Tjarnarhólar.
It is oval, about 270 m long, 170 m wide and 55 m deep: the depth of the water at the bottom varies between 7 and 14 m. According to an old tradition, a rise in the water level here is accompanied by a corresponding fall in the pond on Búrfell in Grímsnes and vice versa. Kerið lies in the Iceland´s Western Volcanic Zone, which runs through the Reykjanes peninsula and the glacier Langjökull. Traces of volcanism are not very obvious, since most of the eruption sites are low-lying and many of the craters are hidden by vegetation, but three craters in the Grímsnes area are clearly discernable and well-known features: Kerið, Seyðishólar and Kerhóll. We enjoy a lovely walk around the caldera and then down to the lake in the bottom.
From here we head for Selfoss. The town of Selfoss has a dramatic bridge that crosses Iceland’s most voluminous river. Today, the town is important for its creamery and is where a lot of Skyr (delicious Icelandic-style yoghurt) is made. The word Selfoss means ‘seal falls’ and we go off to find a geocache that will give us great views of the river.
The river is impressive and there are several guys fishing for salmon. Selfoss is a small town, having grown from only 40 inhabitants in 1900, to approximately 6000 people by 2006. From the river we go to the market place seeking another cache and coffee.
From Selfoss we drive to Eyrabakki. The landscape to this, the oldest fishing village in Iceland, is completely flat. In the village we drive to the now, disused harbour. They stopped fishing here in 1992 because of silt build up in the rivers. We have our picnic lunch looking out to sea, admiring the lovely view.
From Eyrabakki we head back inland to Thingvellir is a national park. Situated on the northern shore of lake Þingvallavatn, Þingvellir is the national shrine of Iceland. It is, for one, a key location in Icelandic history as the oldest existing parliament in the world first assembled there in 930 AD. Þingvellir has for this reason been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides being a location of historical significance, Þingvellir is also protected as a national park due to its unique geology and natural features. Almannagjá is a canyon formed between two tectonic plates, a visual representation of continental drift.
No single place epitomizes the history of Iceland and the Icelandic nation better than Þingvellir by the river Öxará.
At Þingvellir – literally “Parliament Plains” – the Alþing general assembly was established around 930 and continued to convene there until 1798. Major events in the history of Iceland have taken place at Þingvellir and therefore the place is held in high esteem by all Icelanders. Today Þingvellir is a protected national shrine. According to the law, passed in 1928, the protected area shall always be the property of the Icelandic nation, under the preservation of the Alþing.
Once in the park we head to the visitors’ centre – there’s a guided walk that we want to join. Unfortunately there’s a rather tough walk to the start point and so mum feels she can’t participate. We leave her to enjoy the lake and views and follow the guide to the ‘lawrock’, the drowning pool, and the edge of the North American tectonic plates.
Once the walk is done we return to the visitors’ centre and look out from the viewing platform which looks out across the Lake, the largest lake in Iceland (83km2) and beyond. It is so beautiful! We drive round to pick up mum so she doesn’t need to walk back up the hill. From the park we drive out hugging the lake edge, and head for Laugarvatn.
Laugarvatn lies within the Golden Circle, a popular tourist route, and acts as a staging post. The town has a population of about 200 and lies predominantly along the west side of the lake. There is a small hostel situated in the town. The lake contains geothermal springs under its surface, making it a popular swimming spot with some warm patches along the shoreline year-round. In Laugarvatn we head to the geothermal spa and have coffee and cake (mum’s treat and she nearly has a heartattack when it costs £18!) whilst watching the bathing area. Then we walk by the lake where the water is bubbling vigorously and see the geothermal plant that is providing the hot water for the spa and village.
From here it’s home for dinner. Tonight it’s a homemade baked camembert dish.
Wednesday 29th July
Today we want to see Seljalandsfoss and Skogarfoss and the Dyrhólæy bird cliffs. We’re not far into our journey when we cross the river Hvítá, the river that feeds Gullfoss. We stop to look at the river gorge, which is lined by massive boulder cliffs. Daz tells off an Italian woman he sees dropping her fagbutt, makes her pick it up and scuttle of back to her coach!!
On to Seljalandsfoss waterfall of the river Seljalandsá which drops 60 metres (200 ft) over the cliffs of the former coastline. It is possible to walk behind the waterfall, so we do. Parts are a bit of a struggle for mum, with very large rock steps, but we manage and although we get wet it is a fabulous experience as the waters cascade and thunder in front of us.
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After a cup of coffee we drive on to Skogafoss which probably rivals Gullfoss as Iceland’s most famous waterfall. This is a classically-shaped rectangular waterfall that drops 60m with a width of 25m. It has a high volume of water making it thunder and produce rainbow-yielding mist.
There’s a path besides the waterfall that leads up to a precarious viewpoint of both the waterfall but out over the Atlantic. Having had our picnic lunch Daz and I head up the path, whilst mum takes in the view from below.
Dyrhólaey is a 120m high promontory and it name means “the door hole island”. And this is also how it looks. The promontory got its name from the massive stone arch that the sea has eroded from the headland. And this arch is visible from as far away as Skógar. The arch and scenery remind us of Durdledor and we see some puffins but unfortunately we’ve been spoilt by Latrabjerg.
It’s already after 3pm and it’s decision time. We want to see Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon but it’s still 2 hours away and we’re worried we’ll miss the last boat trips out onto the lagoon. But we decide to go for it and we’re not disappointed. The large glacier lagoon is a unique place with icebergs constantly breaking off from the glacier and eventually drifting through the short river to the sea. The waves turn some of the icebergs back to the black sand beach where they lie scattered like gems. Jökulsárlón is extremely popular amongst photographers due to its spectacular scenery. Jökulsárlón was the setting for the Hollywood films A View to a Kill, Die another Day, Tomb Raider and Batman Begins – in addition to the reality-TV series Amazing Race. The glacier is Vatnajökull (meaning Glacier of Lakes), also known as the Vatna Glacier, is the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland, and one of the largest in area in Europe. it covers more than 8 percent of the country.[1] It is over 8000km2.
We go out onto the lagoon in a ‘duck’ an amphibious wheeled troop carrier and drive around the icebergs. They are made of ice over 1000 years old.
Some are white, where the snow has oxidised and others are blue, where the ice is clear as glass. And yet others are dirty grey with black stripes caused by the silt in the ice and the ash layers after a Volcanic eruption. They bring aboard ice from a glacier and it is incredibly clear and dense; the huge pressure within the glacier forcing out the muck and creating pure ice. It is the most amazing experience – we can see the ‘snout’ of the glacier over 7km away. In the 1930s it was only 1km between the glacier and the sea but the glacier is receding, the process accelerated by the contact with the brackish water in the Lake.
After the boat trip we head home but it’s gone 11pm before we get there and we’ve driven over 500 miles but it’s been a stunning day!
Thursday 30th July
After yesterdays long slog today we all have a lie in. It’s lovely to relax. We get up about 0930hrs, mum’s already up. Once up, I update the blog and publish it. That takes all morning! If anyone out there is reading this I hope you realise the blood and sweat I put into this!! 🙂 After lunch of bacon and cheese omelette we head off to Fluđir, checking out a tomato farm/ restaurant on the way. In Fluđir we go to the secret lagoon and enjoy some time wallowing in the geothermal waters. There are hot boiling pools of water all around the swimming area and every now and again a small geyser goes off, the waters from this at over 100 degrees come rushing into the swimming area to keep it warm… If you’re in the wrong place it gets toasty warm, probably why we all felt a bit out of sorts after and in need of cooling off!! But a really good experience.
As its a lazy day we retire to the cottage, well… Daz and mum relax, as I cook on the tiny hob in the tiny kitchen… I wish I had picked something simpler than homemade Swedish meatballs, mashed potato, broccoli and gravy. Four pans on two rings doesn’t fit!
Friday 31st July
Today we’re staying fairly local and our first stop is Hjálparfoss. Hjálparfoss is one of several waterfalls in the south of Iceland situated in the lava fields north of the stratovolcano Hekla near the point where the rivers Fossá and Þjórsá join. We all walk down to the pools at the bottom of the waterfalls and we see the ridges formed in the lava rocks.
From here it’s just a couple of kms to Búrfell Power Station, which we discover has a visitors’ centre. It is excellent and extremely well put together. Búrfell Hydropower Station took almost ten years to complete and came on line in 1969. It was the largest power station in the country until the inauguration of Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Station in 2007. The River Thjórsá, which previously flowed south of Mountain Búrfell, is diverted above the mountain into Bjarnarlón Reservoir, and from there through a tunnel passing through the basalt strata of Sámstadamúli into the Thjórsdárdalur valley.
From the powerhouse turbines, the water exits via draft tubes into a short canal before entering the River Fossá, which joins the River Thjórsá 2 km downstream.
The station’s equipment was partially renewed in 1997-1999. This increased the station’s installed capacity to 270 MW, from 210 MW. Iceland is self sufficient in energy neither exporting nor importing energy although an under sea cable to the UK is looking increasingly likely. Iceland’s reliance on fossil fuels has reduced significantly and now 85% of their energy is provided by renewable energy sources.
From the powerstation it’s another short drive to Þjóðveldisbærinn. This Commonwealth farm is a reconstructed Viking era Long house or farmstead in Iceland, located in the Þjórsárdalur valley. It is a replica of the building which stood at Stöng 7 km to the north which was buried under volcanic ash in 1104 following the eruption of the volcano Hekla. The reconstruction was built in 1974 as a part of the national celebrations of the 1100th anniversary of the settlement of Iceland in 874. Much of the interior and detail of the reconstruction is based on general ideas and guesswork, but the belief is that the result is quite telling about the dwellings of medieval Icelanders. In 2000, a turf clad stave church was reconstructed beside the farmstead at Stöng. The Bishop of Iceland, consecrated the church as a part of the 1000 year anniversary of Christendom in Iceland. It is the beautiful surroundings of this reconstructed farm that we enjoy our picnic lunch.
Then we drive to Stöng to see the actual remains of the original excavated farm. The track to this site is a gravel road and we’re the only non 4×4 in the car park. Daz is chuffed by this claim to fame, whether Ása is (car owner), remains to be seen. After the ruins we follow the track another couple of kms to Gjain gorge.
This is a beautiful natural phenomenum and oasis at the edge of the central highlands. The Red River (Rauda) cascades into and through this gorge and the surroundings are amply vegetated. River Thjorsa ran through before a dike was built between the mountains Sandafell and Skeljafell to redirect it.
One of the younger Tungnaa-Lavas ran down the gorge leaving a thin layer on its bottom and walls as well as a thicker layer on the edges. The lava formations are worth taking a closer look at. Some find this place so beautiful they (secretly) have strewn their ashes in the river to be forever be united with monumental nature in this “paradise on earth”. After the gorge we continue along the gravel track and head home.
Saturday 1st August
Today we’re leaving the cottage so after breakfast we pack the car and clean the cottage. Our first stop is a geocache which is located by a beautiful, but not well known waterfall, Brúarárfoss. The first access road we use is padlocked, the second controlled by a user code. We’re sitting by this barrier when a car comes down and waves us through. We’re in but will we be able to get out? We follow the gravel track for several kms; there are many cabins up here in this beautiful area. The waterfall is a fantastic blue and from the bridge we watch the torrent of water. Daz and I go off in search of the cache. An easy find but a fantastic spot!
After the cache we head to Laugarvatn caves. Two caves on the west side of the flats were often used to house sheep but were the home of people during the first decades of this century. A young couple lived there in 1910-11 and had an “inn” in a tent near by. It was again inhabited in 1918 by a single man who lived there for a year and a married couple who stayed until 1922. During that time they had a daughter and the husband delivered the baby himself. Afterwards he had to travel far, through deep snow that closed all paths, to fetch the midwife. Everything went well and the daughter is the only living Icelander to have been born and lived in a cave.
After the caves we stop in Thingviller National Park and stop for our picnic lunch.
Our last stop is Reykjavik and our hotel. We all have a rest before walking through the city and up to the cathedral.
We’ve booked dinner at the Sjavargrillid and it’s a fantastic meal and we’re treated by mum. Thank you for our lovely treat! Mum’s airport bus is expected at 3.30am and so we’re up at 3am to see her safely on her way. And then it’s back to bed.
Sunday 2nd August
Today we head back to Bildudalur via Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls, two of the best-known natural features in Iceland. Although both are on the Hvítá, it’s Hraunfossar (Lava Falls) that make for the best photographs; however, don’t expect thundering white torrents – the falls here are gentle cascades of bright, turquoise water, emerging from under the moss-covered lava to tumble down a series of rock steps into the river. From here, a track leads upstream to Barnafoss (Children’s Falls), which is far more lively – it was here that two children fell to their deaths when crossing a narrow stone arch that once spanned the river. A modern footbridge now affords an excellent view of the water churning violently as it channels through the ravine below.
And then it’s a long drive back. We’re both feeling tired and out of sorts and when we finally reach Bildudalur we head to bed even though it’s still early.
Monday 3rd August
It’s a late start today and when we finally get up we discover missed calls from Ása. She went partying last night and she’s suffering this morning, so as soon as we turn up she wants to go to bed. So we have to clear up the breakfast things, strip and make the beds and then do the cleaning. Emilea has finished for the summer, (she’s going back to school), so Katerina is going to be cleaning here but she’s also going to be doing the afternoon in the algae factory. But she’s gone for a family break to Reykjavik and so there’s only us to do the cleaning but at least Ása is doing breakfast so we don’t have to get up early. But we also have the cottage to clean.
Tuesday 4th August
Today we’re summoned from our bed because Ása has a meeting in patreksfordur. So it’s pretty much like yesterday. Ása has asked if we can cover whilst she goes camping with friends. So she’s leaving on Wednesday.
Wednesday 5th August
Today it’s raining when we awake so we don’t even bother getting up until 1pm. Then we head to the B&B to help Ása. She spends most of the time writing a list of chores for us… Ahhh joy, but she’s off today so it will give us stuff to do whilst shes away.
Thursday 6th August until 16th
OK not much to report. We’ve done nothing other than B&B and rental cottage chores. The weather has been wet and windy so just getting the linen dry has been a battle. We have started duolingo – learning French. We hope to make more effort language wise than we have done so far on this trip. So we’re preparing for France!
Tomorrow we’re going up to North Iceland for our penultimate week in Iceland.
Monday 17th August
Today we’re off to Akureyri, In the north of Iceland. We pack our gear including a tent and air mattress we’re borrowing from Ása into her Skoda, have breakfast and we’re ready to go. Last time we took the Skoda we were supposed to get an oil change but it didn’t happen so Ása wants Daz to check the oil. All is good and we hit the road. 15 minutes later there’s an almighty smash as the bonnet flies up straight into the windscreen, cracking it in a million places. Daz can’t see because he has a bonnet in his face but manages to keep the car on the gravel road and brings it to a stop without dropping us into the fjord. The damage is extensive – smashed windscreen and a dented and buckled bonnet. Fxxk Fxxk Fxxk.
We turn the car around and limp back to the B&B, dreading showing Ása the damage. Back at the B&B Ása takes the news well but we discover she isn’t even sure if she has insurance. After some frantic phonecalls it turns out the windscreen is mostly covered and the garage in Patreksfordur will do that but for the bonnet – no cover and her best bet is a friend in Reykjavik who will try and get one from a Breaker’s yard. We’ve told her we’ll pay. After all it’s our fault. We decide our only option is a hirecar but only because Ása can get us a really good rate from Europcar. So tomorrow we’ll be off again. In the afternoon Ása hurts her back and can barely move so we greet the evening guests. Even though we have a hirecar booked, Ása offers us the use of the red truck and finally Daz accepts. He’s worried about damaging another car. So the hire car is cancelled.
Tuesday 18th August
Today we set off again. It’s going to be a long drive. And it is and mostly uneventful, gravel, tarmac, gravel, tarmac, fjord, cliff, cliff, fjord until about 5 hours in we pass a traffic cop who suddenly starts flashing all his lights. Daz can see him trying to turn around in the rear view mirror, and with me silently shouting ‘floor it!’ in a vain attempt to enliven the days drive Daz pulls over. I say it can’t possibly be for speeding because he was coming the other way, little did we know the Icelandic Police have forward looking radar!! Daz is asked to step out of the truck and into the back of the police car with licence and wallet. Twenty minutes later £180 poorer he’s been done for driving 115 km/hr instead of 90. He’s livid. But it could have worse. The trucks speedo doesn’t work, we’re not sure if we’re insured or even if it’s road worthy. Thank goodness Mr police man wasn’t interested in these issues. Now it really is a tedious drive – it feels as if we’re driving at 90km/hr.
We stop at Hofsós to admire the basalt columns
and at Siglufjördur to check out the herring factory and find a nice restaurant for dinner.
We stop and watch a helicopter carrying avalanche protection to the top of the valley. After a mooch around we decide there’s nowhere we fancy for food so head on to Dalvík. Ása was born and brought up in this area so she’s called in favours and got us a great deal on whale watching tomorrow, 2 for 1… go Ása! She’s also recommended a restaurant, Gisli Eirikur Helgi which does fish soup and fantastic bread… all you can eat!! We stop and have dinner and it’s amazing.
We then head to Hussibakki campsite where we set up camp.
Wednesday 19th August
Today we’re up early and head back into Dalvik to the whale watching shop. We’re given warm coveralls and get on the bus and head for Hauanes – 20 mins away. There we go out on a large boat with approximately 50 tourists on it.
Even from the shore we can see plumes from the whales’ blow holes out in the fjord. There are certainly a lot of whales out there. For the next 2 hours our skipper drives around the fjord towards the whales. We see many whales just swimming through the water and then as they prepare to dive they arch up high in the water and then their fluke (tail fin) comes up before they dive.
Each fluke is as individual as a fingerprint. We’re seeing mainly hump backed whales. Then right in front of us a humpback whale breeches – comes up right out of the water. Then the same whale breeches again. It’s fantastic – we were both on the right side of the boat.
We’ve been so lucky and seen far more than we expected and it’s a glorious day out on the fjord – the sun is shining and the water is so calm. Then we’re watching 2 whales and then they’re alongside our boat. It’s so clear we can see their flippers.
One dives beneath our boat and the other crosses in front of our bow. Awesome.
Finally the skipper announces a quick break for fishing. The fish sonar shows plenty of fish beneath us and out come the rods. Disappointingly there are only about 8 rods for 50 people and there’s plenty of people hogging those rods but soon there’s some bites and some really large haddock are reeled in.
After the boat trip it’s off to Gisli Eirikur Helgi restaurant for lunch and we chat to Ása’s friend, Heither who also has workawayers. Ever since coming to Iceland we’ve wanted to go fishing. We ask Heither if she knows anyone who would take us. She does and she makes some phone calls and one potential fisherman says he’ll pop by. As a result we’re sat in the cafe for over 3 hours. The fisherman finally arrives and will gladly take us but only if the wind dies. So unfortunately we’re left waiting for the wind to drop but it never does!
Instead we walk around the bird reserve next to our campsite
and then drive back into town and walk around the harbour. There’s a guy fishing from the jetty using pork as bait who catches his second flatfish as we watch. We also see the Grimsey ferry come in and crates of cod on the harbour side being moved by forklift to be processed.
We grab a quick bite to eat and then drive to Hauanes, where we got on the whale watching boat, to see what the whales are up to. The fjord is choppy now but we see another whale breech but it’s some way away.
Thursday 20th August
We pack up our tent and head for Akureyri, making 2 stops en route. The first at the local brewery,
the second at Hauanes where we see only one whale boat and can barely see any whales. But we do see what we later decide might be a Gyrfalcon with its catch – it’s a bird of prey feasting on a dead rodent. The wet miserable weather is going to make todays whale watchers experience much less special than ours yesterday.
In Akureyri we walk around town, up to the cathedral and to the botanic gardens.
We also visit all the outdoor clothing shops which has become our latest compulsion. Daz’s favourite – 66 degrees north – the most expensive Icelandic clothing ever created. We were going to use Akureyri as our next Base but it is really unremarkable – although our visit did cost us a parking ticket.
So we head to Myvatn. We stop at Godafoss waterfalls so named because the the chieftain of Ljósavatn had to decide whether to embrace Christianity as the faith of Iceland and having done so throws all his pagan statues into the river.
The falls are 12m high and the river is Skjálfandaflót, 180km long and Iceland’s 4th longest river.
We also stop at Skútustaõir pseudo craters,
formed by steam explosions when burning lava encounters lakes or wetlands and have a walk round and then Dimmuborgir to admire the spectacular lava formations, created by the eruption of Laxárhraun from Threngslaborgir, 2000 years ago.
Our last stop of the day is to Hverfjall crater. It was created in the 1700s and so no vegetation has seeded here so it’s rather barren.
From here it’s into Reykjahlío and our campsite and we choose a pitch next to the lake. It’s beautiful. Mývatn basin sits squarely on the mid Atlantic ridge. Mývatn is Iceland’s 4th largest lake 37km2 and has a shoreline deeply incised by numerous small creeks and is speckled with about 50 islands. The area is famed for its birdlife.
Friday 21st August
4 am and it sounds as if there’s torrential rain. 6am the rain has stopped but now there seems to be a gale. It’s so noisy in the tent and we’re not sure this tent will prove weather proof – there is no air gap between the fly and the inner.
Finally we manage to get up about 930ish but now there’s both wind and rain but we have a plan. There’s walks at Hverir, an area of hotsprings where there are bubbling mud pools and the smell of sulphur (rotten eggs) is overpowering; Leirhnjúkur mountain to Hófur crater and up to Viti crater.
Throughout the whole area which is a ‘hot zone’ we constantly see steam rising from the ground, lava flows cracked and tumbling over each other, steaming ponds of hot water and the ever pervading smell of rotten eggs, like being under a quilt with Daz!! But its all very barren, hardly any flora and fauna to be seen.
Saturday 22nd August
And it’s raining. Daz thinks he can outwait the rain but that’s because he has a good book on the go. I leave him to it and go for a shower. The water really smells of sulphur – a common occurrence in Iceland with geothermal water. Then I persuade Daz to get up and we’re on the road by 9am. First stop today – Dettifoss – it has the greatest volume of any waterfall in Europe, 500 cubic metres of water per second plunge over the edge. It’s 45m high and 100m wide. It’s awesome!
From here we walk upriver to Selfoss waterfall,10m high but very wide.
From here it’s a couple of kms downstream to look down on Hafragilsfoss. It is 27m high but not so wide.
Then we drive 37km on a gravel track to Ásbyrgi. Daz is convinced there isn’t a rock or rut that I’ve missed. He says I’m steering into them – all of them… I’m just happy seeing his head bounce off the roof!!
Ásbyrgi is one of the wonders of nature. It is a well forested horse shoe canyon. It is 3.5km long and roughly 1km wide with perpendicular cliffs of close to 100m in height. What caused this canyon – some believe it was formed when Sleipnir, Odin’s flying horse, touched the ground with one of his eight hooves, others think it might have been an earthquake, you takes your pick!!
At the head of the canyon is a small pond, which was once home to a beast, a farmer’s son who was bewitched. His girl could break him free by confronting the beast and throwing her dearest possessions into its jaws. The Icelandic are very much into their mythology as you can see.
From here we drive to the quaint seaside village of Húsavik – another popular spot for whale watching. We have a late lunch here at a fabulous fish restaurant and then walk around the harbour and town centre.
Then we hit the road again. We need to find a campsite but the weather is dismal so eventually we find a cabin available in Blöndüs. Hurrah
Sunday 23rd August
After a bit of a lie in (1130 we hit the road) we decide to go round the next peninsula so that we can see Hvitserkur -a bit of upright rock, bit like Durdle Dor but far less impressive described in the guide book as a 15m high monolith on the eastern side of Vatneses peninsula.
Vatnsnes is also renowned for having the largest seal colonies in Iceland which we go to see. They are tame and are content to laze on the rocks or swim in the sea very close to all their fans, eager to photograph them in any position.
We also visited Borgarvirki, a volcanic plug which stands at 177m above sea level dominating the surrounding landscape.
It is a unique natural phenomenon but has been altered by human hands when it was used in years past as a military fortress.
And that concludes our sightseeing and we head home. Our very last stop is the hotpot just 20minutes from Bildudular where we enjoy a long soak in the warm water. We’ve covered some serious mileage in the last 7 days so it’s nice to relax those knotted muscles. We’ve only got one week left in Iceland, it’s been a magnificent place to visit; waterfalls, whales, puffins, seals, birdlife and majestic scenery, no wonder they have 1.2 million tourists a year and rising (against a populace of 320,000) we hope that it doesn’t get spoilt in the future and that the people of Iceland can fully benefit from this much needed influx of money.
Monday 24th August – 29th
So it’s our last week and we’re just trying to get any jobs Ása can think of complete before we go. So in addition to the usual chores there’s some grass strimming and preparing the geocaches for our very special Bildudalur geocache trail.
We really hope people will enjoy this trail. When we go to clean the summer house on Saturday, it’s filthy. There’s cigarette ash on the floor in the upstairs bedroom -they’ve been smoking out the window. There’s a huge pile of washing up in the kitchen, all the floors are filthy and the bath is full of dirt. So it takes an age to clean, damn them!!
Apart from that it was a quiet week, the tourist levels are dwindling as the season comes to an end and there are days when the B&B only has one room occupied, we can only imagine how quiet it gets in the village over winter!
Sunday 30th August.
After breakfast we leave Bildudalur and head for Reykjavik. We stop for coffee with one of Ása’s friends on her farm and then head into town. We’re so lucky Ása has found a bed for us with her cousin. And to thank her for everything we take her out to dinner.
Monday 31st August
Asa drops us off at the domestic airport as today we’re flying to Scotland via the Faroe Islands. It’s a very small airport right in the city. The Faroe Islands ae very scenic as we fly over them, and we enjoy the sunshine during the hour stopover,and then finally we are back in the UK… Well Scotland at least, but last we heard it was still part of the UK!! Guess what… It’s drab and it’s raining, oh well!!
So we left the UK 8 months ago on 2nd January. Since then we’ve worked on a husky farm in Finland (6 weeks), taken a cruise around the Norwegian coast, worked in Sweden on a horse farm for 3 months, 3 weeks in a B&B/ceramic workshop in Tolne, Denmark and 2 months in a B&B in the Westfjords, Iceland.
Places visited:
Finland – Helsinki, Inari, Ivalo and Karigasniemi.
Norway – Kirkenes, Vardo, Honningsvag, Hammerfest, Tromso, Bodo, Trondheim, Molde, Torvik, Floro,Bergen, Flam and Oslo.
Sweden – Floby, Falkopking, Stockholm , Gotenburg, Skvode, Stromstad and Marstrand
Denmark – Tolne, Copenhagen, Frederickshaven, Skagen, Hjorring and Londstrup
Iceland – Reykjavik, Bildudalur, Patreksfjord, Talknafjord, Latrabjerg, Raudersande, Isafjordur, Jokulsarlon, Vik, Eyrabakki, Selfoss, Myrvatn, Dalvik, Husavik, Akeyuri, and all the other natural sites of Iceland like Gullfoss, Geysir and too many more to list!!! Not to mention the wildlife we have seen!
We’ve had some awesome experiences, met fantastic people and seen fabulous sights. Thank you to everyone who hosted us or worked with us! We’ve had a brilliant 8 months.
But it’s not over yet, we are only in the UK long enough to sort out some admin, see friends, check the bike and then we are off, cycling to France, then Spain, Portugal and who knows where, as we hunt the warmth for winter.