A few weekends ago the weather report suggested that it would be amazing blue skies and warm. So we decided to go back up to Snæfellsnes peninsula for some camping, hiking, and adventures. We also had the added benefit of a friend visiting from France for the weekend, who had rented a camper van and was going up there too. Let the fun begin!
Saturday
Travelling up to the Peninsula with Snæfellsjökull glacier.
After driving for a few hours we reached the area that we were interested in exploring. We had investigated doing a hike up a mountain called Mt. Stapafell to get a good view of the surrounding area. We arrived and stopped at a lay by just below the Snæfellsjökull glacier. The ridge that we wanted to do was ahead of us and we could not find the start of a trail, so we decided to take it easy and explore the coast line between Port Arnarstapi and Hellnar.
Getting ready for a hike up...
...Stapafell ridge. Maybe next time.
This was only a short walk over a few kilometers but it was along an amazing lava field and the sea. It was quite an amazing contrast!
Port Arnarstapi
Coast line between Port Arnarstapi and Hellnar.
Hellnar Church with the Snæfellsjökull glacier in the background.
That guy took a picture of me and took great interest in my 35mm film camera from 1978!
So, after a nice walk we head off to find our friends and find somewhere to camp. This is quite easy in Iceland as there are a lot of campsites and there all super easy to use. So we stayed at Langaholt campsite and pitched the tent. (Queue time-lapse fun with surprise drive through!).
Langaholt camping
The beach and surroundings are beautiful around the campsite. Well worth a visit, but it is a bit rustic, with no showers and the bathrooms are just a shed. Loved it!
Sunday
After a quick breakfast and some planning we decided to go for a hike. Re-packed the car and drove to the approximate center of the peninsula to spend the day on a hill. What a great day! Sunshine, no clouds in the sky and no one there.
Hiking to the top.
Panoramic of the top.
GPS route.
Playing in the snow.
Once we had finished the hike Scherie mentioned a waterfall close by that we had not yet seen, and you could walk behind it! So back into the cars for a short drive to see the waterfall. WOW! What an amazing place.
Waterfall with Scherie.
Long exposure of the river Fossá. Click for a big version!
Aims behind the waterfall.
Well, as always, all good things must come to an end. We said are farewells and hit the road back to Reykjavik to start another week.
We will back to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula as it has so much to offer for so little travel time. But the next adventure awaits. We are off to the Westfjords of Iceland which is not on the normal tourist track of the well beaten route 1 circular. I can't wait!
Thanks,
Kev
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The gang at the top of the hike. Left to right. Aimee, Scherie, Me, Cedric