THE NORDIC SERIES, DAY 12
ICELAND
A day of waterfalls. Believe it or not today the weather took a turn for the worse and already one of the beaches at VIK was closed, good choice visiting them last night then! We have a couple of walks this morning so it might be an interesting day
NOT A BAD PLACE TO PROPOSE!
SKOGAFOSS WATERFALL
First we arrived at Skogafoss WF and one of my favourite of the trip. You can walk up the 429 steps to the observation deck and continue further up stream for some really nice shots. On the bottom level there are no barriers to stop you walking right up to the wall of the waterfall so getting soaked is all part of the experience. It produces an immense amount of spray so it’s common to see a rainbow, definitely a place for some good photos!
KVERNUFOSS WATERFALL
From here it was a 2minute drive to the next waterfall, a hidden gem of Iceland as no tours go there, probably due to the fact you have to scale the odd fence and walk 500m through what appeared to be private land. Similar to Seljalandsfoss in that you can walk behind it for some more great photos but the beauty is in the approach up to it. As with most waterfalls over a considerable amount of time a canyon is formed due to erosion leading up to the waterfall which creates this almost amphitheatre atmosphere and if you are lucky enough to have it to yourself it’s a great opportunity it just admire in your own time.
PROPOSAL
We managed to have it to ourselves until we were leaving when a couple arrived and had a proposal, the second one of our trip. Can see why he chose here and although I’m sure he wanted it all to himself, he did get a photo out of it.
SELJAVALLALAUG POOL
5 minutes down the road we arrived at the car park of the Seljavallalaug Swimming pool, a man made swimming pool filled with hot water direct from the springs and something you have probably seen all over Instagram. Its nice, very picturesque but not the cleanest and is full of algae. The changing rooms are also in a bad state manly down to tourists. We only came for a few photos and a look as I had heard some stories about the water. There were people who took the plunge purely for a photo and you could see they just weren’t enjoying it. The things you do for the gram!
EYJAFJALLAJOKULL
From here we called into the very quiet visitor centre of the 2010 volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajokull. It has a bit of background to the story and then a 10minute documentary. If you have a spare 30minutes I would recommend it as its an infamous part of our recent history.
Iceland is well aware of the issues with climate change and the effects can be seen with an image shown by the geologist.
BRA FENCE
On our way to the Secret Lagoon we passed the Bra Fence. I’m not sure as to the authenticity of the story but apparently a local stole a few from a local lady, attached them to the fence and ever since tourists have been adding to it.
‘SECRET’ LAGOON
Our first stop on the ring road was at the Secret Lagoon, which in all honestly was impressive but should really be stripped of the word secret as it was packed full. You can enjoy a glass of alcohol (wine, beer etc) while bathing in 38C natural water. Changing room and shower facilities are also available and if we had more time would have probably considered it after another busy day!
GULFOSS WATERFALL
Taking the back road we arrived at the biggest waterfall of the week, Gulfoss. The wind however was getting stronger and even standing to take a photo was proving difficult. Hats, gloves and even people were disappearing over the hill in seconds. It did make the experience unique.
THE GREAT GEYSIR
Only 10minutes from Gulfoss is the famous Geysir site, which to be honest was only worth seeing because we were staying 20metres from the entrance. However when you hear it’s been active for 10,000 years it becomes slightly more interesting. You don’t have to hang around too long however as it erupts every 5-10minutes, spouting water up to 66ft or 130ft if you’re lucky.. We had an email from booking.com to say tonight’s hotel (Borealis Hotel) had double booked so that was nice of them. We’ve booked into Hotel Geysir, a really nice new hotel built over an existing sports hall.
NEXT UP
Diving between 2 tectonic plates and the Lava Tunnel! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x 138/229
This post is part of The Nordic Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here. To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
