Stykkishólmur, Iceland

Exploring Snæfellsnes peninsula

Classic Kirkjufell
Classic Kirkjufell

Unlike yesterday, today we did a lot. And it was one of the best days of our trip, as much for the serendipity of discoveries as for the places we explored.

After our breakfast of skyr on granola, we set out into the peninsula – a full day ahead of exploring. The skies had cleared, and for the first time in Iceland we could see blue skies and feel the warmth of the sun.

We started by driving East, along route 54, the northern coast of the peninsula. We stopped first to look out across the fjord, Kolgrafarfjördur and read a little about the Eyrbyggja saga set in the peninsula. Then through the small town of Grundarfjörður and stopping at the well-photographed Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss (waterfall).

Kolgrafarfjördur
Kolgrafarfjördur

Kirkjufell

Forrest was having a nap, and Conway was refusing to get out of the car, so I had 20 minutes to myself to try out some landscape photography with tripod and filters at this famous place.

We managed to coax the boys out, in their yellow and orange coats, Conway in his Beatle-esque sunglasses. And then they enjoyed posing for photos (shouting “snow” or “mountain” for each picture), or making footprints in the snow.

From Kirkjufell we stuck on route 54, hugging the coast and then cutting inland, south and through the mountains, to the south cost of the peninsula.

We stopped for a picnic lunch in the car on top of the hills, looking out over the peninsula, where snowy hills line a calm coastline. And from here we began a circle of the western tip of the peninsula, heading clockwise and driving into Snæfellsjökull National Park.

Conway in the snow
Conway in the snow
The family at Kirkjufell
The family at Kirkjufell
Our panoramic view from our picnic lunch in the car
Our panoramic view from our picnic lunch in the car

Snæfellsjökull national park

This national park is famous for its glacier (‘jökull’) – it sits atop a classically shaped conical volcano. In Journey to the Centre of the Earth it’s where the passage to the earth’s centre begins. Visibility was good today, and as we circled the glacier its white peak dipped in and out of view between the clouds.

We approached via the peculiar rock pillars of Lóndrangar, and headed to the visitor centre (and their much needed facilities). The visitor centre has a little exhibit, a stuffed puffin the boys were allowed to stroke, an example of a large spider crab and plastic trays of sea shells that Forrest enjoyed sorting. Some steps in the middle appeared to descend to nowhere, covered by a plexiglass sheet – ‘where do they go?’ Conway asked – the friendly staff member told us, ‘to an old sheep bath’, Conway’s eyes widened in a look of shock – his face saying ‘what is a sheep bath, I didn’t know they existed!’

Outside the staff member stood with his binoculars, looking out to sea. We asked what he saw, ‘a pod of orcas’, they don’t normally get this close. Wow. We needed a better look. So we marched the boys over to the Malariff lighthouse, climbed the gnarly lava rocks and tried to look out – we couldn’t see them – but we must have been looking in the wrong place. Oystercatchers walked up and down the black sandy beach (Djupalonssandur).

When we got back, ‘they’re still there’ he told us, and showed us with his binoculars. Sam and I took turns to look out to sea – large black creatures bobbed in and out of the water, three water spouts sprayed, and Samantha saw a swish of a big black tail – how amazingly fantastic and fortuitous to see these wonders from land.

Rock pillars of Lóndrangar
Rock pillars of Lóndrangar
That is an Orca, I promise
That is an Orca, I promise

Saxhóll

Back in the car and we headed north, not really looking for anything in particular, we stopped wherever took our fancy, or where there were cars or coaches looking at something.

One of those places was Saxhóll, a volcanic crater with 360 shallow steps to the top (we counted them). Sam went up first, then I climbed and counted with Conway, Forrest was having his early afternoon nap. From the top there are magnificent views of the dried, craggy and flat lava fields – flat with exception for great craters climbing from the fields. A field of craters, like the surface of the moon, sculpted by volcanic magma long ago.

Conway at the top of Saxhóll
Conway at the top of Saxhóll

Svöðufoss

Our next detour took us along a gravel track to a car park and the Svöðufoss waterfall. It’s a majestic 10m high drop – we reached it as it had just dipped into shade for the remainder of the day, the wrong time for photos. We took the short walk from the car park to see it from a distance, but didn’t do the longer half an hour hike to get close.

Iceland has over 10,000 waterfalls, and we’d been meaning to keep count – but with so many – often flying by as we drive past them – we soon lost count.

Svöðufoss waterfall
Svöðufoss waterfall

Frozen waterfall

We began to head back, back out past the towns of Hellissandur and Ólafsvík, and up along the cliffside route 54, on our way back to Stykkishólmur.

At a high viewpoint we parked the car – and looking back across at Snæfellsjökull and the surrounding peaks – it looked like we were in some sort of picturesque car advert.

We also marvelled at the towering ice structures on the cold north face where we’d parked, and posed for some photos while the boys watched Octonauts in the car.

A view from our road trip
A view from our road trip
Paul and a frozen waterfall
Paul and a frozen waterfall

Arctic fox encounter

As we continued East the sun was starting to dip in the sky, covering the hills in that warm golden-hour yellow light. It was while staring at these beautifully lit views that a small black arctic fox darted out in front of the car and across the road. I checked the mirrors, then quickly stopped.

The inquisitive fox stopped too, and turned to look at us, giving both the boys a good long look at this creature in its summer colours. Before scampering off again out of sight. I live for these kind of one-off experiences with nature.

Kirkjufell again, with Icelandic horses this time

Now, in this beautiful evening light, as we approached Kirkjufell again we saw that the tide was in and the water at the base of the hill was calm and reflecting. We couldn’t help but stop.

I grabbed my camera gear and made the most of this impromptu photography stop, while Samantha got the boys out to look at the Icelandic horses.

While I set up the tripod and used my filters to try and perfect the composition, they watched the little equines. And as fortune had it, the farmer approached with his son and granddaughter in their tractor, bringing with them a bale of hay to feed them – they smiled at us, and the boys waved at the tractor and farmer. The hay brought all the horses right to the fence for us to see them up close.

It was approaching 7pm and the children’s bedtime, we drove home and didn’t stop again.

Mummy, Forrest and Conway with Icelandic horses
Mummy, Forrest and Conway with Icelandic horses
A landscape photo of Kirkjufell
A landscape photo of Kirkjufell

Aurora hunting

Once the children were asleep we turned our eyes to the skies and the forecast – we could see stars, and the aurora KP index said 3 and rising – if we went out we’d have a good chance of seeing something. But we couldn’t both go out at once, with two sleeping children. We waited until it was fully dark, about 10pm.

I set out first, driving south and looking for a good vantage point not too far from town. First I needed to escape the orange glow the street lights. I settled on Helgafell and gambled on climbing it in the dark with my head torch. I could just about make out the rocky path you’re meant to follow, and where there was snow I could trace the footprints across.

Helgafell translates to ‘holy mountain‘, and at the top there are the remains of a historic temple built to honour Thor. It’s a religious place, and people still believe that if you climb it, don’t look back and make a wish that you never tell anyone, your wish will be granted. I made a wish. This felt like a suitable mountain to climb, alone and in the dark, on my pilgrimage to see the aurora.

At the top I nestled down within some walled remains, sheltered from the bitterly cold winds that buffeted the mountain. I set up the tripod and angled my wide aperture, wide angle lens at the sky, then I waited.

When my eyes had adjusted I saw mysterious grey clouds that ever so slowly were coming and going. A long exposure on the camera revealed great waves and clouds of green to the north. I shared my compass reading and photos with Samantha back at the Airbnb – but the light pollution meant she couldn’t see anything from the windows.

Paul’s first aurora experience, from Helgafell looking towards the western fjords(Stykkishólmur is the light pollution to the left)
Paul’s first aurora experience, from Helgafell looking towards the western fjords
(Stykkishólmur is the light pollution to the left)
More aurora
More aurora

After 40 minutes of viewing, with the skies still very active, green on the camera, grey to the eye – not strong enough for the colour to trigger the right sensors in my eyes, I descended Helgafell and returned – ready to swap places with Samantha for her turn to see the northern lights. Getting back down the holy mountain was harder, I lost the path a couple of times in the dark and had to turn back and trace my steps a couple of times, but it didn’t take too long.

Samantha opted for a much closer and easier to reach vantage point, the far side of Súgandisey island, just a minute’s drive from the Airbnb, where the northern view is sheltered from the lights of town – and that was perfect, as that was where the lights were. She took the tripod and camera and climbed the island steps, keeping away from the flashing lighthouse on the top.

She too saw the lights, and photographed a beautiful ‘rainbow of aurora‘, before we both, at gone midnight, called it a night, ready to be awoken by the kids at 6am again.

What a fabulous day – a day giving us whales, foxes, landscape photography, waterfalls, craters, volcanoes and glaciers, hidden elf churches, a stuffed puffin and the northern lights – all the best of Iceland in a single day.

Back to the peninsula and Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge →