Day 5: Eastern Fjords/Moorudalur Valley

28 September 2018

A long day of travelling today but with extremely diverse scenery. Breakfast is first up but we have to pack everything up and then drive to breakfast at the main hotel area 5 minutes drive away so our timings are somewhat different from normal.

We start on the South Coast but are trying to outrun a big storm that is due to hit the central south part of Iceland. Winds are expected at over 100 km/hr (and are pushing the van around already) and it is raining. I am sitting up front today so I get good views (such as they are). We see the last of the southern plains and the agriculture. Lisa has us in fits of laughter as she tells us that the plastic wrapped hay bales are marshmallows for the trolls and that they come in lots of different flavours – mint, liquorice, vanilla…

We have been driving past what seems like very calm sea but Lisa tells us that it is actually a lagoon protected by a huge sand bar. The lagoon is called Swan Lagoon because it often has hundreds or thousands of swans on it. There are only a few there as we pass. Many of the cliffs are full of birds and we lament that we are a few weeks too late for the puffins who nest there in summer but disappear for winter.

We visit the quaint fishing village of Djupivogur and explore some of its quirkier arts: one guy makes a whole range of different things from driftwood and rocks and has them displayed around the garden and in a series of sheds; then there is an ‘eggshibition’ of 34 large eggs made from local rocks to be the colour and shape of the eggs of local birds – these are displayed on concrete columns all along the edge of the water.

We have lunch at a local cafe that makes wonderful fish and chips with freshly caught cod cooked in a batter with curry mayonnaise.

After lunch we head into very different scenery as we drive around the East Fjords – deep fjords, high steel gray mountains either side dusted with a layer of snow that highlights the layers of lava that have been laid down over the centuries. We are lucky to be able to see them because the fjords are often filled with fog – there is a legend about a witch who sends down the fog to protect the area from invaders.

We had intended to take a more direct route but many of the roads are closed. We weave in and out of the fjords seeing little villages along the way and Lisa tells us stories of each of them: one invaded by Somali pirates in the 18th century, another with the claim to fame of having downed a German plane in WW2, another with a crazy rock lady who collected rocks wherever she went and then had them displayed all around her garden.

Lisa then takes us inland through a 6km long tunnel through the mountains. The transformation as we came out the other side was absolutely amazing – it was fine and sunny. We have a few toilet stops on the way and also for coffee and supermarkets but we keep pushing along because it is a long drive. At one place we visit an old-fashioned grocery store that was still how they have been forever.

Then we head up unsealed mountain roads into the highland interior to where we are staying the night at the highland farm village of Moorudalur. It is the highest inhabited place in Iceland, with snow almost all year round. We climb up through the mountains and then up onto a plateau where the wind is again extremely strong and buffets the vehicle around. We do stop to stretch our legs with a walk up to a waterfall (we hadn’t stopped at one today and we mightn’t have seen enough the last couple of days!). Although the temperature is warm, the wind chill makes it very cold.

We arrive up at the farm and find the buildings built in the old style with grass growing on the turf-covered roofs. No one else is staying so we get an upgrade to stay in the hotel rooms which is luxury as everyone has ensuites rather than shared bathrooms. There is also a very good restaurant that most of us decide to try as it is highly recommended. The prices are outrageous but it is in the middle of nowhere. We try traditional Icelandic lamb soup and taste some reindeer steak that others are trying (it is not gamey at all to my surprise) and finish with rhubarb pie and blueberry ice cream.

There are clear skies but I think the Aurora will only be sought/watched if it is visible through our bedroom windows as the icy wind is getting stronger and the temperature has plummeted.

 

Please join me over the next several posts as I take you on our Journey to the Arctic (and more).

The Joy of Business Class

Copenhagen Stopover Day 1
Copenhagen Stopover Day 2

Arctic Express: Northern Lights
Day 1: Copenhagen to Reykjavik
Day 2: Reykjavik to Constable Point, Greenland
Day 3: Scoresby Sund: Frederiksdal & Flyvefjord
Day 4: Scoresby Sund: Nordvestfjord & Ingmikortilaq
Day 5: Scoresby Sund: Eskimobugt & Immikkeerikajik
Day 6: Scoresby Sund: Danmark Island & Vikingsbugt
Day 7: Scoresby Sund: Cap Hope & Ittoqqortoormiit
Day 8: Scoresby Sund: Steward Island & Constable Point
Day 9: Constable Point back to Reykjavik

Iceland Discovery
Day 1: Reykjavik: Blue Lagoon
Day 2: Golden Circle
Day 3: South Coast
Day 4: Jokulsarlon
Day 5: Eastern Fjords & Moorudalur Valley
Day 6: Moorudalur Valley & Lake Myvatn
Day 7: Akureyri & Trollaskagi Peninsular
Day 8: Grabrok Volcano & Snaefellsnes Peninsular
Day 9: Snaefellsness to Reykjavik

Toronto, Canada
Day 1: Reykjavik to Toronto
Day 2: Toronto to Port Perry
Day 3: Lake Muskoka
Day 4: Millbrook
Day 5: Back to Toronto
Day 6: Toronto
Day 7: Niagara Falls

 

 

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For this and other similar tours see:

Explore Europe with Intrepid Travel (a range of different travel styles – see my post on travel styles)

Peregrine Adventures (Comfort tours)

Geckos Adventures (for 18 to 30s)

Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites.  So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more .

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