• AliceAlainThe call of IcelandTraveler
    The Seltún thermal area
    For the first time this trip, eating outside of the tent is feasibleA local saga which I have already forgotten!This is what I thought lava might look like!The lighthouseI found a sealChurches are almost always locked- so I was happy to see inside this oneBack to good old lava cascading over the hilAlongside the roadA mud bath (too hot to use)Stinky, gloopy, black and impressiveBlack lava on one side of the roadRed on the other sideI am so tired I camp on the lava field ( a flattish bit)

    Reykjanes Unesco Global Geopark

    June 14 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Yet again the wind is due to be strong, this time from 10am - so its an early start again, plus I modify my plans as I am already tired from pushing hard yesterday. The first 15km is not so bad, but after that its a demoralizing grind. I have a geothermal park to cross today - but this means that I will not be allowed to wild camp- which forces me to go all the way through before I stop - and that is a bit further than I really want to go.

    As the wind is due to peak and then decline again towards the end of the afternoon, I decide to take plenty of breaks. Which I need anyway as I am pretty tired.
    First there is a bigger modern harbour town. Luckily this also means that I will no longer be meeting large lorries.

    Then I visit a tiny shore village which I rather like. There is a seal on the lava rocks and a little church and sunshine.

    Then its a serious haul to get into the geopark. At least once I am there, there are good excuses for stopping. First comes a borehole 2.5km deep which is hoping to test if geothermal power is possible. Then there is a turquoise lake (that did not photograph well) and a set of hot springs and fumaroles with some pretty gunky looking pools. I am amused to read that in the 1700s someone tried to drill to find sulphur but the borehole erupted . Then in the 1900s another person also drilled. And that one erupted too. I hope the modern borehole fares better.

    From there there is a leg along the lake (up down up down up down) with black lava to the left and red to the right.

    I am now desperate to stop and have identified a small footpath just over the edge of the park boundary. Its a bit of a long shot as its through a rough lava field. But as I am now getting close to Reykjavik - and I am mega tired - it seems best to try. I manage to find a small area which is flat and moss covered and away from the road. The moss is very deep, very dry and very fragile. I do my best not to damage it- but its hard not to leave footprint indents. Still, maybe camping on lava when in Iceland is an appropriate ending to my trip?    Read more