Iceland - Day 3 – Collins Travel Blog

Another day of adventure for the Collins/Groves combo! It was mostly a day of driving so our narrative is a bit brief. Today’s journey was to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula on the west coast of Iceland. The peninsula has an amazing array of topography – mountains, waterfalls, lava fields, dormant volcanoes, beaches – as well as agriculture (it’s hay baling season here) and livestock – sheep, horses, and cows.

Our first stop of the day was Bjarnarfoss – a majestic waterfall that drops 260 feet in two tiers. There are a couple of lovely streams flowing down the mountain that are offshoots from the falls. We took a lot of pictures and did some exploring around the stream, but the Groves’ decided they had to see the waterfall so they hiked all the way up to the pool. Hiked might be a mild term as it looked like they were climbing at various points. They’re bad asses!! We patiently waited while they explored. Although it was a bit windy it was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Our other big stop of the day was Saxhóll crater. There were at least 300 steps to the top and the wind was quite strong, but the hike up was worth it. The mountains across the road were snow-capped and the clouds were creating some mystique as they swirled around the peaks. The volcanic crater was deep, but not quite as deep as expected. Granted, it’s been over 3000 years since it last erupted so there are centuries of debris that have filled the crater. At the very top of the crater was an amazing 360 degree view – ocean on one side, snowy mountains on the other. Did we mention the very strong (nearly gale force is a bit exagerated, but not by much) winds that made it a challenge to hold a camera still for pictures?! It was an adventure, as always.