Iceland #15 - Days 8&9: Stafafell to Geysir & Gullfoss

My eighth day in Iceland started early, with breakfast and packing up before setting off from Stafafell at 7.30am. The forecast was still for a very stormy day, with the winds particularly picking up in the early afternoon in the usual spot between Seljalandsfoss and Vík, where the winds come down off the glaciers. I had 464km to drive, which should take about six hours of solid driving time, so I hoped to miss the worst of the storms and be at my destination by 1.30pm, give or take.

It was already light by the time I set off, and the conditions weren't too bad. It can be a pretty quick drive if you set your mind to it, even sticking to the speed limit (I have been known to go a little above...). I didn't plan to stop anywhere en route - I just wanted to get to my destination as quickly as possible. I was staying at Geysir Hestar, the lovely horse farm/guesthouse just next to Geysir, in the Golden Circle area. Of course I had to stop at a couple of places, and the first one I reached was my favourite tree which still looked rather dull.

I carried on, passing over the bridge at Jökulsárlón but not stopping (which always makes me feel a bit sad, wondering what iceberg joys I'm missing). I was making a good pace, stopping again once I went past some interesting geology, shown off by the fog lingering. Often in Iceland parts of the landscape are hidden; it's only when there's fog that suddenly they become visible, the clouds isolating geological features previously hidden by the rock and mountains behind. This spot is just before the lovely Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon, driving west.

I carried on, not standing outside in the drizzle and rain, and reached Lómagnúpur at 9.30am. It looked very different from my journey there a few days earlier, the top obscured by cloud. I still made time to take a few silly self-portraits and photograph the same pretty autumnal tree. The winds hadn't yet picked up too much, but it was fairly bleak.

Next stop was at 10am, a little further on at Foss á Siðu, blowing a little in the wind, but not as much as I've seen on previous occasions.

The winds were picking up, so I headed on, very keen to avoid getting caught in the storm as it picked up. The stretch of road from Vík to Seljalandsfoss is notorious for fierce winds coming down from the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, and whenever there's very high winds this seems to be the worst stretch. I was early enough to avoid it, but didn't stop at all along the way. It was a long, dull drive, with patchy rain and some wind, but I had managed to beat the storm's arrival. I turned off the main road and headed up into the Golden Circle area and arrived at the horse farm, a couple of miles east of Geysir, at 1.30pm - on schedule! I guess the time I spent stopping was made up for by going a touch over 90kmph. It was great to be back there, and I had fond memories of my stay a couple of years earlier, when I'd chatted for ages to the lovely Swedish owner. She wasn't there on this occasion, but I was greeted instead by a couple of enthusiastic young girls who showed me my room. It was so nice to have arrived safely, having avoided the worst of the storm, and now I was able to just relax, drink tea and go through the week's photos, while the storm raged outside (it wasn't actually that bad there). I also organised horse-riding for the following morning - finally I would get to ride an Icelandic horse and experience the tölt gait! I watched the clouds pass through during the afternoon, with patches of brightness and the Strokkur geyser erupting in the distance from time to time. I chatted to a talkative English woman who was there with her daughter and husband - they had camped in the nearby field the previous night but had decided to move inside tonight.

At around 5pm, full of tea, I headed out for a little wander as the sky was brightening, and I hadn't exactly had much exercise (no way I was going to make my 10,000 steps or four miles for the day!). I walked towards the pizza restaurant next door, passing some horses grazing.

A little later on one of the girls came in to tell us that they would be moving the horses and we could come and watch if we liked. There was a cute little lop-eared rabbit in a pen nearby too.

Later on I wandered back down the driveway to the pizza restaurant (another draw for this place to stay). I sat at the bar, as I had a couple of years earlier, and chatted to an American couple next to me, while I ate a pizza with banana as one of the toppings (surprisingly tasty!). The couple had only just arrived and were not very impressed so far (and didn't have any qualms in expressing this opinion!). He asked me if I'd been to the US, and then said "Yellowstone is just so much more impressive than here". The weather was dreadful and he'd only seen the scenery from the airport to here, so I told him to give it a bit more a chance. Yes, that area is not on the grand scale of some of the national parks in the US, but I explained that he needed to drive east (or west, or north for that matter!) and see some of the glaciers and mountains and then tell me the place wasn't quite magical. I headed back home, with half the pizza in a box for lunch the following day. The chatty woman was still up and we shared a few more stories, before heading to bed, alarm set early for a dawn trip to Gullfoss, a few miles up the road.

I arrived at Gullfoss at 6.45am and parked in the lower car-park. I was delighted to find that no-one else was there yet; I had the place to myself. I don't know why I find that so special; perhaps because it's such a rarity these days in Iceland. It felt a bit like the first time I was there, back in 2002, desolate and powerful.

I wandered down the path to the falls, which is shut if I ever visit in winter. The spray was pretty full-on in places, so I had to wipe off the lens after every shot, which was a little annoying. There was quite thick cloud cover, but I still hoped for a little colour as the sun rose. The sky began to lighten, but the clouds didn't change much.

I wandered back up the hill as a couple of women arrived - two people didn't manage to ruin my solitude.

I walked up the steps and along towards the viewing platform.

A bit naughtily I climbed over the very low barrier and on to the rocks that overlooked the falls. The sun began to rise opposite the falls, and the light was tricky, but lovely. I looked behind and noticed the mountains in the distance were lit up. It's so nice when the sun comes out on a cloudy morning, if only for a few moments.

I returned along the rim and down the steps towards the car. A few people had now started arriving - not surprising given that it was 9am - this seemed to be the time the tours started. I stopped to take the last few photos of the falls before heading back to the guesthouse for breakfast.

Next on the agenda was horse riding! I was a little nervous as I hadn't been on a horse for a good few years (possibly not since our honeymoon in Chile in 2010), but also pretty excited. The weather looked a bit changeable (as usual), so I kitted myself up in full waterproofs. I wanted to take some photos along the way, so also took my camera (although in retrospect that wasn't the best idea, as the bag jiggled against my back, even with the straps tied tight). I met up with Freya, my guide for the ride, got my helmet sorted out, and she then went out to saddle up our two horses. There were a couple of sheepdogs there, a super-friendly one that I'd met on my previous visit, and another that gave me a little nip as I put my hand out to befriend it (fortunately no blood drawn!). I found it difficult to get up on the horse as I have reduced strength on my right side, so Freya moved the horse towards a fence which I could use to help me get up. I had a dark brown horse, Skuggi (pronounced Scoo-key) and Freya had a frisky brown one with a white nose and blue eyes like a husky. Every time she got up on it, it would dart forward and dance around a bit until it finally calmed down.

We set off from the farm and walked along a track at the side of the road for a bit before crossing over a bridge and heading off away from the road. It was quite blissful, not too cold, a bit of sun coming and going, no rain, and not much wind. We trotted a little and then got up a notch into the tölt, the funny-looking trot where the horse lifts its front legs up. We walked along some boggy tracks and reached a small river, which the horses crossed with ease. We carried on, chatting about travelling - Freya had worked on horse farms in many exciting places but was heading back to university the following year; a nice gap year activity!

We soon reached a massive wide section of river, and Freya instructed me to lift my legs a little, as the horses would get up to their thighs in the deep water. As we crossed I had the weirdest sensation of being dragged by the current and it felt as if we were walking in the wrong direction. We made it to the other side, and I was glad I'd worn my wellies, as my feet were dry as a result. Soon after the river we stopped for a bit, getting off the horses to give them a rest and to enjoy the view. I took a couple of photos and instructed Freya how to use the back-button focusing so I could actually get a couple of shots of me. There was rain in the distance, but it stayed dry for us.

We got back on the horses and continued on, back towards the farm, Freya's horse skipping off manically as she sat upon him, as usual. We reached a stretch where we were able to canter and off we went. It was the most incredible fun, riding side by side, water kicked up by the horses, who were also loving it. We were actually galloping, not even cantering, and it was the most comfortable ride ever. We reached the end of the section near a gate and stopped for the horses to get their breath back. I'd never really thought that horses would get out of breath before, but they do, and they seriously sweat!

Freya got a phone call and was asked by one of the other girls back at the farm if we wanted waffles upon our return. Er, obviously! We continued on, mixing walking and tölting and eventually reached the farm. The last stretch of driveway, up a slight slope, was another opportunity for the horses to run on their approach to the farm, and off they went. We rode side by side, to avoid being hit by stones flying up. It was exhilarating.

Skuggi - what a joy to ride! Still sweaty after the gallop up the driveway.

Once off the horse I went into the farm building and was greeted by the other girl with fresh coffee, a pot of strawberry jam, whipped cream, and freshly-made waffles - all very tasty. It was such a lovely place and the horse-riding was fantastic - I will definitely return. And then it was time to head back towards Reykjavík. The only stop I had planned on the way was to watch the eruption at Geysir a few times. It's never just a few times, though, as it's totally mesmerising! I watched quite a few eruptions, from both sides that you can now stand - seems to change each time I'm there. The blue bubble did not fail to impress.

And then it was off, with the short drive back to Reykjavik ahead of me. As the road to Þingvellir was closed I had to take the road south and back up through Hveragerði. As I approached the town I played one of my favourite songs - Uncertain Smile by The The, which I'd seen played live in June on two consecutive nights with two of my oldest friends. The song has the most incredible piano solo, that was played originally by Jools Holland, and I was hoping that the keyboard player would be able to replicate it. I watched him warming up in the first few minutes of the song - looking a bit nervous. I was nervous that I might be disappointed. And then he did it - just brilliantly, and it was quite incredible - no disappointment whatsoever, just elation. And then he did it again for me the next night! And here I was, three months later, listening to the Jools Holland version and remembering those incredible moments. And here I was, in the most beautiful country that I love so dearly, the sun shining, feeling quite blissfully happy, at the end of a magical trip. As I passed the cute little church (Kotstrandarkirkja), I realised that tears of joy were actually rolling down my cheeks. This has not happened very many times to me, but it was a heartwarming experience! The music, the trip, the scenery - all perfect. The rest of the drive was a little less emotional, and I pulled in to the centre of the city for a quick stop at Orr just before four to pick up a couple of presents (oh, and a new ring for me!), before continuing on to Álftanes to Sigrún's in time for supper. I had a lovely stay there, as usual, with delicious food and great company. It's such a nice way to end my trips to Iceland, relaxed in the company of lovely friends.

I never plan much for my last day - a leisurely breakfast, and then just getting to the airport without having to get up too early, dropping off the rental car (and hoping for no damage - still managed that every time so far, in spite of the incident where a bit was hanging down!), having a delicious last lunch in the airport restaurant, and picking up some more tasty Borg beer and some chocolate-covered licorice. No pizza-stealing incidents at the airport on this occasion - just some scrummy arctic char, washed down by a Borg IPA on tap. From my window seat on the plane I saw the desolate wastes of the Reykjanes peninsula disappear beneath me and a wonderful intense sunset before darkness took over. Back in March 2019!!

My crazy long drive on Day 8!

A much shorter route on Day 9

Click here for my blog from Day 7 - Stokksnes & Friends

Iceland #13 - Days 9 & 10: Luke-warm Pools and a few other Goodies (& home)

Day 9 was the last full day of my trip to Iceland, but I planned to make the most of it with the girls. As the previous day, I'd had a lot planned, and again, fitting it all in just didn't happen! I had discovered another waterfall that was only really accessible during the non-winter months, that I'd heard of but never visited (Háifoss), so that was a must-see for the day (as well as the obligatory trip to Geysir and Gullfoss), before driving back to Reykjavík, where we had a very posh dinner booked.

I woke up quite early (8.30am) and took a few photos of the lovely view to the south - the Westman Islands were quite clear on the horizon, and I watched the morning ferry glide slowly towards the mainland.

When the others were up we drove to the nearby Seljavallalaug, which I'd seen pictures of for a few years, but had never bothered trying to work out where it was. When I realised it was literally only a few miles away from the lovely Garage, where we were staying, I knew we had to combine our stay with a visit. My desire to capture the sunset behind the waterfall the previous night had meant that we hadn't had time then, but an early morning dip seemed like a close second-best option. The road to the pools was unbelievably, ridiculously potholed - it made the unsealed mountain passes and fjord roads in the Westfjords look positively smooth. We juddered our way for the few kilometres of the road and eventually came to the car-park - there were already a few other cars there, so we knew we weren't going to have the place to ourselves (I hadn't expected to). The walk to the pools was fairly flat, along a river valley, and I noticed some very cool geological formations on the hillsides above. It wasn't quite light enough to capture, and I couldn't be bothered to get the camera out either.

When we reached the pool there were a couple of people nearby about to leave, and a group of French Canadian women arrived soon after us. We checked out the changing rooms which were quite squalid - not sure why people would leave rubbish or wet clothes on the floor. I took a few photos of the pool while it was relatively empty, then got changed and into the pool.

It was far cooler than the pools I'd visited in the Westfjords - in fact it was barely luke-warm! Mandy was not impressed; Mav, however, was! We found a warmer spot at the far end where a pipe fed the pool with lovely hot water. More people arrived and so we got out and dressed.

We stopped on the way back a few times to capture the basalt columns, reeds and mossy hillsides.

The sun began to reappear briefly. We reached the car and drove back to the apartment and had some Skyr and granola for breakfast, as well as some soft-boiled eggs (someone had left eggs in the fridge) and I took a few shots of the picturesque hillside above the building.

We packed up and set off, heading towards Háifoss. Mandy drove, which was a bit weird for me, as I'd been driving the Mokka for over a week and wasn't used to sitting in the passenger's seat. It was quite nice, though, not to have to constantly concentrate on the road! We took the main road along the south and turned off when we reached the 26. It was a pleasant journey, but as we'd left a little later than originally planned we couldn't stop at a few places of interest I'd identified (Þjójfafoss, for one). We stopped once to take some quick shots of the brooding Hekla, mostly hidden by clouds, with stark volcanic, barren landscape before us.

The road became unsealed and a little slower. Eventually we reached the turning point, where the road heads across a small bridge near a dam, and turns in a south-west direction. The turn-off towards Háifoss wasn't far on from that, but we missed it initially as it's not signposted. We checked Google maps and turned around, taking the turn uphill on the 332. I'd been a little worried about it, as I'd read accounts of the road being terrible. It was pretty bumpy and uneven, but absolutely fine in the 4WD - in a low-slung saloon or hatchback I'm not so sure... We soon reached the car-park, where there were a few other cars and a couple of couples on quad bikes. We walked to the edge of the canyon and the view was spectacular, with two high falls falling into the canyon below, which wove off down the valley, under moody skies. Lines of basalt columns ran along the sides of the canyon walls.

We walked down a little further to get a different viewpoint and I took a few little self-portraits of us, the camera on tripod and using the remote shutter release. We were quite close to the edge so it was a little nerve-racking, but we didn't get that close.

I did a little photo shoot of Mav doing some pilates poses - wasn't ideal perched on the top of a canyon rim and Mav just ended up giggling.

It would be a great spot to explore more, hiking along the canyon further, overlooking the top of the falls, but time precluded it.

We wandered back to the car and I took over the driving again. We were quite hungry now, as it was already almost 3pm by the time we left. We drove back down the bumpy road and onto the 32, which fortunately is paved. We drove through Fluðir, passing the Ethiopian restaurant (I must stop there one of these days - it even looked open for a change), and on to Geysir.

We had some rather expensive sandwiches and soup in the café, before going to see the Strokkur geyser erupt.

As usual, we had to stay and see a good few eruptions. The waiting is always long, especially if you're holding a heavy camera and lens in portrait mode, just waiting for it to go! But the blue bubble appears and the water crashes through it up into the air and it's totally worth it.

There were a few disappointing ones, but then a couple of high eruptions, consecutively, as we were wandering back towards the car. Mandy was very impressed, especially with the blue bubble - it made up for her disappointment at the dirty not-so-hot pool.

Next stop, and the last on the itinerary, was Gullfoss. It was nice to visit in late summer, as the lower path was open and accessible. I realised that I'd actually only seen the falls unfrozen once before - on my very first visit to Iceland, back on a grey, wet late October day in 2002, with my friend Kate. There were a few more people here today. Thinking back, I don't even think there was a lower path then. We had a quick wander along the top path, enjoying the view of the water and people below.

We then took the long staircase down and walked along the lower path, where you can really feel the power of the falls as you are so close.

It was strange not to take long exposures, which is what I would have done had I been alone. It was quite refreshing, though, to take some normal, handheld shots with the water looking as it does to the eye, rather than the strange smooth effect the long exposures give.

We had a late dinner reservation at the Fiskmarkuðarinn restaurant (10.30pm!), so at least we didn't have to rush back. I had wanted to stop at Brúarfoss, but we definitely didn't have time for that (next time!). We drove through Þingvellir, so at least the others got to see the meeting of the two plates (well, Mandy was asleep, so missed it). The drive was quick back down in Reykjavík, and we managed to navigate to the apartment on Bergstaðastræti. We couldn't find any parking, so drove around the block a few times, before parking at the side of the road to unload the car. I then drove around the other way and managed to find a recently-freed spot. We were pretty close to downtown, and it was Saturday night, but I hadn't expected it to be so busy.

After quick showers we were off out, starting with a quick drink in the Skuli bar before dinner (I tried a rather tasty Borg sheep shit Imperial Stout (yes!), while the others stuck to wine). Then it was on to the Fiskmarkuðarinn, which was as cool as its sister restaurant Grillmarkuðarinn that I'd eaten in the previous year. We ordered elaborate cocktails upstairs in the bar area before being led down to our table; clearly eating this late was normal in Reykjavík.

*iPhoneSE photo

We had an absolute feast, including a ceviche, sushi, lamb and langoustine tails. The crowning glory was possibly my dessert - an erupting volcano!

*iPhoneSE shot - not normally a fan of non-plate serving dishes, but lava is a good substitute!

*iPhoneSE shot - scallop and salmon sushi

*iPhoneSE shot - langoustine tails and delicious fish (can't remember what type)

*iPhoneSE shot - selection of tasty Icelandic lamb

*iPhoneSE shot - the coolest dessert ever - an active volcano (raspberry mousse lava!)

After dinner we headed along a ghastly street lined with noisy bars, which reminded me a bit of film clips of the English lager louts in Spain! We walked up Laugarvegur and decided to have a last drink, and found that Kaffibarinn was open, and was now, in fact, a rather cool club. We stayed a while, had a couple of eye-wateringly-expensive drinks, and did a little dancing under the glitter ball; the music was awesome. I was feeling pretty tired, not having had a great deal of sleep since the others had arrived, so I headed back up the hill to the apartment, while the others went out for a last couple of drinks.

We didn't have to get up too early - our plans for the following morning involved packing up, picking up the re-sized rings from Orr, getting some breakfast and coffee, before heading to see Sigrún and Johannes. We parked close to the jeweller, and the lovely Heiða arrived to open up and give us the rings. I warned the others that Sigrún would put on a good spread, but we couldn't resist the massive pastries from the Brauð & Co bakery next to our previous apartment. It was great to see the pastry chef making the cinnamon rolls from huge long rolls.

*iPhoneSE shot - the making of the cinnamon rolls

*iPhoneSE shot - the wonderful Brauð & Co

Feeling a little stuffed we then drove to Álftanes, where Sigrún welcomed us with a massive table full of delicious food. We managed to eat a fair amount, in spite of not feeling terribly hungry - always such a treat! Next stop was to drive towards the airport, fill the car up and drop it off at Pro-Car. Thankfully there was no damage, and they delivered us to the airport, which was heaving as usual (I just read today that they've celebrated their seven millionth customer of 2017!). We did a little duty free shopping (I picked up some more beers and licorice chocolates) and then it was time to board. I had an emergency row window seat, which was nice. The view as we left was a lovely as ever, flying over the Reykjanes peninsula, with a last glimpse of the Westman Islands before we left Iceland.

As we approached Gatwick there was a lovely sunset. Always a nice welcome back.

Unfortunately we had to stack a little, so arrived back late, and then the trains were a mess, so I didn't arrive home until 10.45pm, after an expensive, late Uber trip from Clapham Junction (shoulda got the bus!).

*iPhoneSE shot - waiting forever at Gatwick

I'll be back to Iceland in March (already booked in June!) so it no longer feels so sad to leave. It had been a great trip, but felt rushed as usual (I always try to fit in way too much, and this trip was even worse than usual - I'd driven 2,413km!). It had been great to share the past few days with friends, and discover some amazing new places - both the Westfjords and the waterfalls in the south-west. I'm sure I'll be back to the Westfjords soon, but I'm very much looking forward to returning to the icy bits and my favourite yellow cottage in the South-East on my next trip.

Click here for blog from Day 8 - A Little Bit of Golden Circle...