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12.08.2019

Guesthouse Staðarhóll Aðaldalur – Guesthouse Hofsstaðir Skagafjörður   264 km

The rain had not stopped when we woke up early … The weather was the same moody grey and stormy like yesterday. Well, the whale watching people in Húsavík had said that the storm over the North was supposed to last another day …

I went to get the car and we packed up and drove to the restaurant for breakfast at 07:30.  The breakfast buffet was good, the restaurant small with windows to all sides.  We had a laugh at the sweet section of the buffet – they had homemade blueberry jam and – maybe because there are usually German guests in the majority here – had labeled it Blaubär. Blueberry in German however is Blaubeere. They wrote Blue Bear – and Käpt’n Blaubär – Captain Blue Bear – is part of a well-known kid’s TV program in Germany.

Soon enough we were on the road again. We were still on a side road that followed the valley of the Skjálfandafljót River which is one of the major rivers in North Iceland. It has its source at the northwestern border of the icecap of Vatnajökull, the biggest glacier in Europe. The 4th longest river in Iceland runs through Aðaldalur Valley and finally flows into Skjálfandi Bay. We reached the Ring Road 1 after approx 20 km and turned westward.

We did not let the weather cloud our mood and stopped for a first geocache and visited the Goðafoss Waterfall located in the Skjálfandafljót River right next to the Ring Road. It is said to be one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country, falling from a height of 12 m over a width of 30 m.

Parking the car along with many others and also some tour busses, we bundled up and braced ourselves together against the strong wind. The path to the viewpoint was paved – a sign that this is a well-visited waterfall.

The name Goðafoss means either Waterfall of the Gods or Waterfall of the Goði – priest or chieftain. It has a fascinating history. When Iceland was first settled in the 9th and 10th centuries, the vast majority were Norwegians who followed the Old Norse religion, worshipping deities like Thor, Odin, Loki and Freya. In the year 999 or 1000 the lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland. According to a modern myth, it is said that he threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall to symbolize his decision. Since then the waterfall is known as Goðafoss.

We could not really enjoy the view over the beautiful waterfall – the weather was just too miserable. Quickly we took some photos and then made our way back to the car and took a pit stop at the service station nearby. There are not so many public toilets along the road, so we had to use it when the opportunity arose. Often there is a barrier at the entrance and a fee of ISK 200 has to be paid with credit card only. No chance to get in otherwise – a very efficient way of maintaining those spaces. Here at the service station they had a simple mail box with a slot to put cash in. While I waited for Mom, a bus load of tourists arrived and – believe it! – half of them walked past without paying. No wonder the credit card barriers have been invented.

There was another viewpoint at the other side of the river side, where less people stopped and there was a geocache hidden somewhere over there as well. I had to find it! Mom stayed in the warm car and I took a quick walk to have another look at the falls as well as find the secret box. The rain had nearly stopped, but the wind was strong. Nevertheless, It was another dramatic perspective of the beautiful waterfall from this side. It would look more spectacular in sunshine, but … we were not that lucky.

Lucky I was however in finding the geocache – another smiley on my geocaching map. Quickly I signed the logbook and let the wind push me back to the parking lot.

Thereafter, the road skirted Lake Ljósavatn, which covers an area of 3.2 km², through the valley Ljósavatnsskarð. The rain in the valley was snow up in the mountains and we saw snowy hills all around us.

Eventually we reached the bridge over the Fnjóská River. Right behind the bridge we turned North on the old Ring Road. Since December 2018 there is a brand new tunnel – the Vaðlaheiðargöng – which passes between Eyjafjörður and Fnjóskadalur and is 7.4 km long replacing a 21 km section of the Ring Road shortening it by 16 km. But we were in no hurry today and also knew better ways to spend the ISK 1500 toll required passing it. The option to take the old route over the mountain heath Víkurskarðið still exists and is free of charge. It did not seem posted on the road signs, giving the impression that there is no choice but to take the tunnel … However, we were prepared and knew where to turn off.

The 16 km were leading over the Víkurskarðið mountain pass were scenic – only we did not see much since it was very grey and pouring again. Up there we even had a sprinkle of snow! Believe it! No time to take photos, though – no view either …

Coming down the mountain on the other side, the snow sprinkle disappeared and the sky was a little lighter now over the Eyjafjörður – the Island Fjord which is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is long and narrow and measures 60 km from its head to its mouth. Its greatest width is 15 km at the fjords mouth, but for the greater part of its length it is mostly 5-10 km wide.

The road followed the shore of the fjord south to its head, where the city of Akureyri is situated and was lined by juicy green lowlands with the ever present hay bales waiting for transportation.In the summertime, the Icelandic farmers work their fields gathering up hay for the coming winter to be able to feed the sheep and horses during the winter. They wrap up their hay rolls to make them last longer so that the hay stays dry for up to 3 years.  It is actually haylage – a forage from grass that is baled into rolls, wrapped in layers of plastic to squish the air out and then allowed time for the grass to ferment. Apparently it has been scientifically proven to be a good way to preserve the nutritional value of the grass bale.

The public has sometimes described bales of hay as being visual pollution reasoning that the white wrappings, which are most commonly used, stand out in the landscape too much. But others see it like art installations in nature. There is even a debate about the best color to use – white, black or green. We also saw some pink bales – bringing breast cancer awareness and supporting research.

Finding a geocache near a view point by the side of the road, I saw a cruise ship in the harbour of Akureyri across the fjord. Zooming in with the camera I could read the name and quickly remembered that I know somebody working on board at the moment. I send him a photo message – I see you! – maybe he would get it.

We crossed the bridge over the head of the fjord and reached the city. Akureyri stands strong as Iceland’s second city, but a Marseille, Hamburg or Melbourne it is not. It has approx 19000 inhabitants. This would make the city more like a town if it were anywhere else in the world, but given that it is in Iceland, the classification fits.

Nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland, Akureyri is an important port and fishing centre and was settled in the 9th century. The area has a relatively mild climate, because of geographical factors, and the town’s ice-free harbour has played a significant role in its history.

We parked the car in the center near the Tourist Information Center. And then my mobile beeped with a message from Jo that he is on board. He had no time off, but we managed to convince him to come to the gate for a quick catch up. It was still raining and we walked across to the cruise ship pier quickly.

Not being properly registered ahead of our visit, we were not allowed through the gate, but Jo came down and what was intended to be only a quick catch-up ended in being almost 45 min of chatting about old times and shop talk. We had not seen each other in 11 years, but had lots to blather about. We stood below the roof of the guards’ hut and had much fun.

I had been in Akureyri once before – in 1996 when I was working my first ever season on a cruise ship. I was Cabin Stewardess back then and it was the first cruise I did. Coincidentally, this ship was the successor of the one I worked on back in the day and was still run by the same tour company. Back then it was July and the weather had been much better. Only there had not been a cruise ship pier in those times – we had been at anchor in the bay and had to tender across.

When Jo finally had to go back to work, Mom and me took a walk through town to warm up again. On our way around the harbour we looked for another secret box … unfortunately it was missing and we only did a photo log. All in all I was not successful finding geocaches in Akureyri … also a second box I looked for was missing.

Much has changed in those 22 years since my first visit. With this miserably cold weather there were not many people around in town – other than some of the die-hard German cruise ship guests and us. At my first visit I hugged a huge Viking, today we only saw 2 trolls – Grýla and Leppalúði!

Grýla is a very bad and grim troll who eats badly behaved children – she comes to pick them up, puts them in her sack and then cooks them in her cauldron. Grýla’s husband is the troll Leppalúði. Although he is a troll, he is not as ugly as Grýla – or is he? Grýla and Leppalúði were cannibals like other trolls and did not mind eating fully-grown men as well. In this weather they were hiding under the awning of a souvenir shop, though.

Despite the weather we walked to Akureyrarkirkja – the Church of Akureyri – a landmark with 112 steps leading to the top of the hill where it perches.

It was consecrated in 1940 and was back then the biggest church in Iceland. I told Mom to walk ahead slowly while I looked for the second secret box of the day – and did not find it … When I reached the top of the stairs, Mom was already there – huffing and puffing and complaining that I made her walk up that hill and now the church was closed!

Indeed the church was closed for a funeral until 14:00 … Could they not have put that sign on the bottom of the stairs? – Of course not! They wanted us to have a look at the view over the town from up here! Nobody should visit Akureyri without walking up the steps to the church – while counting the steps – that is kind of a tradition here in Iceland.

So we walked all the steps down again without having admired the church’s interior and opaque central stained glass window which stems from the Coventry Cathedral in England.

Making our way back to the car, we noticed something cool – red heart shaped traffic lights! They were everywhere in town, indeed. It turned out they were installed in a “Smile with your Heart” project already in 2008.

Before leaving Akureyri we stopped for fuel. We found a budget self service station where diesel was only ISK 219 per liter. I filled the car up in 2 stages – first ISK 5000 and then ISK 2000 – and we were ready to continue our road trip. We were turning off the Ring Road once more and followed the side road #82 around the Tröllaskagi Penisnusla … in the rain … the snowy hills nevertheless in sight …

One of most hidden Icelandic gems is Tröllaskagi Peninsula, a truly astonising and fascinating kingdom a bit separated from the rest of the country, because of the high and dense mountains which cover it all. The highest point is Mount Kerling – Kerlingarfjöll – with its 1538 m and 2 fjords – Skagafjörður in the West and Eyjafjörður in the East – are flanking the peninsula.

Here craggy peaks, deep valleys and gushing rivers are more reminiscent of the Westfjords than the gentle hills that roll through most of North Iceland … slowly we are moving from North to Wet Iceland … The rain was not letting up … if anything it rained more the further north we came. And more snowy hill tops along the road …

There were no views what so ever with the sky rainy-grey and miserable. We drove along Eyjafjörður north …  no point in stopping anywhere for photos, though … Then we reached the small sea side settlement of Dalvik with a population of approx 1400. A true fishing village – it basically consists of a harbor – a large fishing and commercial port.

Right on the commercial pier in the breakwater, there was supposed to be a secret box hidden. It turned out it would have been a regular and easy drive-in. Instinctively following the signs to the harbor and just driving on the empty pier, I could stop right next to the location of the geocache.  Even though it was pouring down with rain, I hopped out of the car and … did not find the box. Another missing one today … no luck with the weather or the geocaching today. In the end I logged anyway … I was here … photo proof.

Not lingering in this rainy place, we kept going north along the fjord. Eyjafjörður is surrounded by hills and mountains on both sides – not that we could see the opposite shore … Here there were no lowlands along the coast as the steep hills rolled directly into the sea with the narrow road skirting the shore. On the norther tip of the headland we entered the Múlagöng – or Ólafsfjarðargöng – a 3400 m long one-lane-tunnel connecting Dalvík and Ólafsfjörður.

It was a very strange tunnel – and I know it, because we had passed many tunnels on our Road Trip North of the Arctic Circle last year. But this one was definitely special, because it was indeed a one-lane-tunnel. At our end of the tunnel the signs stated to give way to oncoming traffic. There were no traffic lights … only lay-bys or passing places every hundred meters. It was absolutely necessary to watch the headlights of the oncoming traffic and then judge the distance …. do I make it to the next possible space to pull over or not?  …

Luckily there was very little traffic and the possibilities to pull over were indeed plentiful and also all drivers were thoughtful. I mean, even I drove less than 70 km/h and had the foot hovering on the gas or break constantly to make it in time to the next lay-by or stop at the one before. And it all worked without traffic lights … imagine that … Absolutely amazing!

Coming out the other end of the tunnel it was less than a kilometer to the next geocache beside the road. There was a picnic parking lot overlooking Ólafsfjörður – a small fjord and town. At least it was supposed to, but in this weather we saw nothing … The cache was located right under an old anchor displayed here. I found it quickly in the pouring rain …

Ólafsfjörður is a village of approx 825 inhabitants and we passed it in a blink, entering the next set of tunnels shortly after. Héðinsfjarðargöng are actually 2 successive road tunnels connecting Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður. They were opened in 2010. It cut the road connection between Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður from 60 km to only 15 km. In times when the highland of Lágheiði was not passable due to weather conditions, there were even 230 km of road to negotiate to reach here.­­­­ Héðinsfjarðargöng is in fact Iceland’s longest tunnel and easy to drive. It opens up in  the uninhabitated Héðinsfjörður after 7100 m for only 600 m to then continue another 3900 m to Síglufjörður.

Needless to mention that there was a geocache located at a parking lot just coming out of the tunnel at the other end.  There was a parking space overlooking the small Siglufjörður and while Mom waited in the car I went in search of the secret box. The hint said – check the trees – Well, yeah … there were many trees … and due to the rain there was a stream between the parking and the cache as well …

I did brave the water and jumped over the stream and then waded my way through hip high jungle and bushes. Believe me, it was wet from everywhere – the rain had not stopped yet … There were too many trees and too much wet jungle to even try a thorough search with a vague hint and a jumping GPS. So I once more I gave up … Today is not my lucky day geocaching … There is a geocaching superstition that DNF – Did Not Finds – always come in threes … just like the Icelandic Sheep always come in trios … OK, the Sheep are not a superstition, they are a fact …

The small town of Siglufjörður is situated at the head of the particularly beautiful fjord of the same name and high and dramatic mountains tower over the town. It is the northernmost town of mainland Iceland and has approx 1300 inhabitants. We drove into town in search of a lunch spot. Today the cloud hang low still and we could just see the colorful houses in town. The view was not that great otherwise …

Siglufjörður has one of Iceland’s best harbours and the fishing industry has been the mainstay of the economy here for a long time. The town grew up around the herring industry that was very strong in the 1940s and 1950s. Herring fishing is however no longer productive in the region.

Parking the car near the harbor, we had set our eyes at Hannes Boy Restaurant located in a bright yellow house by the marina. Outside it had cool seats made from old herring barrels … in this weather unfortunately no option …

The inside of the yellow house was comfortably warm and dry … and packed for lunch … It was a stylish, light-filled space – a unique but homey restaurant that offered a cosy and romantic environment with a usually beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and marina …

The Restaurant is named after a local legend and fisherman – Hannes Boy. The Icelandic menu was compact – I love it when there is not pages and pages of menu to choose from. In Germany that is common habit and sometimes unnerving … Especially because they have to be prepared for so many different dishes and therefore often use deep frozen ingredients. Here in Iceland the menus were short and compact and therefore the food was always excellent and freshly prepared. You know, they concentrate on a few specially dishes and perfectionate them.

We ordered a beer from the local family owned craft brewery Segull 67. Segull means magnet in Icelandic and is referring to the magnetic needle in the compass which always turns North no matter where you are. 67 has long been a lucky number in the owning family – the great grandfather drove his truck with the number F67 and the grandfather sailed the seas with the boat number SI67. I tried the Belgian Wheat Segull 67 and it was quite good.

Mom opted for the deep-fried Pork Belly with Bacon Sauerkraut, Dijonnaise, Smælki Potatoes and Herbs. She said she had enough fish in the last few days and Pork Belly with Sauerkraut sounded just like home. Smælki Potatoes are simply baby potatoes. It looked very good and Mom said it was very good – she ate it all up.

I chose the Catch of the Day – today it was Arctic Char & Cod with Bouillabaisse – a traditional Provençal Fish Stew originating from the port city of Marseille – and Smælki Potatoes. I can tell you that it was outstandingly good! It had huge pieces of fish on top and the Bouillabaisse … the Bouillabaissewas just lip smacking good. Probably the best Bouillabaisse I ever had! Very very yummy!

Of course, we had to have a dessert today – I took an espresso, Mom a Cappuccino and we shared a Skyr Cake with Fruit Salad. It came in a jar and was as well very good. In Germany Skyr has been a symbol of health and lean diet the last years. In fact, it is just the Islandic version of a low fat and high protein Greek Yoghurt – the Greek being the more fatty version. But in this dessert Skyr was delicious and paired with the fruit salad its sour and cultured taste is perfectly balanced. Excellent choice coming here for lunch!

Before getting back on the road, we made use of the facilities again and what can I say … another washroom to add to my collection of cool ones. I tell you, if I had started taking photos of toilets – the halls of harmony – the necessarium – the place where even the emperor walks to alone – the poet’s corner – the throne room – the ceramic studio … – when I first started travelling … which was in … let me think … in 1992 … then I could make a fabulous book of the evolution of toilets all over the world. Unfortunately, there were no digital cameras back then and each photo taken was carefully thought about. Waste a frame for a toilet? No way … Nowadays, I just click away. Here was another beautiful example of a loo.

Satisfied with lunch we piled back into the car and kept driving along Siglufjörður and around the northernmost part of Tröllaskagi Peninsula. Soon there was another tunnel.

Strákagöng was again a one-lane tunnel, had a length of 830 m and was opened in 1967. It is the second oldest tunnel in Iceland – if the 30 m long Arnarnessgöng is not counted, then it is even the oldest. The tunnel underpasses the Strákar which is a 676 m high mountain reaching right down to the coast. Before this tunnel was opened, the people of Siglufjörður could only reach the settlement via a pass road which was opened in the 1950 – or via the sea, of course. The pass road was bad and due to the weather conditions closed for 7 to 8 months per year.

On the definitely northernmost point of our road trip, coming out of the tunnel there was a parking lot and of course there was a geocache hidden here. It was easy to find just under a rock … and the view along the coast would have been spectacular, if the weather had been better. It was stormy and wet up here. The sea was churning below the steep scree shore. Dramatic it was nevertheless.

The Greenland Sea – bordered by Greenland to the West, the Svalbard Archipelago to the East, Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean to the North and the Norwegian Sea and Iceland to the South. The Greenland Sea is often defined as part of the Arctic Ocean, sometimes as part of the Atlantic Ocean. However, in general usage the term Arctic Ocean would exclude the Greenland Sea.

Arctic climate with typicaly northern winds and temperatures rarely rising above 0°C is the regular at the Greenland Sea. Being at its Southern end, it was not that cold today, but we scratched the 5° C again. And the wind … the wind was just … storm … But the view was stunning never the less. There was one of those bright orange light houses below. And it shone indeed bright in the grey rainy day.

There were huge waves below all along the stormy coast. It was probably just the weather and view we imagined when thinking about Iceland before … On most of the photos we saw before, it was the most dramatic in moody weather and that stuck. Or not?

A little further down the coast there was another secret box close to the road. I would have probably parked the car next to the road and walked the last 200 m, but the weather … so I turned onto a very rough gravel track. Mom was worried we would not make it, but – hey – the car had 4×4! And it was not an F-Road in the highlands. Just 150 m to the foot of a windmill for some research station or such. The cache was quickly found and as quickly I was back in the car, turned it around and we were back on the road.

And it rained … and rained …

Coming south along the coast we passed the Miklavatn – Icelandic for Great Lake – actually a sort of lagoon at the northeastern part of Skagafjörður. The road followed the scree cliffs high above the coast and there were farms below which we could only make out in the rainy mist.

The road skirted the coast once more following it south again. Once the mountains retreated a bit, there were those juicy green agricultural lowlands – even this far up north they used ever possible piece of fertile land.

We felt pity with some sturdy Icelandic Horses we saw in their pastures …  Skagafjörður is known as the cradle of the Icelandic Horse and it is here that there are beautiful herds of horses set out to graze. Not that there was too much of a view, but a strong northerly wind … and as clever as Icelandic Horses are they all stood with their butts into the wind! If you think about it … who does not do that … turn their back into the wind … even Icelandic Horses do it and it was an impressive sight …

“There is no more sagacious animal than the Icelandic horse.
He is stopped by neither snow nor storm nor impassable roads nor rocks, glaciers or anything.
He is courageous, sober, and surefooted. He never makes a false step, never shies.
If there is a river or fjord to cross – and we shall meet with many – you will see him plunge in at once,
just as if he were amphibious, and gain the opposite bank.” 
Jules Verne – Journey to the Center of the Earth

And as if ordered … there were sheep on the road again … actually standing by the side of the road and waiting … waiting … waiting … until we were close enough … and then … and only then … they crossed the road! Of course!

Speaking of sheep … sheep and horses are wandering around Iceland’s country side – high up on hills and down by streams, no farms in sight. The sheep here in Iceland are strong and have a strong immune system since the difficult farming conditions in Iceland have made them that way. They are almost exclusively bred for their meat, the lambs “go to a better place” when they are around 4 to 5 months old. The lambs are almost always all born in May. The sheep then stay inside the stables for a little bit until they are freed to graze the hills and mountains pastures all over the country. They run free until the middle of September, feeding and nourishing on the rich wild vegetation. In September, the farmers start to gather the sheep, which can take from a few days up to a week since the sheep are scattered all over. The Sheep are fast on their feet and have little flocking instinct, so they tend to spread out and can be found anywhere except on the glaciers. They are rounded up by horse riders and with the help of sheepdogs or by foot where the terrain does not allow riding. The sheep have some kind of tag and the horses are microchipped.  People do not steal other people’s animals.

Dramatic vistas opened as we came around the coast into Skagafjörður passing another lagoon with black sand beaches – Höfðavatn. The sky was still grey and it still rained, but every now and then there were blue clouds and the odd ray of sunshine.

I saw a sign for a scenic spot and a small turf church in the distance, but missed the turn off. At the next opportunity I turned around, however, and we went to look at Grafarkirkja Turf Church. The entrance had a gate and Mom was already saying – See it is closed, we cannot go there! – But there was a sign reminding everyone to close the gate behind them. So I got out of the car and opene,d the gate, drove through and got out to close it again.

There was a small parking area and a narrow trail leading across a field to the Chapel of Gröf. Apparently it is Iceland’s oldest turf church. Parts of the current turf church date back to the 17th century. Back in the old days, Icelanders used to live in turf houses and the churches were made of turf. Now only a handful of turf churches remain in Iceland.

The oldest account on Grafarkirkja is from around 1240. It was deconsecrated in 1775 by a royal order from the King and used as a storeroom by the farmers at Gröf. Almost 2 centuries passed until the church was reconsecrated by the Bishop of Iceland in 1953 after being totally rebuilt in its original form by Þjóðminjasafn Íslands – the National Museum of Iceland. Unfortunately, Grafarkirkja church is now closed to public for its preservation. We could walk around, however and peered through the tiny windows into the dark interior.

Grafarkirkja turf church is the only church in Iceland with a circular turf-wall around the graveyard and the church – such a circular form is an ancient form in Iceland.

We had a good little walk without rain around this pretty turf church – and just in case you wondered – no, there was no geocache hidden anywhere near it.  Back in the car I did the gate opening ceremony again and we were heading south once more. The road turned somewhat away from the coast passing farmland. Against all odds the sun came out a bit and we even saw a rainbow over the fields.

I was determined to find one more secret box today … and there was one not too far away from the road. But we had to go down the road for a while first, cross a river and then turn of onto a gravel track and head north again parallel to the main road, but on the other side of the river. Oh well … It was some 5 km down that track, but it was not leading into nowhere … There were signs for a guesthouse, though … there would be something at the end of the road other than a geocache.

In the end the track turned down to the coast, but the cache description stated to park on the hill. I was not sure if driving down was a good idea, so I parked up there and Mom stayed in the car – the hill was too much for her. The sun came out indeed and it was actually a beautiful light now – the snowy mountains of Tröllaskagi in the distance.

Walking down the hill I saw a pretty guesthouse with a couple cars parked outside – those guest would probably be wondering, what a strange person was doing there … unless they were geocachers, too … then they would know …

Kolkuós was the name of this litlle outpost – the shortened name of the trading post Kolbeinsárós, which is situated at the mouth of the rivers Kolka and Hjaltadalsá. It was the main trading harbour for the area at the time of Iceland’s settlement. The trading post Kolkuós was used for import and export of goods until after the Reformation in the 16th century – so it became a gateway for relations between the bishopric and foreign lands. By the turn of the 17th century it was abandoned, but trading was revived at Kolkuós in 1881, when it became a registered trading harbour. There were no permanent residents in Kolkuós until 1891. In 1904 a residential house was built, which still stands. That house has now been restored and renovated to offer luxurious accommodation to visitors of Kolkuós.

Next to the renovated house was another one in ruins. But I just walked past them both in search of the secret box. The GPS jumped somewhat, but the hint was helpful and I had to walk though a meadow with knee deep grass. Some ducks or geese were settling there and jumped up and run when I approached. Quickly I located the box under the remains of an old wooden boat.

The view from there over the fjord and the mountains was beautiful – especially with the somewhat clearing sky and some sun rays, a slight drizzle starting again as well. Skagafjörður is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi Peninsula to the west.

Near the ruins of the old house there was an assembly of old whale bones – there were some vertebras lined up against an old wall, a jaw-bone and also part of the baleen, the filter-feeder system inside the mouths of baleen whales.

The little sunny interval was quickly over and the drizzle increased somewhat, so I walked back to the car and we drove to the main road.

It was not far to our next guesthouse anymore – Guesthouse Hofsstaðir Skagafjörður was located in the valley of the River Héraðsvötn which is formed by the confluence of the rivers Austari-Jökulsá and Vestari-Jökulsá coming down from the Hofsjökull Glacier. But before heading there, we took a tiny detour along the head of Skagafjörður to look for the last geocache of the day. It was called “Nothing but sand …” – however, today it was nothing but water … Be it from the rain and storm or maybe the tide was in, but between us and the cache was too much water to even try. So … photolog … we were here …

Around 17:30 we reached the guesthouse. It was surrounded by green pastures with beautiful views over the river valley and horses grazing. Here is one of Iceland’s most prosperous agricultural regions, with widespread dairy and sheep farming in addition to the horse breeding for which the district is famed. Skagafjörður is the only county in Iceland where horses outnumber people.

I checked us in and we were directed to a different guesthouse then – the Farmhouse Hofsstaðir located a kilometer down the road opposite. Our room was nice – I asked them to separate the beds, though. Since there were 2 beds, they only had to change the top sheet. The view from our window was nice and the sun came out once more, it was however still very windy.

For the first time we had a TV with all German channels in the room, believe it. Too lazy to walk back to the main guesthouse where the restaurant was located, we picniced in our room while watching a thriller on TV – after all we had a big lunch today already – and No! That is not water in those glasses … it is V & T …

Sleeping relatively early again, I woke up in the middle of the night, because the farm cat tried to sneak into our room through the open window. We had just opened the window a tiny crack, but the cheeky cat squeezed through. However, seeing me get up to chase it out, the cat quickly turned around and was gone again. It obviously knew it was not allowed in.