Well, any thought of leaving Myvatn as planned were eventually dashed when we looked out of our hotel window and then checked the road and weather conditions for the rest of the day.
The forecast was for a deep artic low pressure system moving towards Myvatn with increased snow and wind. Most of the roads east of Myvatn were already closed and the one to the west that we were taking was subject to falling snow, patches of ice, sub zero temps and 70km/hr+ winds, so by midday, we had booked another nights accomodation here.
Ever the optimist and with the weather forecast suggesting a window between 8am and 3pm tomorrow when things might quieten down, we thought it wise to dig the car out of the snow in preparation for an early departure the next day, which turned out to be a less than optimal decision. The next morning, the car was buried up to the door handles, so it was grab a shovel and start digging.
Eventually we were able to get away around 9:30 and having foregone our booked accomodation for the previous night in Blonduos, we drove straight to Budir on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Normally a 6hr drive, but with stretches of the road across the exposed high plains covered in wet snow, and low visibility, took us nearly 9hrs.
But we eventually arrived intact, if not a little frazzled, in Budir. Set on an isolated part of the peninsula, with only a church built in 1784 for company, the solitude had a much needed and appreciated calming effect.
The Snaefellsnes Peninsula is in western Iceland and at its centre is the 1,500m Snaefellsnes Vulcano, which is still considered to be active, although it last erupted 1,800 years ago and is presently covered with a glacial ice cap, so we felt safe enough to spend the following day driving around the peninsula.
Once again, stunning scenery, more rocky mountainous outcrops, waterfalls, lava fields covered in moss and green arable pastures.
Now it was time to head back to the main No. 1 circle road for the 180km drive to Reykjavik which would signal the end of our Icelandic adventure. This was the best section of road thus far and it was surprising that although it was Saturday, there was a constant stream of traffic heading in the opposite direction out of Reykjavik. As if to put a stamp on how our driving experience could best be summarised, after emerging from the 6km tunnel that passes 165m under the Hvalfjoröur fiord, a drive which itself was not without its fair share of tension, we turned into a rest area for a break before tackling Reykjavic’s infamous series of roundabouts that lead into the city. After a few minutes, a Suzuki Swift with two people in it, stopped next to us. Almost immediately, both driver and passenger fully reclined their seats and disappeared from sight, no doubt equally shattered by their tunnel experience. All I can say is that we know how they felt, this was the ultimate expression of our 2,330 km Icelandic driving experience.
So how would I sum up our last 13 days here in Iceland?
Scenery unlike anything we have seen before. The sheer ruggedness and tortured formations of the mountains, the multitude of volcanic craters, mountains, some with their sides obviously blown out by past eruptions and others of an almost perfect conical shape, some hundreds of metres tall and others less than 20m. From lava fields covered in a soft green moss to barren expanses of boulders and rocks, some 1-2 metres in size, through to gravel and eventually black sand. And amongst all of this scrub land and tundra there was fields of black or chocolate brown soil, stretches of green pasture and fields showing evidence of recently cut hay. Sheep and Icelandic horses everywhere.
After a few days of this sensory overload, I came to realise that the humble iPhone was incapable of capturing these truly awe inspiring sights and the unavoidable feeling of majesty that they evoke.
Yes, the roads are narrow with no roadside verges or centre line markings and very few safety barriers; and the ones around the fiords or up and over the mountain passes are a bit adrenaline pumping and not helped by the oncoming suicidal bus and camper van drivers, but, by driving 10-20 km/hr under the speed limit we managed, even if it was only the passenger who got to see a view other than the road and the oncoming traffic.
Now, it’s time to move on to the 4th of our “Lands” - Greenland, so named by the Viking, Eric the Red who first settled there after he and his family were exiled from Iceland after his involvement in a massacre. He though the name might attract more settlers.