The drive north from our hotel near Reykjavík took two hours. It passed along the west coast and through a long tunnel. We could still see the plume of smoke from the newly erupting Litli-Hrútur volcano in the rear view mirror until we were further into the north.
We arrived in Grundarfjörður in the early evening, dropped off our things and made dinner in the communal kitchen. Staying in Grundarfjörður for two nights gave us a full day to circle around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. We had a long drive eastward the following day with a number of stops planned so we wanted to make the best of our time on the peninsula. It made for a long day, but the sun was up as long as we were so it ended up working out well.
- Town of Grundarfjörður, Mt. Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss
- Svöðufoss (waterfalls)
- Saxhóll Crater
- Djúpalónssandur beach
- Snæfellsjökull Glacier
1. Grundarfjörður, Kirkjufellsfoss (falls) and Mt. Kirkjufell
The town itself was quite small but in a beautiful location. We enjoyed a nice Colombian coffee at a place down the street. Because there was only one small supermarket in town, we stocked up on groceries at a Bonus supermarket on the way up from Reykjavík.
The next morning we started west and the views were spectacular from the start. It didn’t take long to arrive at one of Iceland’s most impressive photo spots located just a few minutes outside of the town. The combination of Kirkjufellsfoss and Mt. Kirkjufell is one of the most photographed places in Iceland.
Like many natural locations in Iceland, the location and/or the parking was on private land. This meant pay parking just a short distance away for 350 kroner, all done through a machine.
From there we continued west, with the next sight about 30 minutes away. It was a relaxing drive along the coast road, with few cars and a number of scenic stop-offs along the way
2. Svöðufoss
The Svöðufoss waterfall is just a 30 minute walk from the parking lot. At the end of the boardwalk you can scramble up the nearby rocks to get a view of the falls up close.
Located behind the glacier and the defining feature of the peninsula, the Snaefellsjokull glacier is a 7,000 year old snow-capped volcano. It was used in the Jules Verne novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864) as the location for the start of the journey. The beginning of the novel goes tells of a 16th century Icelandic saga about an alchemist who said:
Go down into the crater of Snaefells Jökull, which Scartaris’s shadow caresses just before the calends of July, O daring traveler, and you’ll make it to the center of the earth. I’ve done so.
While we didn’t go to the centre of the earth we enjoyed a view of Snaefellsjokull glacier throughout the day.
3. Saxhóll Crater
We drove a short distance from Svöðufoss to Saxhóll Crater. The 100 m (328 ft) crater had free parking close by. The wind was blowing hard as we made our way up the metal walkway towards the rim of the crater.
4. Djúpalónssandur Beach
We continued south along the 574 highway. Tucked into the southwest corner of the peninsula is Djúpalónssandur Beach, a spot with interesting lava formations, a black sand beach and the remains of a shipwreck.
On the beach were the scattered remains of a British trawler that was wrecked in 1948. Only 5 of the crew of 19 survived. Close to the wreck is a freshwater lagoon, Djúpalón.
It was now mid-afternoon. Lunch consisted of the boiled eggs, granola bars and bananas we packed with us. There was still a lot of the peninsula to see, and hours left to see it. The rest will be in part 2.
Random Notes:
-on the way out of Reykjavik we stopped in the only IKEA in Iceland for lunch. Good prices and selection for a sit down meal in Iceland!
-we were soon introduced to the single-lane bridges found all over Iceland. Cars need to yield depending on who gets to the bridge first, and it can cause some confusion. Most of the bridges (and approaching cars) were easy to see from a distance, but a few bridges were long or close to bends in the road and required timing and patience.
-the e-sim data card for my phone (Airalo) stopped working once we arrived in Grundarfjörður. It would not work again until more than a week later when we were in Selfoss after circling most of the island. It was more than a little annoying that the card only worked around the Golden Circle and Reykjavík.
Humphreys Travel 