Monday June 28 was foggy until 11:00 a.m. I was visiting the very desert Skagaheidi peninsula with its very sparse population. Drangey Island is visible from most of the east coast. The landscapes are rocky with here and there green plots sown with sheep grass. A track on the mountainside attracted me to establish my bivouac. It was the first day of my stay in Iceland without an internet connection, a gray area like there are still many in deep France. The mist reappeared around 3:00 p.m.
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| Mural in Saudarkrokur |
Tuesday June 29 it was raining when I woke up and the temperature was 9° under a leaden sky. The north of the Skagaheidi Peninsula is arid, wild and austere. As usual, splendid seaside bivouac sites were a stone's throw away! I wanted to see some basalt columns that were supposed to be in the place called Saurar. At the entrance of a grassy track I opened the barrier and then closed it behind my truck to go to the end of the track. I was wandering by the sea, no basalt columns. I was disappointed to return to the main track, Route 745. The southwest coast of the peninsula is relatively greener, and the farms have already stocked the fodder for the sheep in white bales for the coming winter. I found a bivouac at the top of a cliff. In the early afternoon a strong wind rose sweeping the clouds, the sun appeared raising the temperature to 14 °C and rocking the truck. In Iceland the weather changes very quickly.
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| Maybe the basalt columns announced? |
Wednesday June 30 after one night, in broad daylight latitude 65 ° North, very agitated by a very violent wind, I traveled the west coast of the peninsula to Blonduos then the east coast of the Vatnsnes peninsula. The landscapes are lush with the cultivation of fodder plants for sheep. The only curiosity was the Hvitserkur rock with its two windows sculpted by the spray for millennia. The photo is taken from the observatory; the descent on the shore was too dangerous for a single man! I found parking at a place named Hindiksvik on the map. The wind persisted in blowing violently throughout the afternoon, not heralding a peaceful northern night.
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| Hvitserkur |
Thursday July 1, after a sleepy morning, I had lunch at the Geitafell restaurant, recommended by Lonely Planet. The fish soup and the skyrcake are excellent, however the coffee is American type to say the least. Then in Illugastadir, I observed the seals sprawling on the rocks with the 500mm telephoto lens. I found a bivouac in Bergsstadir on a vacant lot occupied by dormant equipment.
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| Islandic horse, Matutinal visiteur, Morning visitor |
Friday July 2 I was driving route 711 and 714 to the junction with route 1, then at petrol station N1 I took route 68 which will lead me to Hölmavik. I would visit the Westfjords area for a fortnight. The landscape is green sheep grass. I noticed that the peasants leveled the ground with heavy earthmoving machines to enlarge the cultivable plots by draining them with ditches. The Hamarsrétt sheepfold enjoys a unique location where it stands on the beach to the west of the Vatnsnes peninsula. It is used in the fall when farmers on the peninsula sort the sheep they raise in the mountains. Further on, the Sydraskaro lighthouse attracts the attention of sailors. I bivouacked at the edge of the fjord in front of Laxardalur near the bridge.
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| Sydraskaro |
On Saturday July 3, I traveled the pastoral route 68 towards Hölmavik in a roller coaster landscape with small farms and duly drained patches of sheep grass. Here and there a church stuck on a hill remembers its parishioners. Iceland is 70% Evangelical Lutheran and 6% non-religious. Gone early I had a sunny morning with crystal clear skies, not great for photos. The city of Hölmavik is built around its harbor and was in ancient times a place of imprisonment. For an idyllic parking lot I turned back to Heydaisa to overlook the Gälmaströnd fjord with Hölmavik in the distance. Snow patches remain on top of the surrounding mountains
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Sunday July 04 was a gloomy day, reduced visibility and cloudy sky. The Drangsnes Hot-Pots is a washing tub, I went my way; Kerling is a rock from the legend of the Trolls. At the exit of the city the road becomes a dirt track. I found a bivouac after Bakkagerdi on the edge of the fjord.
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| Kerling, Drangsnes | |
