Leaving the glaciers behind for now, the next day saw us driving further east aiming to have lunch at spectacular Stokknes beach overlooked by the dramatically beautiful Vestrahorn.
Photographers consult tide times, weather charts and wind speed in order to be here for the perfect reflective shot but somehow with beginner’s luck we managed to time it pretty well 😊 (image featured above)
The beach is also home to an old recreated Viking Village which has been utilised in several film and TV series productions, most notably for us, The Witcher.
We spent some time wandering around the buildings and boarding the Viking ship before driving a little further on to the actual beach.
We spent longer than intended getting the ‘money’ shot at the beach as there were two very dramatically dressed ladies hogging the best position and their (presumably) husbands taking endless photos 🤣
Eventually we drove down a little further toward the lighthouse and ate our picnic on the rocks overlooking the waves. What a spot …
Dragging ourselves away we continued in an easterly direction, the road hugging the coastline – a little too closely in some places for Russell’s liking – toward our next accommodation in Fáskrúðsfjörður.
En route we stopped in the village of Djúpivogur. Its very pretty harbour was home to a couple of cruise ships on the day but (as well as a toilet stop) I was particularly interested in the “Eggin í Gleðivík” installation, the work of Icelandic artist Sigurður Guðmundsson. It depicts the different eggs of 34 nesting birds in the area and was really interesting, some eggs nearly round and others very elongated, who knew?
With no bridges in this part of Iceland (actually not that many anywhere in Iceland) despite the village being relatively close as the crow flies, it took us nearly three hours on Highway 1 tracking in and out of multiple fjords and inlets. Beautifully scenic but quite tiring and I was glad when we reached Fáskrúðsfjörður and checked into Fosshotel Eastfjords. Housed in four buildings with rich histories dating from 1898 to 1907, they were originally designed for French fishermen and the main reception building was once the French hospital, constructed in 1903.
Fáskrúðsfjörður, often called the “French Town” of Iceland, has a strong historical connection with France due to its role as a major fishing hub for French sailors, particularly those from Normandy and Brittany from the late 1800s until 1914. This connection is still visible in the town’s architecture and street signs which include French translations. We were only there for a night but had a nice table with a view for dinner 😉
I was super excited for the next day’s itinerary.
Remember I told you back in the Faroe Islands blog that the ‘lake above the sea’ was one of the reasons I wanted to visit the Faroes? Well an image of Stuðlagil Canyon was definitely one of the instigators for visiting Iceland.
As stunning as Stuðlagil Canyon now is, it was only physically revealed relatively recently when water from the river was diverted to power an aluminium smelter which reduced flow in the canyon from approximately 205 m³/s to around 95 m³/s. As a result, large portions of the canyon previously submerged were revealed, and the river changed from a muddy brown to a clearer turquoise hue.
It remained unknown to the general public until 2016, when an Icelandic photographer and travel writer Einar Páll Svavarsson visited the site, photographed it, and wrote the first comprehensive article. It eventually made it to various social media and it is now on every photographer’s hit list with good reason.
If ever you go, head for the western side car park, its a bit of a walk but you can get down to the bottom of the canyon whereas the car park on the eastern side only has a viewing platform.
*[At the end of the trip, this is still one my highlights.]
Getting back on the road our route turned more north westerly as we tracked toward Dettifoss, reputably the second most ‘powerful’ waterfall (water flow multiplied by its fall distance) in Europe after the Rhine Falls in Switzerland.
With impressive stats – 100 metres wide and a drop of 44 metres – we were excited to get there and my research had directed us to the eastern side viewing this time. My source DID mention that the western side road WAS paved so we knew what we were in for when we set off on 38 kms of gravel LOL
It was a slow trip but the rewards were great, no tour buses and only a couple of other hardy souls had ventured this way.
Vatnajökull National Park which is where you have arrived, delivers plenty of rewards for braving the rough gravel road. We firstly drove past the turn off to Dettifoss for a couple of kilometres to a small car park where you get an awesome view of the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon and Hafragilsfoss waterfall (after braving a short section of road that looked and felt like a skiiing mogul course 🤣)
You can see the striking mix of waters here with the milky sediment-filled glacial run off being joined by the clear blue freshwater stream.
By the time we left this spot we were the only ones there and indeed after the short back track to the Dettifoss car park there were only two other vehicles, one of which I think was staying the night.
The short hike to Dettisfoss takes you almost to the edge and you could feel the earth rumbling such is the power on display here.
The gravel road seemed twice as long on return but once we reached Highway 1 again we only had about 30 minutes drive to our base for the next three nights, Fosshotel Myvatn – as the name would suggest – overlooking the impressive Lake Myvatn.
Next, whales, midges, hot springs and yes, more waterfalls!