Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Because It's There
by admin - 22:25 on 29 June 2014
Breakfast this morning was a trial for Matchgirl who'd grown used to quiet Icelandic mornings. Hotel Hellnar is busy, many of its residents presumably holidaying and weekending Icelanders, so the scrum for the breakfast buffet was not to her liking, although the selection was. There can't be many places that offer chocolate biscuits in the morning.
Fortified, we set out to climb not one, but two volcanoes. First was Saxhóll, a bonsai mound which took us all of ten minutes to conquer. From the top we could gaze into what remains of the crater or out across the Neshraun lava fields to the west and Snæfellsjökull to the south-east. This was more to Matchgirl's taste.
Soon, Sir Edmund Bassman and Sherpa Matchgirl had descended Saxhóll, crossed the road and begun the ascent of the mountain's north-west face. This involved a flat walk across spongy moss, then a more vertically challenging section which ended at a ridge from where we could look down on a flat plain. Beyond another ridge was the glacier, but too far for two adventurers with wet feet and wary of approaching mist, although Matchgirl, it must be said, would have gone further with the slightest encouragement. She's a hardy soul.
Another direction had earlier taken her fancy, but one of only two other couples half a mile from us at any compass point were already there, much to her solitude-loving chagrin. The other couple had followed us for a short distance after we crossed the road, prompting Matchgirl in an outburst of muttering that would have impressed Muttley.
The good news was that our route back to Saxhóll would be no problem. From the ridge we could see it one-and-a-half miles away, one of only three pimples on what appeared to be a vast expanse of grassland, the RAV4 one of half-a-dozen vehicles in the car park next to it. The grassland, of course, was mainly moss and associated greenery growing on chunks of stone and lava of all shapes and sizes.
Back in the car we ate some of the food that Matchgirl had carried to the top of the ridge and back. I should have put my camera in her pack instead, but the Pentax had stayed behind in the car as I didn't fancy it swinging around my neck during the trek. This was a wise decision, although it meant that the only record of our exploits is on Matchgirl's phone.
Late afternoon back at Hotel Hellnar was a lazy one, although we ventured out again to sample the wares of the Fjöruhúsið cafe, a few minutes' walk away near the water's edge where it looks out at cliffs and wheeling fulmars. The cafe is tiny and features mis-matched crockery and gaudy teapots but its reputation was well deserved – fish soup, cake, tea and coffee was the perfect end to our day of outdoor action.
Only one day left. It will be good to see the night again but a shame to leave Iceland.
Add your comment
© Russell Turner 2008-2024