Date: 18-19th July 2022
Travelled: 70 kms from Húsavik to Rekyjahlíð
Visited: Mývatn-Laxá Conservation Area
Stayed: Camping Rekyjahlíð, Isk5150, N65.64810, W16.91290
Budget: 55 days @ €97 per day
We decided to stay an extra day (18th) in Húsavik. The campsite has a laundry and our last wash day was back in Denmark more than two weeks ago. Apart from that, it’s a beautiful sunny day. So we get the chairs out catch up on our vitamin D, do a couple of loads of washing and dry out some damp jackets and boots from our Dettifoss drenching.
We still manage a walk into the centre of Húsavik to wander the harbour which is particularly picturesque today.
Next morning the fine weather has past, replaced by grey skies and a touch of drizzle once again. It’s Iceland for goodness sake, you cannot complain about the weather.
Pam has gone for a quick walk, so I give the gas jet on our Dometic Fridge a service. The fridge works but when turned to gas it’s not a cold as it should be. After 9 years of motorhoming I consider myself something of a fridge mechanic (at least on our old fridge). I remove the cover and check the flame, as I suspected the flame is not a deep blue and its uneven. Sure sign of a bit of ash or grit in the burner. I give it a clean, blow out all the bits, I’m putting it back together when Pam returns.
Hopefully back to cold beer tonight.
So we service the Hymer once again and head firstly for the supermarket, then a service station to top up with diesel before we roll out of Húsavik west for route 87, then on to Rekyjahlíð. After a quick drive through the village we pick a campsite and checkin.
So a little about the Mývatn. The area is named after the volcanic lake that dominates the valley. It sits squarely on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the violent geological character of the area reflects that. The last major fissure eruption was in the 70’s, it lasted for 9 years. You can read more about the area from the link above.
Reykjahlíð, Norðurland eystra, Iceland
We don’t settle in, just claim a good spot in the campsite and go exploring, our first stop is a water filled cave called Grjótagjá. Just off route 860 a few kms south of town, we just follow the signs. Grjótagjá was created by a gaping fissure in the adjoining laver field, the information panel indicates the water is a constant 44°. If your a Game of Thrones fan as we are, it’s the place where John Snow looses himself to a wildling girl. It’s a magic spot, but they’ve banned taking a dip now.
Pictured below, the fissure above Grjótagjá that formed the cave is equally amazing in our opinion.
Returning to the 848 we drive another km south before turning for Hverfjall. This crater dominates the eastern side of the lava fields. According to the blurb it was the result of a cataclysmic eruption 2700 years ago. It further states the Hverfjall crater is 450m high and more than a km wide. Our walk from the carpark up and around the crater lip and back down is more than 5.5 km on Pam’s Apple Watch. The crater and the views around are memorable, despite the cold.
By the time we are back in the Hymer it’s after 3pm, we’re cold and a bit tired. We had another walk planned but Hverfjall has done us in. So we head back to the campsite to warm-up and relax for a couple of hours.
Come 6pm we head off to spend a couple of hours relaxing at the Mývatn Nature Baths. About 3 kms out of Rekyjahlíð on route 1. The weather is not actually conducive for an outdoor pool, but we no sooner pay our Isk3900 per person (seniors rate) and go through the shower etc that the rain stops. By the time our drinks from the poolside bar are included in the tab, it makes for an expensive swim (A$100) not that you actually swim just lull about, chatting to a couple from Alabama of all places.
There are two large pools, the sign indicated the hotter one is 42°. It’s the most popular perhaps as it has a bar. The water looks inviting with a pale blue hue, but it has a distinct mineral, sulphate of ammonia odour and it feels slippery. After the first beer you don’t really notice anymore. It was a great experience but I wouldn’t run off and spend another $100 doing it again tomorrow. No cameras allowed, so no photo.
So that was our day.
Michael + Pam
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