End location: Stykkisholmur (Snaefellsnes & the West)
Route travelled:
North on Road 1, right at junction with Road 47 around base of Mt Esja. Scenic route around Hvalfjordur rather than through the tunnel. Followed signs for Reykholt, turned right onto Road 520 & then Road 50 for Deildartunguhver. After Deildartunguhver, took Road 519 into Reykholt village.
East out of Reykholt on Road 518 for Hraunfossar & Barnafoss waterfalls in the Husafell area (a popular holiday camp for Icelanders set in birch woodland). Road 523 at the crossroads & followed the north bank of Hvita & then left on Road 522. Turned right on Road 50 & then eventually back onto Road 1 on the West coast near Borgarnes. Took a right onto Road 54 & headed north towards Stykkisholmur.
Right onto Road 56 to cross the mountainous backbone of the Snaefellsnes peninsula over Kerlingarskard. Right back onto Road 54 then left on Road 58 to arrive in Stykkisholmur village.
Distance travelled: 353.2 km
Accommodation: Hotel Stykkisholmur
Sites visited:
Hvalfjordur area - translates to ‘Whale Fjord’ & is at the base of Mt Esja (909m) sites of old whaling stations.
Deildartunguhver - Iceland’s (Europe’s) largest hot spring, which produces 180 litres per second of 97 degree water to heat the local area since 1981 by the Akranes (34km) & Borgarfjordur (64km) District Heating Company
Reykholt - home of Iceland’s most famous poet, Snorri Sturlusson. Murdered in
1241 on orders of the King of Norway. Most famous works Heimskringla (History of the Norwegian Kings).
Hraunfossar Waterfall - 1km stretch with a multitude of tiny cascades tumbling out of the lava.
Barnafoss waterfall - translates to ‘Children’s Waterfall’ with the glacial river, Hvita flowing through the chasm that appears in the lava field
The story of Barnafoss
There used to be a stone arch that bridged the river. One Christmas day, a local household went to attend mass, with the exception of two children who stayed home ill. When the household returned, the children had vanished but their tracks led to the river. The children had fallen off the arch and drowned. Their mother then had the arch destroyed to prevent such a recurrence of such a tragedy.
Eldborg - a 367ft crater created by a volcanic eruption 5-8,000 years ago.
Gerduberg - the longest row of basalt columns in Iceland
Kerlingarskard - translates to ‘Troll wife’s Pass’ & reaches 1,020ft above sea level & claimed many lives. I got was the most eerie, cold feeling ever driving through the pass & I didn’t read my guide books until after I’d driven through which state the pass is rumoured to be haunted. There are tales of ghostly apparitions & even today, stories
are told of travellers who sense the presence of an ‘extra passenger’ as they cross the pass.
Stykkisholmur - the principle town of Snaefellsnes peninsula & the starting point for those going to the West Fjords by ferry. There are several hundred individual islands in the bay.
Trip notes: 9.00 car delivered to hotel - 2.5 litre automatic Subaru Legacy AWD
Photo notes: Photos 1 - 35
1. View from Road 1, north of Reykjavik - Mt Esja area
2. View from Road 47 - along Hvalfjordur (at the start of fjord)
3. My car on Road 47 (whilst it was still clean & on tarmac)
4. View from Road 47 - along Hvalfjordur (¼ way round)
5. View from Road 47 - along Hvalfjordur (¼ way round)
6. View from Road 47 - around Hvalfjordur (½ way round)
7. Church of Saurbaer - around Hvalfjordur (¾ way round)
8. View from Road 520 towards Reykholt (heading East) & my first off road experience
9. View from Road 520 towards Reykholt
10. View from Road 520 towards Reykholt
11. Deildartunguhver (Hot spring) Road 50 near Reykholt
12. Deildartunguhver
13. Deildartunguhver
14. Deildartunguhver
15. Church in Reykholt village on Road 519
16. Interior of Church in Reykholt
17. Modern church at Reykholt
18. Snorri Sturlusson statue at Reykholt
19. Arch & sculpture in old church graveyard at Reykholt
20. Hraunfossar Waterfall & Hvita glacial river
21. Hraunfossar Waterfall
22. Hraunfossar Waterfall & Hvita glacial river
23. Barnafoss Waterfall & lava field
24. Barnafoss Waterfall & lava field
25. View from Road 522, heading towards Borgarnes (West coast)
26. Hvita from Road 523
27. Eldborg crater as seen from Road 54
28. My car after 4 hours off roading
29. Gerduberg - the longest row of basalt columns in Iceland
30. Junction with Road 54 & Road 58 (10km from Stykkisholmur) - Berserkjahraun lava
31. Hotel Stykkisholmur
32. View of Stykkisholmur
33. View of Stykkisholmur
34. Harbour
35. Modern church in Stykkisholmur opposite hotel
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