Date: 15th July 2022
Travelled: 110 kms from Vopnafjörður to Pórshöfn
Visited: Bustarfell, Selárdalslaug and Pórshöfn
Stayed: Camping Pórshöfn, Isk2800, N66.19860, W15.32840
Budget: 51 days @ €92 per day
I wake to sun shining on the Hymer, I look at the time and it’s 4am. Looking outside there are two campers that hadn’t arrived by the time we were asleep last night. Must have been a good sleep, I didn’t hear a thing. Mind you I had already been asleep for 7 hours by then. Looking out the window again I see the sun is high above the horizon. It’s cold out of bed so back for a nap seems the sensible option.
The heater and coffee machine go on at 7am and the day gets started. After coffee Pam and I go for a second walk around town.
Our guide book recommend visiting the Bustarfell Museum. We passed the turn for it yesterday but we were just too tired to do it justice. So once the Hymer is ready for the road we backtrack 15 kms to Hofsárdalar and the museum. It’s a picturesque drive.
We pay the princely entry fee of Isk1300 pp (A$12) and start exploring. The farm was purchase in 1532 and owned continuously by the Bustarfell family until it was sold to the State in 1943 on condition it was preserved as a museum. Mind you it was burnt to the ground in 1770 and subsequently rebuilt, so it’s not the original 1532 version.
We thought the Bustarfell Museum was well worth a stop. A real look at how people lived in such a remote place, given the sometimes hostile environment.
Back on the road again we return to the north-east circuit or route 85, continuing west.
Thirty kms later we turn for Selárdalslaug, its only 3 kms off the route 85. Selárdalslaug is a thermal pool and as you may already know, Iceland is famous for its thermal pools. So we pay Isk330 pp (senior’s rate) and venture in like a local. As is usual for a nordic country there are lots of rules, but I won’t bore you with those.
The main pool is only small at 18m but the water is perfect at 32° for some unwinding. There is also large spa set at 40° which just sucks the energy out of you. Lastly there’s a plunge tub where fresh water from the adjoining stream is pumped through continuously, that’s 4° today and obviously intended to cause a heart attack.
After an hour or so its either move on or have a nap in the car-park. So we move on.
Half an hour later we turn for Pórshöfn and our campsite for the night. As you can see from the photos Pórshöfn has little to offer but a poorly maintained campsite and a church under renovation.
It has a port and a fishmeal factory but it’s not the most picturesque town unfortunately. No matter it’s been a long day, so we have a drink and relax.
Michael + Pam
One thought on “Pórshöfn, Iceland 🇮🇸 2022”
Loving it all. Have you read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent? A great read, based on a true story and set in Iceland.