Date: 25th July 2022
Travelled: 200 kms from Kleppjárnsreykir to Geysir
Visited: Víðgelmir Cave and Þingvellir NP Þ ð
Stayed: Camping Geysir, Isk3000, N64.30990, W20.30510
Budget: 61 days @ €106 per day
We try for an early start this morning, so we can be on the road by 9am. Just a quick service for the Hymer as we showered using the campsite facilities last night, so no water needed.
There is an english speaking tour of Víðgelmir Cave at 10am this morning, it’s only about 35 kms further up the Húsafell valley. As we have no idea the condition of the road, best give ourselves some spare time.
As you can see from the photos the road wasn’t the best, but it was sealed except for the last 5 kms. So we arrived in time to have breakfast in the carpark and purchase our tickets at Isk7000 pp, no seniors today unfortunately.
We get the briefing from our guide, Katie who holds a masters degree in geology. She tells us the lava field here is 45km long and 10 kms wide. We walk a few hundred metres to enter the cave, which is more accurately described as a laver tube. The tube is 1.5 kms in length of which we can explore 700m. We get to a depth of 40m underground level.
The tour is very informative, but after 90 minutes at 1°, the chill is working its way to the bone. Apparently in winter it’s -20°. Having done many limestone caves back in Aus and the US, whilst many features have similar names how they were created was completely different.
The lava tube done we have a coffee in the Hymer before returning to route #1. The Islander’s love their Nissan huts. We stop at a very ordinary supermarket in Borgarnes and continue on into what our guide books identifies as Southwest Iceland.
As we approach the outskirt of Reykjavík, the GPS takes us eastward once again this time to the national park at Þingvellir. Thirty kms later we stop at the park office for some advice before walking off to take some photos. Þingvellir lies in the centre of a rift valley, marking the crest of the mid-Atlantic trench. Basically where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates grind away at each other.
The resulting trench between the plates cut across the national park and the lake, without overstating the experience it’s something to see.
Anyway by the time we visit a couple of the viewing points on route #361, the day has gotten away from us. We continue north west to a campsite in Geysir, so where well placed for tomoorow’s adventure.
Michael + Pam
4 thoughts on “Þingvellir, Iceland 🇮🇸 2022”
I’m always amazed that there are so many trees growing there unlike the Faròers again most informative 👍 thank you.
Thanks for your comment Johannes, we found the whole Snorri story interesting particularly as he was killed some 800 years ago and he is still held in reverence.
M+P
Just amazing 🙂
Yes Pam the speleologist, who would have guessed.
M+P