The next video is out, and you can view it here. In this segment, we go to Saxhóll Crater, Djúpalónssandur Beach, and Malarrif Lighthouse.
Unfortunately for us, the visibility on this day was pretty low. One of the reasons we wanted to visit Saxhóll Crater was for the view at the top which supposedly includes the ocean and the Snæfellsjökull glacier. We drove out to the crater to discover, unlike the other two we had visited, this one required us to go up a long spiral of stairs. With the chilly, wet day, my body wasn’t really interested in doing stairs. The chronic pain coupled with the low visibility sealed our decision. Note that this location is described as accessible for everyone. I learned that in Iceland, accessible is a fluid definition.
The next leg of our journey is to Djúpalónssandur Beach. This black sand beach was once home to a fishing village. It is also the site of the wreck of the British trawler, Epine GY7, on a blizzardy day in March 1948. While five fishermen were rescued, the rest lost their lives. Some washed up on shore, but some were lost at sea. This tragedy lends an air of sadness to this part of Iceland. The pieces of the wreckage remain on the beach to this day.
On the day we were there, it was blustery, wet, and cold, as well. We opted not to fight the wind down to the beach, and we were still rewarded with wonderful views. This area has many trails and information signs, too.
The final destination of this video is Malarrif Lighthouse. Again, the weather was pretty terrible on our visit, so we didn’t walk out to the lighthouse itself. However, we did immensely enjoy the visitor’s center there. With exhibits, a great gift shop, seaweed tasting, and more, it was a wonderful place to stop and warm up. The exhibits taught us so much about the fishing life in Iceland, the mythology of Iceland, and the animals on the peninsula.
In the next video, we will visit more beaches, see a man surfing the waters of Iceland, and we stop at the Black Church. Happy adventuring!