The tour finally started the evening of june 13. My plan for this day was to start early, but for various reasons I did not start before the clock had turned 9 pm. Obviously I could not reach as far as I planned, so I camped in the wild at the mountain pass of Þrengsli.
Next day, I got a flying start down the hills from Þrengsli down to the lowlands below. After some 13 kms or so, I reached the first village, Eyrarbakki. This is a cosy place right at the Atlantic shoreline with magnificent view over the ocean. An info sign told me that straight south from Eyrarbakki you will not meet any land until the continent of Antarctica. In older times, Eyrarbakki was way bigger than Reykjavík (at that time), and many thought Eyrarbakki would become the capital of Iceland.
Just a few kms further east I entered Stokkseyri, a village looking quite similar to Eyrarbakki, and lies also at the very shoreline. Stokkseyri houses about 500 inhabitants. Both Stokkseyri and Eyrarbakki were important fishing and trading villages all since 900 A.D., but in the later parts of the 19th century, fishing has decreased, and tourism has become more important.
After passing Stokkseyri, the road turned away from the shore, and soon I turned off the paved road to make a short cut up to the Ring Road where it crosses over Þjórsá. This gave me ca 20 kms on gravel, but the only part of the day with tailwind!
Most of the day was dry, but the last hour it started raining (in addition to the wind in my face), so I appreciated the free hot shower at Árhús Camping at Hella.
Today, june 15., I decided to go shorter to let my rear get some rest. 36 kms doesn't sound much, and especially not at the totally flat south of Iceland. But with a strong breeze right in my face, 36 kms were enough! So I ended up at Hamragarðar camping site, 1 km from Seljalandsfoss at the roots of Eyjafjallajökull. A very lovely place with a beautiful waterfall right behind, good facilities and good service!
Next day, I got a flying start down the hills from Þrengsli down to the lowlands below. After some 13 kms or so, I reached the first village, Eyrarbakki. This is a cosy place right at the Atlantic shoreline with magnificent view over the ocean. An info sign told me that straight south from Eyrarbakki you will not meet any land until the continent of Antarctica. In older times, Eyrarbakki was way bigger than Reykjavík (at that time), and many thought Eyrarbakki would become the capital of Iceland.
Just a few kms further east I entered Stokkseyri, a village looking quite similar to Eyrarbakki, and lies also at the very shoreline. Stokkseyri houses about 500 inhabitants. Both Stokkseyri and Eyrarbakki were important fishing and trading villages all since 900 A.D., but in the later parts of the 19th century, fishing has decreased, and tourism has become more important.
After passing Stokkseyri, the road turned away from the shore, and soon I turned off the paved road to make a short cut up to the Ring Road where it crosses over Þjórsá. This gave me ca 20 kms on gravel, but the only part of the day with tailwind!
Most of the day was dry, but the last hour it started raining (in addition to the wind in my face), so I appreciated the free hot shower at Árhús Camping at Hella.
Today, june 15., I decided to go shorter to let my rear get some rest. 36 kms doesn't sound much, and especially not at the totally flat south of Iceland. But with a strong breeze right in my face, 36 kms were enough! So I ended up at Hamragarðar camping site, 1 km from Seljalandsfoss at the roots of Eyjafjallajökull. A very lovely place with a beautiful waterfall right behind, good facilities and good service!