Monday July 19th from Budardalur the temperature had decided to rise, and that's good. This week I will travel the Snæfellsnes Penisula immortalized by Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. Route 54 from Budardalur to Stykkisholmur is mostly a gravel road always in dramatic landscapes where the sun plays with the clouds to illuminate parts of the mountains, it's magic. Then at the foot of a chain of hills a church in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a few graves in the ground, an evangelical Lutheran rite. It brings together the parishioners, breeder / farmer, scattered around for several kilometers. In Iceland the Evangelical Lutheran Church is the state religion for 90% of the population. The modern-style cathedral dominates the village from its bell tower simulating a whale's vertebra. The village has a population of around 1,200 people. I bivouacked in the port.
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| Église au milieu de nulle part, Church in the middle of nowhere |
On Tuesday, July 20, I was visiting the picturesque lunar lava field called Berserkjahraum, named after an episode of the Eyrbyggja Saga, between several fjords, on route 558. After the hamlet of Grundarfjördur, Kirkjufell appears as in the Game of Thrones series. On this day the horde of tourists polluted the landscape. The sleepy village of Ólafsvík only caught my attention to set my camp on the water's edge. As advertised I am sporting to occupy my free time by canceling the trip to Greenland.
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Yesterday evening, July 20 around 10 p.m. in my first sleep, a guy knocked on the door putting under my nose a document written in several languages indicating that wild camping is prohibited in the Sæfellsnes peninsula with the number of the decree of the municipalities . I had to go to the village campsite and pay immediately 1500 KR or 10.30 €. I had no choice. Wednesday July 21 the day was announced with variable weather and above all a very violent wind. I started with the spectacular Svödufoss waterfall with the glacier that supplies it with water in the background and the resulting river in the foreground. The Church of Ingjaldsholl has typical Icelandic architecture but above all, although closed, I saw a splendid stained glass window behind a grimy glass. The village of Hellissandur exhibits some houses with paintings. The road follows the coast and offers superb views with golden sandy beaches, one of which had an interpretive panel mentioning a Viking burial. On the edge of the Öndverdarnes peninsula, a sign explained the rise of fishing boats dragged out of the water, further down a corridor led to a source of drinking water. Finally I climb the stairs of the Saxöll volcano under strong gusts of wind; the descent was hazardous as my balance became precarious. I staggered like a Cape Horner emerging from the tavern in the old port. I arrived safely at the bottom of the stairs. I set up camp at Arnarstapi campsite.
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Thursday July 22 was a rainy day with a low gray sky explaining the gray color of the sky in the photos! I retraced my steps to visit the sites, Djupalonssandur, Londrangar, Malarrif and Hellnar where I had not been able to set up my camp forcing me to go to an expensive campsite with a paid shower with Icelandic currency that I did not have using my bank cards accepted in all shops. It was therefore a wet and cold day that did not encourage you to go hiking to see the sites mainly black sand from the droppings of the surrounding volcanoes. I was happily surprised to see a young bride on her father's arm preceded by the guests on the black beach of Djupalonssandur. I put my vehicle near the Budakirkja hoping not to be disturbed at night to go to a campsite at the devil vauvert.
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| BARDUR Snæfellsnesas, Deity of Mt. Snæfell |
Friday July 23, like yesterday, a day of rain and fog, low sky, reduced visibility. Despite everything I did three visits, I was wet like a dog. I started with the Raudfeldsgja canyon, the access to which is made slippery by the rain. The entrance is of course a rocky river, but the progress is quickly interrupted by the narrowness of the gut. Then I drove up to Mt. Snaefellsjökull by a 7 km gravel road up to an altitude of 652m. Due to the reduced visibility I did not see the summit at 1446m! Finally I went to Ytri Tunga to observe seals, unfortunately the tide was low and the beach is lined with impassable rocks. I did not see any seal-like animals. I had spotted a parking spot at the side of the road in Hraunsmuli.
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| Mt. Snæfell's parking |
Saturday July 24, still a low sky, mist and rain, reduced visibility. The POI of route 56 is invisible as is the volcano behind the basalt columns of Gerduberg. The ZigZagvoyages guide photographer was either lucky or he made several trips to Iceland to take his photos. As a result, I pushed on to Borgarnes, stopping at the entrance to the city on a platform.
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| Gerduberg, colonnes de basalte. Gerduberg, basalt columns |
Sunday July 25 was again and again a day of rain, fog and low ceilings. I was going to relax at the Swimming Geothermal Pool in Borgarnes for over an hour before leaving for Reykjavik. I had rain and a strong crosswind for the 75 km drive. After a drive through the near-dead town, I headed to the Mercedes-Benz dealership for the periodic service, hoping that my vehicle would be taken care of by Monday morning. I bivouacked in the parking lot.
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