Heading north - Grenivik

Farewelling Djúpivogur we continued our journey north, weaving our way amongst fjords before turning inland at Fáskrúðsfjörður. The town had been an important fishing outpost for French ships in the late 1800s to early 1900s and it's clear that the Icelandic waters claimed many lives. The Cemetery of French Seamen here is one of many found throughout Iceland.

As we headed west the terrain changed and we found ourselves in the rather surreal moonscape of the Mývatn region. The area was visited by Apollo astronauts prior to the moon landing and is also a popular movie setting. It was such a contrast from the lush fields, river and waterfalls we'd seen earlier. This area is also home to the Hverir Geothermal Area, with its impressive collection of smoking fumeroles, bubbling mudpools and hissing steam vents (and of course that smell). The colours were fabulous!

Our guidebook had recommended a side trip to Dettifoss Falls, apparently the second largest most powerful waterfall in Europe (after the Rhines Falls). Certainly impressive though not the prettiest of settings!

By contrast, the spectacular Godafoss Falls was my pick of the many falls we saw during our brief visit. Easily accessible from the main road, the story goes that the decision was made by parliament's lawspeaker Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi to adopt Christianity for the good of the people. To symbolize his decision, he returned to his home in north Iceland and discarded idols of the Old Gods into a beautiful waterfall, which would later become known as Godafoss.

We arrived at the small fishing village of Grenivik and easily found our way to the campground. We had time for a wander through the village, taking in the colourful boats and interesting houses, before settling down to watch a rather impressive cloud-filled sky.Read more