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| BASALT COLUMNS AT HOFSOS |
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| TURF ROOF AT SIGLUFJORDUR |
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| SIGLUFJORDUR FROM OVERLOOKING HILL |
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| THE RED TRAFFIC LIGHTS IN AKUREYRI SAY 'I LOVE YOU' |
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| ROCK PILLAR AT MYVATN |
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| VIEW FROM MYVATN NATUREBATH |
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| VIEW OF MYVATN FROM TOP OF VINDBELGJARFJALL |
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| GODAFOSS |
I woke at the Broddanes hostel at 6.00am and proceeded to tuck into a breakfast of Chocolate Weetos (from the free cupboard) and banana (which I had brought), with Coffee Mate as a substitute for milk. Though still overcast, the weather had calmed and I watched the Arctic Terns wheeling and cavorting while I ate. I noticed how their fan-tails spread when flying slowly or hovering, but sleeked back when they were flying fast. I remembered that one had kept pace with me the other day as I crossed a bridge at 50mph.
By 7.30am I was off, out of the Westfjords and heading south to join Route 1.
Just in case this isn't clear already, Route 1 is Iceland's main highway, and it goes all the way around the island in a big distorted circle. It's bit like the M25 London Orbital, only bigger, and whereas the Orbital encloses an area with a huge population, much of the area enclosed by Route 1 is either volcanic wasteland, including lavafields and glaciers, or areas uninhabitable for much of the year because of the harsh climate.
Anyway, I turned left, meaning that I was now travelling clockwise around Route 1. What immediately struck me was the lack of cars. Here was I on the county's main highway during the rush hour, and most of the time it was empty. I wish the M25 was like this.
It was quite foggy, so there was little to see, but progress on Route 1 was much more rapid than driving around the Westfjords because the roads are straighter. After a couple of hours I turned right onto Route 76. This would take me to my hostel at Siglufjordur at the end of the Trollaskagi peninisula, otherwise known as the Troll peninsula. Along the way I wanted to visit Hofsos.
Hofsos is a pretty fishing village with a population of about 200. However, what particularly interested me was the coastal rock formations. When thick layers of basalt lava cool rapidly, the resulting contraction can cause vertical fractures to appear in such a way that polygonal columns are formed. I just had to see this and I was not disappointed.
Besides, this saves me a trip to see the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, which is the result of the very same process.
I reached the Siglufjordur hostel at about 3.00pm, checked in, then went to explore. The town developed and reached its peak in the 1940's and 50's because of herring fishing. The herring are gone now and the population has fallen to around 1,200, but fishing remains a principal component of its economy. The town is a clean and attractive place, and I liked the cottage with a turf roof. I walked up the hill on the western side to get an aerial view and take some pictures of the boats and colourful buildings.
I shared my dorm with Chloe and Valerie, two young girls from Canada, who were spending nearly a month exploring Iceland. Their next stop was Akureyri, Iceland's second city, so when they heard that I was passing that way in the morning, they asked if I would give them a lift. Being a gentleman, I duly obliged. After dropping them close to the centre, I parked the car and had a quick look around. It was a nice enough place, though not worth a special trip unless intending to use it as a base for a walking holiday. One interesting thing is that the red light on all the local traffic lights is in the shape of a heart. Apparently, this was done to cheer people up and get them thinking positively after the 2008 financial crash. Also, the Visitor Centre did have some useful information about Myvatn, my next destination.
Myvatn is a lake that was formed a mere 2,300 years ago by huge volcanic activity. There are all manner of volcanic phenomena to be seen at the lake and in the surrounding area; craters, lavafields, signs of massive ground upheaval, pseudocraters caused by steam explosions, rock pillars and hot springs. The place is a vulcanologist's dream and a fascinating place for anyone to explore.
I had two objectives for the day:
The first was to visit the Myvatn Naturebath, where I was able to enjoy a relaxing dip in geothermal water, rich in minerals, from 2.5 kilometres underground, whilst enjoying the view of the lake and surrounding mountains. It was most relaxing, and good for the skin I am told.
My second was to climb a volcano, and I chose the 529m Vindbelgjarfjall. I got to the top from the road in just 40 minutes, catching up with a few other people as I climbed. Once there, however, I found myself surrounded by swarms of midges, so I quickly took some pictures and made my way down even more rapidly. It was only later that I found out that Myvatn means Midge Lake!
Myvatn is as far east as I had intended to go in Iceland. Many visitors to the country drive around the whole of Route 1 in a week, but then miss out on the Westfjords which, in my view, is one of the best bits. I was happy that my itinerary had given me a really good appreciation of the many different flavours of Iceland.
It was now about 4.00pm and I had four hours of driving ahead of me to get to my next hostel at Saeberg, by Hrutafjordur. However, it would be easy-going on Route 1, anticlockwise this time, and at least I don't have to worry about it getting dark. Just as well as I had noticed that the car had lost a headlamp bulb. Since it is a legal requirement to drive with headlamps on, I used the front spotlamps as a substitute.
I did stop briefly at Godafoss (God's waterfall) along the way. It created a lovely display, but Iceland has so many lovely waterfalls that it is easy to get blase about them.
Reaching my hostel a Saeberg marked the end of my brief trip to North Iceland. Tomorrow I will be back at the Bus Hostel in Reykjavik.
