avengerpenguins

Thursday, March 29, 2012
 

The day, or that bit of it when it's daylight seems strangely uneven at this time of year in Iceland - more noticeably so then anywhere else I can remember visiting. It was only a week or so after the equinox, when there would have been 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark and there were almost three months to go to the solstice when there would be hardly any dark at all but already the daylight hours had lengthened dramatically
The thing was there was a lot more day time after lunch than before it.

I woke at around 6 a.m. and it was beginning to get light, although the sun was yet to rise. It was a bit grey but seemed rather calmer than the day before. It would not get properly dark again until well after 9 p.m. meaning that there is was about 50% more daylight after midday than before it. This is probably quite a good thing for people who work outside and tourists alike, because few of us really enjoy being up at 4 a.m. but still being active at 8 p.m. doesn't seem so bad.
 

My eyes always take a bit longer than the rest of me to wake up and when they were functioning properly I had a look across the fjord. There's some kind of fish processing activity going on in Grundafjordur (no significant upsetting aromas, which is more than we could have said for Akranes the day before which was beset by what Julie described as "fish stench"!) but it attracts a lot of sea birds, many of which end up by the hotel. Yesterday there had been hundreds of birds, mainly Eiders, Fulmars and Glaucous Gulls feeding in dense flocks (rabbles might be more accurate) very close to the shore. There weren't so many this morning but as I watched the flock was growing bigger. They're probably a regular feature and there's no need for binoculars to get a good look at the attractive male Eiders in their breeding plumage and the Glaucous Gulls, some of which are almost pure white

However if you are planning to visit Iceland and hope to see wildlife, especiallly whales and dolphins I urge you to take binoculars. A reasonable pair can be had quite cheaply and you will almost certainly get better views with than without and perhaps more importantly you can search for them wherever there are views of the sea and might be surprised at what you find.
 

Before long I was starting to see black fins across the fjord and through the binoculars I could tell that there were at least four Orcas on view, closer to the head of the fjord than they'd been the day before. Views were even better through the 'scope although there wasn't much room for it next to the bed :)
 

Julie was up "soon" after me and it was time for breakfast (breakfast at the Framnes starts at 7 a.m.). It was similar fare to that at the Gulfoss Hotel but with no shrimp cheese and with pancakes and maple syrup as a welcome addition. Certainly good enough for a start to the day.
 

With the car loaded, we got into the car but didn't get very far. We drove down to the end of the road on which Hotel Framnes stands, which is as far as it's possible to go because there is only sea beyond and stopped to have a look over the defensive wall formed by piles of boulders in case one or more of the Grey Seals we'd noticed in the area last night was about but instead found a group of four Harlequin Ducks just offshore, much the closest that we'd seen so far so it was out with the binoculars and camera
 

Our observations of the Orcas suggested that they were mainly keeping to the eastern side of the fjord and we had checked the map to confirm that there was a driveable, unsurfaced road there and set off, pausing for another photo (there will be more to come) of mighty Kirkjufell and noting the spectacular double waterfall not far of the road at the very head of the fjord, called Grundarfoss which looked like a possible place for a visit later. The weather was ok and felt like it could go either way but the wind, whilst still present, was much reduced from the previous day which gave us cause for optimism.
 

The road on the east side of the fjord passes through several small settlements and farmsteads but, frustratingly for us at least, maintains its distance from the shoreline, usually keeping at least one and more often a couple of pastures between itself and the coast. We stopped and scanned a few times for Orcas but we didn't see much. The changing scenery on both sides of the sea inlet were plenty of compensation with some towering crags and the everpresent Kirkjufell keeping the views interesting.
 

A side track looked as though it would get close to the water so we followed it until it became clear that it would end up in a farmyard when we turned back

This was also our first chance to get a close look at an Icelandic Sheepdog, a large species related to the Spitz and more surprisingly the Welsh Corgi. Like the horses, these are now protected by a ban on dog imports. In one farm a dog had the freedom to roam, at least withing the property's confines, and came running over to greet us with barks and a wagging tail. It was certainly an impressive specimen.
 

We continued a little further but the road started to deteriorate somewhat as hinted at by the map and we weren't driving a four-wheel drive vehicle so we retreated not wanting to end up with a big bill for repairs or worse than that, stuck. The weather gradually improved and by now there was a lot more sunshine around and we were ready for a bit of a walk with the wind having dropped off a lot.
 

The walk to Grundarfoss waterfall from the road looked straighforward, mostbeing across flat pastures to the base of the crags. We found somewhere to park (there was space for a few cars so the place probably ever gets crowded, put our boots on and set off. The walking map at the start of the track that goes over a stile and then crosses a couple of fields where numerous Icelandic Horses were grazing says 1.5 kilometres and there are other longer options

I think the distances must be for the return journey because although we did not get right up to the falls because the river crossing looked just deep enough for us to get our feet soaked it didn't feel anything like a mile. This is definitely something you should consider doing though, if you're staying in the area because the falls are very pretty indeed and with the flow being quite high because of melt-water run-off, the second, smaller fall parallel to the main drop was easily noticeable, though this might not be the case in drier period according to some photos of the falls that I have seen.
 

We'd wrapped up against most meteorological eventualities before setting off because there was cleary no shelter on the walk to the falls but the weather continued to improve so we were quite releived to shed our waterproofs when we got back. Our thoughts were focused on heading west to the end of the peninsular but first we set off back east to the Hargrafar Fjord in case the whales had swum around the corner.
 

There were no whales to be seen from the bridges or viewpoints on the fjord but again there were lots of birds with the main bridge over the fjord being the location for the largest number of Shags that we saw anywhere in Iceland as well as an inquisitive Grey (Atlantic) Seal
 

Having found no whales we turned around and stopped briefly to look at the mix of large gulls, mostly Glaucous and Great Black-backed that hand about on a beach near the head of Grundafjord before moving on. We were near the pull in for Grundarfoss when Julie exclaimed "Whales! Whales! Whales!". I knew she could be talking about the principality in the United Kingdom so I stopped the car to let her get out with the camera an found somewhere safer to pull in and join her.
 

There were several not far off shore, perhaps seven altogether including the same large males we'd seen the afternoon before, although he was harder to see than the others, spending more time under the surface. As with the sightings before, the Orcas seemed very relaxed, spending long periods on the surface and slowly swimming back and forth providing plenty of opportunties for photographs.
 

We'd seen plenty of pure or near pure-white Glaucous Gulls but hadn't had many chances to get a really nice photo until I noticed a couple close to the shoreline. Julie snapped off a few shots - they were almost too white with the images being rather on the saturated side but when we looked at them we worked out what was catching their attention

One of them had caught a rather large fish. Gulls tend to be opportunist feeders and scavenger, but they will make the effort to catch their own if necessary. The bird that got this one managed to more or less swallow it whole in one gulp - you can just see the tip of its tail in the 2nd photo. It must have slowed it down a bit for the rest of the day, though. If you're wondering what's the big deal about white gulls, then go and look at some near you. If you live in a part of the world where gulls are numerous and it's not in the far north (I can't think of any all-white gulls in the far south but there might be some) then you'll see plenty of birds with lots of white on but they'll all have varying amounts of black, grey or brown as well. If you see an all white one, tell a birdwatcher :)
 

"Isn't it about time you had something to eat?" I hear you ask as you ponder what a busy morning we had had and it's difficult to disagree. The map showed a few villages to the west of Grundafjordur and we decide to have a look at Olafsvik because it was en route to the end of the peninsular and we liked the name. It seems obvious to us that with the incredible scenery and coastline there would be cafes in Iceland that exploit this fact and we would have liked nothing more than a cosy place with big windows from where we could admire the views over a bowl of hot soup or something more substantial

It might be because we were early in the season and nowhere much wqas open, though there were quite a few tourists about, but we didn't really see anywhere like this. After a couple of circuits around and a bit west of Olafsvik we ended up in another petrol station. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing awful about these places - in fact the fish and chips I had in this one were excellent - we would simply have been grateful for something that wasn't fast food. It's still easier to get fed in Iceland in March than it is in much of Estonia in June, though.
 

One other positive point arose - Julie was able to get a few photos of a lovely lenticular cloud that formed over the mountains and snowfields leading up to the glacier of Snaefellsjokull. We had a look at the road leading up to the glacier but there was a sign saying 'Impassable" that we decided to heed.
 

So we turned west, past another coastal village at Rif and then past Helissandur. It was somewhere around here that the weather started to worsen, with the sunshine and clouds being replaced by dense fog and winds. We decided to keep going though - who knew - it might clear up a bit.
 

There was a beach at Skardsdvik that looked like it might have been very pretty but was almost invisible through the fog so we kept on going, switching from paved road to dirt track

The track continued through wild and rocky terrain with a few passing places that we didn't need because no-one else was daft enough to be driving here on a day like this. At the end of the track is the western end of Snaefellsnes with two lighthouses. We took the right-hand fork and ended up at the Ondverdarnes light. There was a sign here pointing to something called "Falki". Falki is the Icelandic name for Gyr Falcon. We guessed that there wouldn't be one wating for us but the wind had dropped somewhat (it certainly wasn't sheltered here!) so we got out for a bit of a walk.
 

Falki turned out to be a hole in the ground with some steps leading down to it and no explanation or interpretation? Was this some Viking burial site or a smugglers' hideaway? Subsequent research has shown that it is actually an old well, from when the site was occupied by a far, but how old, other than a vague "very old" I haven't been able to establish.
 

There are very few song-birds (passerines) in Iceland as I have already noted. Moving on from Falki we walked towards the sea. The coast here is rocky but the lighthouse is only perhaps 10 metres above sea-level. We'd been told that there had been some kind of surge that had washed in all kinds of debris, including a Sperm Whale, along this part of the coast and there was evidence for this here in the form of thousands of small fish covering an extensive area

There were also some song-birds - Snow Buntings - a species that I had expected to see far more of in Iceland. There were at least three here and they were coming into their smart breeding plumage. Plenty of birds over the sea, at least for the short distance we could see, including more Harlequins.
 

Working back south towards the second lighthouse involves a bit of a climb and there are cliffs here that the road goes quite close to. Just before we reached the lighthouse I noticed a large raft of dark birds on the sea below and stopped to have a look. These were clearly auks. Iceland has five breeding species. Non-birders from al over the world hope to see Puffins but these entertaining and corourful little birds were not yet back on their breeding grounds. Birders, at least those from much of Europe, want to see Brunnich's Guillemots.
 

Thw wind was back and Julie and I chose to stay in the car to look at these auks. It was immediately apparent that most were Guillemots with a few Razorbills included. The differences between Common and Brunnich's Guillemots are mainly quite subtle, especially in poor light. There were definitely plenty of Commons there but what about the one we wanted to see? The sea was mobile with a strong swell meaning that getting a look at any single bird for more than a second or two was near enough impossible

Catching sight of the white strip on the bill and confirming that the bird was definitely not a Razorbill was really tricky so after 20 minutes or so we accepted the inevitable and agreed to get out of the car and set the 'scope up. Hopefully the car would provide enough protection from the wind for us to hold it steady and avoid being blown over the cliff-edge.
 

As I stood up having got out of the car I spotted a rock stack that had been invisible from a seated position. This stack had nesting birds on it and the first one I looked at through binoculars was a Brunnich's Guillemot! At least we didn't need to bother with the 'scope.
 

There was not much to see at the lighthouse itself, literally because it had begun to rain again and the fog had closed in so we retraced our route as far as Skardsdvik where the weather and visibility had improved sufficiently to make a stop worthwhile. There was an expanse of spotless sand below so we picked our way between the volcanic boulders to the beach.
 

This is often described as a "black sand" beach but I have to say that I've seen blacker. That's not a criticism. It's a very pretty beach and we had no expectations of black sand anyway

We weren't the only visitors that day. There was at least one set of human footprints and more interestingly evidence of a clawed mammal. There are virtually no wild mammals on Iceland so this was possibly an Arctic Fox. These are regular beach scavengers and one had been reported from further west on the peninsular a couple of days earlier.
 

We wondered if the weather we were getting had moved east along the peninsular so headed back towards Grundafjordur but more or less where the fog and rain had started when we originally came west, it ended.
 

As we progressed eastwards the weather got better and better and before long we were in bright sunshine with virtually no breeze. It was hard not to stop every few minutes for photographs (and we probably did). Kirkjufell got into a few more frames. The peninsular (and the country as a whole) has a lot of waterfalls and you can't get a photo of every single one in a short visit.
 

Hrauns are lava fields and we's noticed that there was a side road that crossed the marvellously named Berserkjahraun just east of Grundafjordur. Berserks or Beserkers where Norse warriors who worked themselves into a frenzy or rage, possibly aided by narcotic-laced foods and drinks who where fearless in battle and feared by their enemies

Presumably this extensive lave-field bears their name because of the many strange and contorted columns and spikes of rock it contains although Berserks are reputed to have lived in the area over 1000 years ago.
 

On a day like this it's a pleasant drive that our little hire car was easily up to but in a short distance there is little in view except the track to remind you of the modern world. It's probably very atmospheric on a gloomy day with mist drifting over the rocks and moss and many areas are still unblemished by even the faintest traces of vegetation, although the eruptions that created the hraun happened 3500-4000 years ago.
 

The sunshine remained glorious so we thought we'd spend some more time with the Orcas and after exiting the Berserkjahraun road we turned west for Grundafjordur and the hotel, where we set up the 'scope in more or less the same spot as the evening before, but without having to hide in the shelter of the wall. Looking over the sea defences we noticed a number of small birds in amongst the rocks at the water's edge - Purple Sandpipers, quite a sought after species around British coasts in the winter - 24 of them. The whales again performed to requirements.
 

We were quite late down to dinner following a fairly long and interest-filled day and we both had mushroom soup again, prepared differently from the day before but equally delicious followed by pan-fried chicken on a bed of risotto which was also jolly good

We lingered in the restaurant, chatting to two groups of North American tourists who had arrived at the hotel a couple of days before us and who were also enjoying their trips. We speculated a little bit about whether there might be any Aurora activity tonight, given that the sky had been completely clear when we had come in just before 8 p.m. but decided against tempting fate and actually going outside before it was properly dark. I had the feeling that if it didn't cloud over it had the potential to be a long night.
 

At almost the same time as last night the hotelier popped his head round the door to say that there was a small amount of activity starting up so we all filed out of the back door and sure enough there was a greenish smudge in a more or less north-westerly direction. As we watched it grew a little brighter and covered a larger area and then seemed to subside a little. Two of the Americans said that they had scoped out a spot down the road that should have little light pollution so we got into the cars and off we went, westwards to a rather good location overlooking the see to the west of Kirkjufell mountain.
 

I couldn’t risk looking at the Aurorae whilst driving but Julie kept an eye on them and confirmed that they were still visible and when we stopped the car and got out the difference was noticeable

Much more of the sky was affected and the display was much brighter here. Julie set up the camera on the tripod and started to take photos which looked like they might be quite promising on the camera screen. A long exposure (10 seconds or more) was required and we were a little concerned that the light breeze that was blowing might cause camera and blurring of the image.
 

I think we stood and watched from this spot for about an hour, during which time the display just kept on improving. I was surprised by how much visible activity there was. You could see movement in the lights, changes in shades and even with my poor colour vision, occasional bursts of orange. Curtains and sheets of light where seen along with spotlight beams and comet shapes. It was quite entrancing.
 

It was also quite cold and after a while the breeze began to be more than just an inconvenience. We all agreed that the car park at the Framnes would provide some shelter and a better place for continued viewing.
 

By the time we got back to the hotel the sky was so black that the small amount of light pollution form the village was not making too much difference and the aurorae where showing extremely well

Our trusty wall provided shelter from the breeze as hoped and made for a much more comfortable experience. The display went from good to better, much of the time filling half of the visible sky. We continued to watch until after 1 a.m. when we decided that if we didn’t go to be soon we might end up being up all night.
 

At about 1:40 I was just putting an update on Tripadvisor letting people know that the Orcas were still showing well at Grundafjordur (seeing Orcas is high on many visitor’s 'to do’ lists when they visit Iceland at this time of year) when Julie glanced out of the window and said "Come and look at this". I switched the light up and looked out. High above there was a huge circle of glowing green light and as we watched a wave of darker green swept slowly around it as if someone was stirring cream into a very dark cup of coffee. I think we both stood watching with our mouths open. We couldn’t see how it was going to get better than that so we called it a night (but left the curtains open).

 

Friday, March 30, 2012

 

Although we stayed another night in Grundarfjordur I'm putting the map pin in Stykkisholmur because we went there today and this represents the furthest north that either of us have ever been on the surface of the planet. I think our flight to Costa Rica via Miami in 2003 might have gone even further north but I don’t reckon it counts.
 

For the record, our furthest west so far was somewhere in the Pacific Ocean about 30 miles of the south-east coast of Costa Rica, our furthest south was about 20 miles south of the Cape of Good Hope in the Indian Ocean and our furthest east was in Cambodia, somewhere about 50 miles east of Siem Reap – so in a way out of all our extremes as per the compass, this is the only one we can pinpoint with accuracy.

Despite our late night with the Northern Lights we were up and about quite early again and yet again watching Orcas from our bedroom window before breakfast

We decided that we would explore a little more of the west of the Peninsular today, probably taking in some of the south side as well and we were soon on our way.

The drive west was strangely familiar, with blue skies and sunshine being replaced by low cloud and fog at pretty much the same place as yesterday. Is it always foggy here? Things seemed more promising because the strange wires that seemed to be holding the clouds up the day before were now revealed to be cables supporting a large communications mast - though it still wasn't possible to see the top of the mast.
 

Having passed the road to the lighthouses and noted that visibility was gradually getting better, we pulled off onto a rough track signposted for Saxholl. This small, steep-sided crater is the entrance to the centre of the earth. Well it's supposed to be, anyway. Jules Verne's intrepid adventurers entered the caverns that led to the earths core in his novel "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" somewhere near here and there is a brief shot in the trailer to the 1959 film of the book, starring James Mason that looks very much like it.
 

It's a jolly nice crater, though lacking the lake contained in the crater we'd visited the day before, not quite as visually pleasing

It's also more of a climb, although for most people it should only take a few minutes to scramble up. "Steps" have been thoughtfully provided in places but we weren't sure if they were a help or a hindrance. Coming down is probably trickier and needs a little more care. Worth the effort though.
 

From Saxholl it was a short drive to the next pull off somewhere near Beruvik from where we walked down to the coast threading between a few pools of clear water to what might have been some ruined Viking dwellings. As at the lighthouses yesterday the shoreline here was peppered with many dead fish and other items recently or long ago washed up, including what looked like the remains of a shipwreck and a large piece of wood so riddled with shipword that it was more hole than not.
 

From time to time we got glimpses of the upper sections of Snaefellsjokull through gaps in the cloud and we wondered if we might get a photo. We walked south along the shoreline but the terrain was rough and we stepped on a couple of wobbly boulders that almost upended us. We were hardly in the remotest place on earth here but a twisted anlkle would have meant a long and painful struggle back to the car or an uncomfortable wait for "rescue" so we turned back.
 

Our next stop was a few miles further on, was at Londrangar where two tall rock pillars dominate the coastal landscape

To get close to them we had to negotiate the remnants of the winter snow in a sheltered spot. It was firm and easy enough to kick steps into but we trod carefully, if only because had we slipped we'd have ended up in pools of very cold meltwater at the bottom.
 

We've done a fair bit of whale and dolphin watching over the last 10 years or so and might even be reasonably good at it. I'm probably fooling myself but I think there are some places that just 'look' as if they should be good for cetaceans. Obviously being on a cliff on a clear, calm day helps because it means that you can see much further and don't have the problems of swell to contend with, but looking out to sea as we walked down to the stacks I couldn't help feeling that there should be dolphins there. We hadn't brought the 'scope because it is awkward to carry, but we did have our binoculars and within a minute of starting to look I was picking up fins in the water. I thought that there were at least three and that they were two different species with my best bests being Orcas and White-beaked Dolphins. There weren't any obvious reference points (British waters tend to have many net marker buoys and more permanent structures to use) and try as I might I couldn't get Julie on to any of them and then of course they disappeared.
 

We continued walking to get a closer look at the pillars, enjoying the best weather of the day so far with quite a lot of sunshine which made us rather warm in our outerwear, especially when walking back to the car up the hill
 

After inspecting the stacks I insisted on having another scan for cetaceans and this time Julie found some as quickly as I did and much closer to the shoreline. Two or three quite large dolphins with a distictinctly silvery-grey appearance reminded us somewhat of Risso's Dolphins which never get this far north. The only thing they could have been were White-beaked Dolphins which should be no surprise as they are the commonest dolphins in these waters. These were the 18th species of cetaceans that we had seen in the wild.
 

After three spearate walks, two of them quite long and one quite steep we were feeling hungry so we set off in search of food. If you visit the area in March, don't bother. There are places in the nearby villages of Hellnar and Arnastapi but they weren't open yet. They looked very nice though and worth a try if you're here in the high season. We took the road across the peninsular to back to the north coast road between Olafsvik and Grundafjordur and carried on to Grundafjordur because we had an idea to see if we could get to Stykissholmur before it was time to head back for dinner.
 

In Grundafjordur we stopped for a bit of shopping and some stamps for our postcards and we spotted a van on the car park that seemed to be selling burgers etc

Reasoning that we didn't want anything too big because it was only a few hours until dinner time we walked over and had a chat with the chap inside who conviced us to by a couple of "Henriks" that he said we could only get in Grundarfjordur. They were hot dogs with grilled sausages, onions, mustard and other bits with the piece de resistance, broken Dorito shards. I rather liked mine and was ready to go back for another but Julie was less convinced.
 

From Grundafjordur we took the minor road/track across the northern part of the Berserkjahraun and then followed it along the coast eastwards. This is a beautiful section of coastline that photos seldom do justice to, with numerous islets strung out along Breidafjordur. At one point we stopped to see whether there were any whales about (I had read that Breidafjordur can be good for Blue Whales in the spring and summer) and through the binoculars spotted a shape on one of the nearby islands that could only have been a White-tailed Sea Eagle (Snaefellsnes is an Icelandic stronghold for this huge bird of prey). I wanted a better view so started to set the 'scope up, frequently checking to make sure I could find it easily. Somehow in the ten seconds or so between my last 'check' and pointing the 'scope in the right direction it completely disappeared!
 

We couldn't find evidence of any cetaceans in the fjord but whilst we were looking a 4x4 drove past - a rare enough event on these roads to be worth remarking on

They stopped a little further down the road and young lady got out and walked back to ask if we were looking at whales. I said we hadn't seen any but that there were good views to be had a short distance away in Grundafjordur (we'd seen them again on the drive through, twenty minutes ago). She then asked if it was me who had posted about them on tripadvisor and said that they had come this way especially because they wanted to see whales and had seen my post. They were staying at the Framnes so I wished them luck and told them that we would be back later and would try to get them some good close-up views with the telescope.
 

Stykissholmur beckoned for that pin in the map so we moved on and north, pausing for a while by a large pool not far from the road that held not one but three pairs of Red-throated Divers, all in pristine breeding plumage. Stykissholmur is the largest settlement on the peninsular, although still little more than a village. It has a pretty harbour which is also the boarding point for the ferry across Breidafjordur for points further north. This is probably a super journey in the right conditions.
 

There is a columnar lava structure near the harbour which, whilst not as spectacular as the Isle of Staffa still draws they eye. We didn't stop long, though

Just long enough to have a look around the very calm waters in this sheltered locality in case of whales or interesting birds (there was an Iceland Gull, much less common than the larger and similar Glaucous Gull, which is actually not particularly common in Iceland despite the name, which was the first we'd seen in Iceland, though we hadn't looked hard) and then we drove straight back to Grundasfjordur on main roads.
 

The American party that we'd met earlier had checked-in at Framnes and we found the Orcas quickly enough and were able to let them use the telescope to see them up close. As previously, the cetaceans seemed to head out into more open waters as the day drew to a close. Perhaps the risks from passing ships in the dark are too high in narrow Grundafjordur.
 

Dinner was excellent again with a splendid lobster soup followed by delicious lamb for both of us. I'm not a big fan of ice-cream but one of the desserts on offer was a medley of blueberry and caramel ice-creams and bluberry sorbet, all from a local producer. I really wanted to try the sorbet so we shared a bowl and I even enjoyed the ice-creams too.
 

A foray outside between 11 p.m. and midnight confirmed our expectations that there was 100% cloud cover and some rain in the air so it looked like there would be no aerial display tonight, but we agreed that if anything happened before 1 a.m. we would get a 'phone call.

 

 

Saturday, March 31, 2012

 

Our last full day in Iceland and we had chosen to try out one of the countries best known tourist attractions, the Blue Lagoon. Our flight from Keflavik was at 10:00 so we stayed at the Blue Lagoon Clinic which is about a twenty minute drive from the airport. It seemed quite pricey but the tarrif includes entry to the Blue Lagoon which is €30 per person if you just turn up at the gate and you can enter both on the day or arrival and departure, if you have the time and inclination, so it starts to sound a bit better value.
 

The word "clinic" has different meanings in different cultures and to Brits it has fairly negative connotations but it's really just a posh hotel that offers a few treatments. More about it later.

Although the morning wasn't quite up to the standard of the preceding two it was far from awful with the cloud mainly staying off the summits and no wind to worry about. I hadn't found Orcas from the bedroom window so we had another look after check-out from the car park but still nothing. I'm sure they'll be back, though. If you've come across this blog because Iceland appeals and Orcas and the Northern Lights are high on your agenda, then you could do much worse than come to the Framnes in March. Nothing is guaranteed, of course but there's some magnificent scenery as well that might be some compensation if it's visible and at least you needn't go hungry.

At least with the improved weather we reckoned we would get a better look at the scenery that we had missed on the drive in. Our first task was to deposit our post cards in Grundafjordur's post box and after that we set off east (checking the fjord for Orcas - still nothing) and the minor road around the head of Kolgrafafjordur.

 

This is a pleasant enough drive on unsurfaced roads which you can dawdle along at 15 kph. There are a few isolated farms strung out along the road but we didn't meet any other traffic, not that it would have been much of a concern. The scenery is fine but the highlights for us were two sightings (possibly of the same bird) of White-tailed Sea Eagles

The first one was on the ground and took off at our approach and the second one flew across the road in front of us a few minutes later. The birds were quite close so we got a good look at them but they were too quick for Julie to get the camera ready.
 

Returning to the main road we started to follow signs for Borganes and Reyjavik over the mountainous middle of the peninsular. Even though the road itself doesn't go very high the small lakes along the side of the road were mostly still frozen. Dropping down the south side we ran into worse weather with mist and drizzle and greatly reduced visibility. Thoughts of visiting the famous Eldborg crater were put aside. We could see it just about as we passed by but the fact that we had the windscreen wipers on all the time didn't tempt us much.
 

King Eider and Gyr Falcon continued to elude us so we diverted into Akranes, arriving there to pretty much coincide with a substantial improvement

in the weather. We stopped at several coastal places, some of the rather unlikely, until we found some big flocks of Eider. The Icelandic bird sightings had said there were 12 drake King Eiders amongst about 3000 commons, so we reasoned that we might only need to look at about 300 commons before finding the rarity. Wrong

We looked at a lot more than 300 but couldn't find a single one. We couldn't even blame the weather or sea conditions this time. We were just unlucky. A pile of rocks out in the harbour was covered with Purple Sandpipers - probably more than 200 and possibly more than we'd seen in our lifetimes up to that point. There were also a couple of Merlins overhead to distract us - in fact we saw four in total over the course of the day.

We gave up and continued toward Reykjavik and beyond, thinking of lunch. After negotiating the city without too much difficulty we returned to Njardvik for another try at the White-winged Scoter but there were very few birds to be seen here and it was last reported on the bird sightings website on 28th.
 

Gardur next for the Gyr Falcon but no luck here either and we were getting more interested in something to eat but couldn't see anything suitable in this village so we moved on to Sandgerdi where there was also a dearth of possibilties. Keflavik looked bigger on the map and also had something that looked like a town centre so we tried there. It has a street that passes for a high street, the first that we had seen in Iceland (Akranes makes an effort but perhaps we missed it). There were a couple of cafes that seemed to be open so we chose one and got some burgers and fries again
 

There seemed little point trying again for any of the birds and the weather was closing in again. Most people go to the Blue Lagoon to swim in the heated waters so it seemed churlish to delay any longer. Swimming gives you an appetite and we wanted to be hungry enough for our last Icelandic dinner.

 

As mentioned above we were staying at the complex but managed to miss it at the first attmpt and drove straight to the Blue Lagoon itself. The staff there explained our mistake and directed us back down the road to the "clinic". This is a rather nice place to stay, all wood and glass and spotlessly clean and comfortable rooms all on one level and looking out over the hraun. The receptionist explained how we could use the Blue Lagoon with our permit both today and tomorrow and also said that we could access the clinic's private lagoon from 20:00 until 22:00. Their restaurant was fully booked for the night but she gave us a few alternatives. We found our room, grabbed our swimming gear and walked the 600 metres back to the Blue Lagoon.

Check-in was simple enough and we were given our towels and found our way to some changing rooms (separate ones for males and females) and agreed to meet up in the water

We'd been given a useful trip by the American group who'd travelled to Framnes to see the whales, which was to leave the towels inside rather than taking them to the outside bathing area, because if left outside they would get really call. We'd also read online that finding a way to differentiate your towels was a good idea because all the towels are identical so people sometimes get 'confused' and pick up the first they find, so we left ours in a Marks & Spencer carrier bag.

 

People seem to have mixed feelings about the changing facilities at Blue Lagoon. For a start you are asked to leave your shoes near the entrance in a pile with other people's footwear. This provokes some add reactions. The reason is obvious – it is so dirt from outside is not trailed in to the changing area where the floor is wet, which is both unpleasant and potentially unhealthy. If this causes you some concern (although anybody who can afford the entry fee is unlikely to want to steal somebody else’s still warm shooes, then bring an old pair that you don’t care too much about or stick them in a bag in your locker. Or do what I did and leave your socks in them too. Anyone brave enough to tackle strangers used socks deserves what they get.

After shoes, the next hurdle is lockers

Some people seem to get perplexed by these as well. There are instructions on use inside the door of each locker in a lot of different languages. If you can understand any of these languages then it’s quite simple. The key is the "key" which is integrated in the wristband that you’re given at check-in.

 

Next, after changing in the public area there are the showers. These seem to upset some folk as well because you are requested to remove your bathing clothes and shower fully and these are open fronted. Apparently there are also some enclosed cubicles available, though I didn’t spot them.

With all these trials behind me it was just a case of follow your nose and I was soon in the small enclosed part of the pool and feeling my way down the steps. The water is almost opaque because of the high mineral content and so you can’t see much. I was quicker than Julie so had a few minutes to wait and get used to the pleasantly warm surroundings.

 

There is a door that you can open to get out into the main lagoon and so we went through this. It’s quite large and in some areas where the water is refreshed the temperature can get quite high but mostly it is comfortably warm

The drizzle had stopped and what little wind there was was effectively blocked by the surrounding lava. There’s a bar selling beer, soft drinks and unsurprisingly Blue Lagoon cocktails. You just swim up, put in your order and confirm it with your wristband so that you can pay on the way out. No need for a pocketful of coins.

Some people daub their faces and other parts with mineral mud from the bottom of the pool. It is no doubt very good for exfoliating and so on and probably cures all kinds of ills. I would advise caution before doing that. We scooped some up and it was full of human hair. I really didn’t much fancy putting that on my face or anywhere else.

I think we stayed in for 90 minutes or more. It’s quite good fun and fairly novel. We could have stayed longer but we did fancy trying the clinic’s pool as well so needed to have finished eating by about 9 p.m.

Invigorated by our swim the walk back to the clinic to get changed and head out for lunch was brisk and pleasant - might be different on a really cold, wet or windy day. We drove down to Grindavik where we easily found the Salthusid Restaurant

When we were seated the waitress came over and told us that the soup of the day was, delightfully, 'curly-flower' and the fish of the day was Halibut. We couldn't resist the soup and it's years since I had halibut so Julie went for the Lamb Chops. All very good indeed and the cheapest 'proper' meal that we had in Iceland. The place is rather nice too, being entirely wood and very light and airy with high ceilings. There were a number of smaller side rooms available as well that might suit groups. Recommended.

We might have lingered longer but we really wanted to try the clinic's private lagoon before closing time and we were there with 30 minutes to spare. There aren't many rooms so there's not such an issue with getting ready - we just slipped our voluminous Blue Lagoon dressing gowns provided in the rooms over our (still rather damp and clammy) costumes and walked the 50 metres to the changing rooms. No need to mess about with locker but they are provided if you want them.

 

Swimming outside in the dark, especially when the air is cold and there's a bit of rain about is a novel experience. We tried getting some photos but the steam in the air bounced the flash all over the place and it was too dark to get any decent results with the flash inhibited. We shared the pool with perhaps half a dozen others and it is large enough for you to have sections all to yourself.

With a reasonably early start we did most of our packing before going to bed but missed the heated towel rail which we could have used to dry our wet stuff out with had we noticed the switch. they're mostly disabled in the UK because of 'health & safety' so we hadn't even checked.
 

 

Sunday, April 1, 2012

 

Our flight out had been the 1st Easyjet route to Iceland and we'd been told that the outbound leg (from Luton) was going to include a number of Easyjet dignitiaries so we were confident that it too would be on time.
 

The drive from the Blue Lagoon to the rental car return point took just over 15 minutes without rushing. We were delayed a bit because we got there just after two other customers and had to wait whilst they were sorted out.
 

Keflavik airport was again a fairly laid-back experience and we were quickly checked in and yet again had our hand-luggage tagged for transportation in the hold. We used the last of our Krones in the Duty Free shop (more vodka - you never know when it will come in handy).
 

As predicted, the plane arrived in good time and we were soon heading back to England, where the weather was as good as it had been before we left. We dawdled on the way back, trying to find somewhere nice for lunch and saw a Short-eared Owl when we were passing through Northamptonshire.

 

 

Iceland was all-round excellent. Reviewing our 'hit list' ...

1. Orcas - we must have spent seven hours watching them at Grundafjordur
2. Aurora Borealis properly - incredible views - couldn't have asked for more
3. Gyr Falcon - thought we would see at least one but no luck. The bird on day two at Akranes might well have been one but we didn't see it well enough. An excuse to go back.
4. Harlequin Duck - very easy - present at many coastal locations.
5. White-beaked Dolphin - thought we might see more but well seen at Londrangar
6. Barrow's Goldeneye - worth the effort on day two.
7. Brunnich's Guillemot - found without too much effort and probably easier later in the season.
8. A swim in the Blue Lagoon - sort of inevitable but good.

and from research and local birders' assistance we added the following:

9. White-winged Scoter - defeated by the weather.
10. King Eider - poor observer skills or bad luck. They're still around as i write this in mid-April
11. American Wigeon - we dropped lucky on this one.
12. Ptarmigan - apparently at the bottom of their 10-year breeding cycle. I was surprised not to see any at all, though. We might have heard a couple. We'll look for them in north-east Scotland next week (see UK thread round about 19th April to see how we get on).
 

I strongly suspect that we will return.