This page covers the first six days of our Iceland road trip from Selfoss along the west coast to Borganes. We took a detour into Snæfellsnes to stay in Stykkishólmur before continuing our journey north toward Akureyri. We did not go to Reykjavik or visit the Golden Circle as we have visited there on multiple occasions and we are planning to return again soon.
For more information on Reykjavik click HERE and for more info on The Golden Circle click HERE.
DAY 1 Keflavik to Selfoss
Our flight from Gatwick landed at Keflavik in the late afternoon and we retrieved our luggage and were swiftly through customs. We decided not to hang around for the shuttlebus as it was only a five minute to walk to Blue car hire from the terminal building. Our car was a Suzuki 4WD, not the ubiquitous Dacia Duster but it was fine, and bright red so it was easy to spot and we reached Selfoss within an hour and a half.
Selfoss is bang on Route 1 and the logical starting point for us. Hotel Selfoss, next to the bridge was to be our home for two nights. It was a big ugly beast of a building but very pleasing inside and offered lovely views over the river. After checking in, we had time to take a walk past the church and through the graveyard and look out at the lovely views across the raging Ölfusá river before dinner.
The Old Dairy Food Hall was across the road from our hotel and the attractive area behind it was lined with inviting bars and restaurants. A very acceptable pizza from Flatey was washed down with a beer for me and red wine for Leashia.
DAY 2 Selfoss
We had a wonderful buffet breakfast at our hotel before we popped into Krónan to buy our picnic lunch before heading off to Hveragerði Geothermal Park which was only 15 minutes from Selfoss.
Hveragerði Geothermal Park
We had actually [nearly] been here before a few years back but on that occasion the gates were locked. This time it was well and truly open and we had a lovely time amongst the steaming vents. The cafe sells geothermally baked bread but we did not indulge.
The park has its very own Geysir which may not be as big and as famous as Strokkur in Þingvellir but it’s still a wonder to behold and has the added advantage of having no crowds.
It was just a short drive to Raufarhólshellir Lava Tunnel, Iceland’s third largest lava tunnel, and the guided tour took around an hour and was fascinating, watch out for Shelob!
After the lava tunnel we headed back to Hveragerði where we had a picnic of ham and cheese on a bench in the lovely green and leafy Hveragerði public park.
Our next destination was the well known Kerid Crater which was only a 20 minute drive away. Parking was free on this occasion but there’s an entry fee to visit the site. The crater was formed about 6500 years ago and was initially thought to have been caused by a massive explosion but this is now not thought to be the case. Recent theory suggests that it was formed when a magma chamber emptied at the end of an eruption and the ceiling collapsed. The car park was packed when we arrived but after a few minutes waiting we managed to nab a space. The walk up to the edge of the crater only took ten minutes and the crowds had dispersed to an extent that it did not feel busy. The views into the crater and beyond were wonderful, and so was the weather.
A mere 30 minute drive from the crater is Gamla Laugin, AKA The Secret Lagoon which we had booked in advance for 4.30pm and we arrived in plenty of time. It’s the oldest pool in Iceland and we absolutely loved it here, it wasn’t too busy and it’s much cheaper and less fussy than the Blue and Sky Lagoons. A pleasant walk around the perimiter will reward you with a steaming river and bubbling pots as well as elf houses! We relaxed and socialised until we went very ‘pruney’.
We felt very floppy after our time at the lagoon but it was only a 40 minute drive back to our hotel in Selfoss. We had booked Kaffi Krús for dinner and the food [and wine] was not cheap but it was a lovely end to our first full day on our road trip.
DAY 3 The Road to Borganes
We had another very satisfying breakfast and said our goodbyes to Selfoss but we knew that we would be returning in a couple of weeks time for our last night. Today our plan was to drive to Reykjadalur to see the hot springs which is near Hveragerði before heading to Borganes which was our next overnight destination.
Reykjadalur Hot Springs Walk
We stopped first at the information centre in Hveragerði where we obtained a map for the hike and picked up a few other leaflets. We knew that this hike is very popular but as it was mid morning we hoped to avoid the crowds.
The hike starts above Hveragerði at a car park and it took us about an hour to walk to the springs. It’s mostly uphill to get there and the path can get very muddy but we took our time in order to take in the views.
The weather was cloudy and drizzly but the rain thankfully held off. We walked past steaming hot vents and the wonderful Djúpagilsfoss waterfall before we got to the hot springs and although we were not the only people there we thought the springs were really wonderful and I was glad to have a warm soak, yes I had remembered to bring my swimming costume, and towel!
We walked back to our car and returned to Hveragerði park for another picnic lunch before the drive to Borganes which took us about an hour and twenty minutes.
Borganes
Borganes is a small coastal town with a population of under 2000 peepses. We were too early to check into our air bnb so we had a very scrummy hot choklit [sic] at the Settlement Centre Restaurant before visiting the exhibitions.
The Settlement Centre.
The Settlement Centre has displays on two floors. The basement covers the story of Egil’s Saga in which Borganes’ history is interwoven. The upper floor had displays focusing on settlement in Iceland. Some of the displays were rather spooky and the saga is pretty brutal. We had an excellent audio guide which was accessed from our phones. The whole experience was enjoyable and took around an hour.
Brákin Monument
We had learned about Þorgerður Brák at the Settlement Centre. Þorgerður was Egil’s nursemaid who saved Egil from Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson, Egil’s father. She died in an attempt to escape an enraged Skallagrímur and jumped into the sea but was hit by a large stone thrown by him and she never resurfaced. A grim tale indeed now marked by a monument near the spot where she jumped to her death. The monument is near the Settlement Centre.
Borganes Pool
Just a few minutes away from the Settlement Centre is the excellent Borganes Pool. It has hot pots, a cold one too [brrrr!], an inside and outside pool, a flume and steam room. It’s was as cheap as chips and on our visit was really quiet and we had a lovely couple of hours relaxing here. We then drove back to our little home and I cooked up some stuffed pasta and pesto for dinner washed down with some red wine.
DAY 4 Borganes
We had a busy agenda today so we were up early and headed out with our cheesy/sandwichy packed lunch and snacks for the one hour drive to The Cave for our tour which we had booked for 10am.
Víðgelmir Lava Tunnel, also known as The Cave, at around 1.5km long is the largest lava tunnel in Iceland and is seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
It is part of the 1100 year old Hallmundarhraun lava field [see photos above] and is within easy reach from Borganes. The entrance is through the collapsed roof of the tunnel down a long wooden staircase.
This was our second lava tunnel on this trip and our favrit. Our guide was great and explained the creation and history of the tunnel. The tour was scheduled to run for an hour and a half but ours overran which meant we had to make a mad dash to our next destination – Into the Glacier!
Luckily our pick up point in Húsafell was only 15 minutes from The Cave and we just had time to scoff our picnic lunch before clambering on to the bus that took us up a very bumpy road to Klaki Basecamp at the foot of Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest glacier, [the largest being Vatnajökull in the south of Iceland]. The journey to the basecamp took around an hour. Once at Klaki we boarded a big bastard ex Nato military vehicle which took us onto the glacier and up to the cave entrance.
The man-made tunnel gave us a wonderful insight of what it’s like deep inside a glacier. Yes, it’s cold and wet but the colours and eerie sounds of the glacier are wonderful. Whenever I visit a glacier I have a tradition of giving it a lick, just to see what it tastes like. This was my first time licking a glacier from the inside and I can confirm it’s lovely. [No my tongue did not get stuck!].
NB- I did not take the photo above of Sven, copyright is owned by Disney.
On the journey back to Klaki our guide highlighted the dangers of driving on the glacier and recalled the time when both the vehicle carrying tourists and the rescue vehicles got stuck! Thankfully our journey was uneventful. The return trip from and back to the pick up point in Húsafell took around 4 hours.
Hraunfossar and Barnafoss
We headed back to Borganes on R218 and had planned to stop at a few sights on the way. The first being just by the road – two wonderful waterfalls that are adjacent to each other.
Hraunfossar is a stunning waterfall that spans a wide area and only a few minutes walk away is Barnafoss where the powerful water angrily thunders through the canyon.
Our second stop was also just by the main road. Deildartunguher is Europe’s most powerful hot spring and at a temperature of around 97°C is almost hot enough to make a nice brew! Krauma Geothermal Bath & Spa is also situated here where I hope they reduce the temperature of the water somewhat! We stopped one more time on our way back to Borganes, taking a detour to look at the river running through a gorge by the modern bridge on Route 1. [not sure of it’s name].
Back in Borganes
We left our car at our Airbnb in Borganes and walked into town for a wonderful dinner at The Settlement Centre which we had booked the night before. After, we took a leisurely stroll through the small attractive park where there are monuments to Egil Skallagrímsson and his father who are said to be buried here.
DAY 5 Borganes to Stykkishólmur
I really wanted to visit Stykkishólmur on the northern coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsular depite this being a major detour from the ring road. We had a few stops planned along the route.
Borg á Mýrum
Our first stop was Borg á Mýrum. A farmstead where Egil’s father made his home. There is also a small church here which unusually is facing North-South. We had a mooch through the small graveyard where there was an ancient rune marked grave. The abstract sculpture [Sonatorrek] at the front of the farm represents Egil grieving for his two sons.
We climbed the large rock [borg] behind the farm where there is a cairn and took in the views over the fjord. We were accompanied by a friendly dog who kept presenting us with stones to throw for him.
Landbrotalaug hot springs.
Leashia had noticed on Google Maps that there was a hot tub just off R54 and that we would be passing it on our way to Stykkishólmur. I don’t need much excuse to strip off and dunk myself in a smelly pool so we stopped to have a looky.
The pool, which is more like a small lake was just off the main road. The area around the lake was very squelchy and there’s no proper footpath to the hot-pot which was on the far side so we took off our shoes and socks and got our feet wet in the warm water. There is only room for one or two people in the hot-pot but I found it rather pleasant in a stinky kind of way. I also had a soak in the lakey bit with a few other visitors, the water did get very hot near the source so I had to move away or risk being boiled alive! Quite a different experience from the Blue Lagoon!
Gerðuberg
The basalt cliffs of Gerðuberg are also just off R54 so we stopped there for our lunch. We had visited here several years ago when the weather was horrid. Today the sun was shining and it was the perfect place for a picnic, a shame there was no ice cream van! We clambered up to the top of the columns and walked towards Lake Selvallavatn which was hidden behind the columns before turning back to have our picnic looking down at the plain below.
Stykkishólmur
We reached our guest house in Stykkishólmur by mid afternoon. The town has a natural harbour and a population of around 1200 people so it’s pretty small and we could walk everywhere from our accommodation.
Stykkishólmskirkja
We started with Stykkishólmskirkja which was only a few minutes walk from our guest house. It’s a stunning Lutheran church with views over the town and Breiðafjörður Bay and was built in 1990. The sweeping lines are effective and the bell tower resembles a whale vertebra, its beauty is in its simplicity.
We followed the path down from the church to the shoreline, past fishing boats moored on a beach of broken shells and made our way to the harbour.
Súgandisey Island
Súgandisey Island has been accessible via a causeway from the harbour since 1989. We walked around the small island to take in the wonderful vista of Breiðafjörður and its numerous islands as well the view of the town. The highest point on the island is adorned by a red lighthouse which was moved here from Grótta in Seltjarnarnes in 1948.
Stykkishólmur pool
Another town, another pool. This was another delight, devoid of people and it was only a few minutes walk away from our guest house. We stayed here doing very little, soaking in the different hot-pots for around two hours. We headed back to our home, had a cuppa and then popped around the corner to Skipper for a very acceptable dinner. We went to bed early, all that soaking in hot pools is exaustifying!
DAY 6 To Akureyri
We were up early[ish] again and had a picnic ready for the long drive north to Akureyri which we expected to take around 4.5 hours without stopping. We had planned a couple of detours though [of course] and wanted to visit Hvítserkur which is possibly better known as Rhino Rock and also the pool at Hofsós.
If you want to read about the next leg of our journey in the north click HERE.
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