I was out early for my first full day of this Icelandic adventure, the weather was warm and bright …
Skógafoss
My first
stop was at Skógafoss one of the most famous and enchanting waterfalls in
Iceland, located on the ancient glacial Skóga River in the heart of the country.
It is 60m high and about 25m wide. Renowned for its majestic beauty and
powerful water flow that roars with a mighty force, creating a thick mist as it
plunges into a deep pool.
Soon after
admiring Skógafoss, I tightened up my hiking boots and went off on today’s
first hike. The Skógafoss hike, known as the "Waterfall Way," is a
breathtaking trail that follows the Skógá River upstream, passing dozens of
unique cascades. It starts at the top of Skógafoss, and was about a 17 km roundtrip,
which took me about four hours.
I have to
say it was the longest, the hardest and absolutely the best hike I have ever
done, with some challenging almost vertical climbs. Halfway on the out journey,
I took nasty tumble, but fortunately with a well-planned tactic for such
events, the camera was unharmed. As
for me, I got a few dents, scratches, cuts, and a small piece of Iceland
embedded in the palm of my right hand. With the help of my Swiss Army Knife, I
never leave home without it, I returned that little piece of Iceland back to the
country.
It was an
incredible hike that got better over each challenging ridge.
Skógafoss
and the Waterfall Way …
Kvernufoss
Upon my return from that epic wander, I filled myself up with energy food, and went off to my second hike of the day. At only a short distance away from Skógafoss, Kvernufoss is situated above a deeply recessed black basalt shelf in the Kvernugil canyon along the course of the Kvernuhólsá River, which originates from the meltwater of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier.
As with
nearby Skógafoss the cliff from which the water falls once overlooked the
ocean. The retreat of the ice at the end of the last ice age, allowed the
post-glacial rebound of the terrain and the consequent retreat of the
shoreline. The former sea cliffs now run parallel to the south coast over
hundreds of kilometres, creating together with some mountains a clear border
between the coastal lowlands and the Highlands of Iceland.
Sólheimajökull
Travelling
a little further east, then north, I stopped for my third hike at Sólheimajökull glacier.
There are thirteen large and several smaller glaciers in Iceland that cover
about 11% of the country’s land area. Sólheimajökull with its vivid streaks of volcanic ash, is one of the smaller glaciers, located between
the volcanoes Katla and Eyjafjallajökull, and forms part of the larger
Mýrdalsjökull glacier. The glacier is melting rapidly at around 60m per year
owing to warmer annual temperatures caused by climate change. Tragically it is predicted
that many of Iceland’s glaciers will become extinct within this and the next
century.
As a result of the rapid melting, most of the area is now covered in deep volcanic ash. I have not been to the moon yet, but this black/gray ash with a light texture, gives a slight lunar appearance.
Dyrhólaey
Peninsula
From Sólheimajökull
glacier, I headed further east for my fourth hike of the day on the Dyrhólaey Peninsula, formerly
known by seamen as Cape Portland. Dyrhólaey translates to "Door Hill
Island," which derives from the natural rock arch that is so prominent when
viewed from the clifftops. Dyrhólaey is a 120m high cape, with an historic
lighthouse built in 1927 and incredible ocean views. Between May and
mid-August, the cliffs and rocks of Dyrhólaey is an excellent location for
observing Puffins during what is their breeding season, unfortunately I did not
see any today.
Reynisfjara
Beach
My last adventure for the day, was a beach wander. Only a short
drive along the coast from Dyrhólaey Peninsula is Reynisfjara Beach. This black
sand beach known for its volcanic scenery, has basalt columns, crashing waves, sea
stacks and the Hálsanefshellir Sea Cave. As a regular beach wanderer on many
local beaches in the South Shore of Nova Scotia, I can say that I have never
been on one that is both so dramatic, and potentially dangerous as Reynisfjara
Beach.
Upon
getting close to Reynisfjara Beach, there are many noticeable multilingual
warning signs about the dangers, particularly the sneaker waves which are more
prominent at high tide ~ these waves are powerful and can sweep people off
their feet. The signs strongly advise never to turn your back to the sea, this so
you can always anticipate incoming waves. The signs also warn against entering
Hálsanefshellir Cave, where rocks can fall, together with the realistic dangers
of sneaker waves entering the cave. As recent as August 2025, someone was
killed after being swept out from the Hálsanefshellir Cave by waves.
The sand on
this beach is distinctively black due to the erosion of volcanic lava The hexagonal
basalt columns at the east end of the beach form striking cliffs, while a
little further on are the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, seen in a few photos above, they are volcanic-rock
formations featured in local folklore, which state they were once trolls who
were turned to stone by the rising sun.
I now know the real reason that Iceland has almost 24 hours of daylight at this time of the year, it is for folks like me who try to squeeze as many hikes and wanders as possible into one day.
Finally, some random pics on the way home to the dairy farm, where the milk is always amazingly fresh ...
