Vatnsnes and the Northern Coast
It was time to embark on the second chapter of our stay, this time heading inland towards the center of the island. We planned to sleep in Sauðárkrókur that night so we could take the Kjölur (F35) off-road trail the following day.
The plan was to tour the Vatnsnes Peninsula in the morning before visiting a few interesting sites later in the day.
The Vatnsnes Peninsula
It took us two hours to reach Hvammstangi, the small village at the entrance of the peninsula. The west coast was foggy that morning, but we still stopped at Illugastaðir to try and spot some local seals.
Unfortunately, they were not out in the open just there and then, so we drove to Ösar on the other side of the peninsula, where seal colonies were known to congregate.
We arrived around 1 PM at Hvitserkur on the east coast where the weather was much better. We decided to picnic on-site before taking the short walk to Ösar. As we hoped, there were plenty of seals along the way.
The Kolugljúfur Canyon
We decided to take a break to see the Kolugljúfur Canyon On our way south, a site we'd never had the chance to visit. The detour added no time at all and the canyon was well worth a look, the powerful cascade truly awe-inspiring.
On the road to Sauðárkrókur, we also stopped to snap some photographs of the beautiful local churches, Þingeyraklausturskirkja and Víðimýri with its turfed roof. We arrived back in the late afternoon under a clear blue sky in great spirits.
The next day forecast promised great weather in central Iceland, yet another stroke of luck for our trip.
