Day 2 - Friday, July 9 - Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Day 2 Stats
Breakfast: hotel breakfast buffet ($0) and and pastries at Brauð & Co ($8)
Snacks and Lunch: Bonus Grocery Store in Borgarnes ($21 for groceries and sandwiches)
Dinner: Snofells Restaurant in Arnarstapi ($57 for fish and chips, cheesburger, tea)
Hotel: Stöð Guesthouse in Grundarfjörður ($162)
Drive: 267 kilometers / 166 miles
Walk: 14,000 steps / 5.3 miles
Weather: partly sunny in Reykjavik and Borgarnes in the morning, dense fog and light rain around Budakirkja in the afternoon, partial clearing around Londrangar in the early evening, overcast in Grundarfjordur in the late evening, low to mid 50's
Things we missed: Gerðuberg Cliffs (we tried two different roads, but they didn't seem right), Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge, Vatnshellir Cave, Saxhóll Crater, Hellissandur, Berserkjahraun, Stykkishólmur
Wish we could have spent more time at: Djúpalónssandur
Day 2 Itinerary
A. Center Hotel Arnarhvoll
We had a surprisingly American-style breakfast buffet (including bacon and eggs) with a great view of the waterfront. Cathy picks up some pastries from Brauð & Co while I nap.
We get a late start around 11:30 after a bout of dehydration and a long nap.
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B. Borgarnes
About an hour north of Reykjavik on the Ring Road, we stopped for snacks and lunch at Bonus, a discount grocery store, and ate on the shore of the Borgarfjörður
Drive: 75 km / 1 hour from Reykjavik
Time Spent: 1.5 hours (12:30-2:00)
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C. Snaefellsnes Visitor Center and Local Handcraft Market
A quick pit stop along with some info on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and a market featuring local knitwear and yarn.
Drive: 60 km / 45 minutes from Borgarnes
Time spent: 15 minutes
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D. Ytri Tunga Beach
We heard there might be some seals here. We found about a dozen that seemed to be mugging for the cameras.
Drive: 24 km / 20 minutes from Breiðablik
Time Spent: 1 hour (3:15-4:15)
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E. Bjarnarfoss
A short hike uphill in dense fog brought us to a series of rapids. We had no idea that a few hundred feet above us was a plunging waterfall flanked by basalt columns.
Drive: 18 km / 15 minutes from Ytri Tunga
Time spent: 45 minutes (4:30-5:15)
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F. Búðakirkja
Just across the main road from Bjarnarfoss is an often Instagrammed black church surrounded by a unique volcanic landscape and grazing sheep.
Drive: 4 km / 6 minutes
Time spent: 30 minutes
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G. Arnarstapi
A fascinating coastline with cliffs and rock arches. After walking around, we stayed for dinner.
Drive: 19 km / 18 minutes
Time spent: 1 hour 45 minutes including dinner (6:15 - 8:00)
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H. Lóndrangar
Two volcanic pillars (75 and 60 meters high) stand out along a rocky shore
Drive: 9 km / 8 minutes
Time spent: 15 minutes (8:15-8:30)
I. Djúpalónssandur
A walk through another interesting lava field leads to a black sand beach with a lagoon and the rusted remains of a ship that wrecked in 1948.
Drive: 8 km / 8 minutes
Time spent: 30 minutes (8:45-9:15) Ideally, we would have had more time to also get to Dritvík, but we had to check in at our hotel by 10:00 and it is on the other side of the peninsula.
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J. Grundarfjörður
We check in at Stöð Guesthouse (great location, relatively cheap, not the greatest architecture). Just outside, across a small bay is Kirkjufell.
Drive: 60 km / 50 minutes
Arrive: 10:00
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I. Kirkjufell
With a unique shape and texture and a waterfall at its base, Kirkjufell is the most photographed place in Iceland. My plan was to shoot it at sunset (around 11:45, but the weather did not cooperate. At least I had the place mostly to myself.
Drive: 3 km / 6 minutes
Time spent: 1 hour (11:00-12:00)
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