Full set of Lake Myvatn photos are here
The drive to Lake Myvatn exceeded our expectations. We set off before dawn, which is easier to do when the sun rises at 9:30. After about an hour of driving we saw a magnificent dawn rise over the mountains and the scenery did not let us down for the rest of the day, unless you include a small period driving across a mountain when we were in a thick fog. This was a bit like an London pea-souper, but as those acrid fogs were in part caused by the industrial revolution it would be insensible to tar Icelandic fogs with the same brush. They are more of a fish-soup fog, pure white and thick.
We drove through green high-sided valleys sprouting waterfalls which housed cute little farms and churches, small towns perched on the edge of fjords in between towering mountains. We were driving on the ring road, the number one highway, which goes around the country. Most of the road is single lane each way without much traffic to speak of. Iceland has about 300,000 people, nearly two thirds of which are in the capital. The next biggest city is Akureyri with 17,000, located in the prettiest spot you could imagine. We blew right through on our tight schedule, trying to get to our accommodation on Lake Myvatn before the limited light ran out.
We did not succeed in this and got to the lake when it was pitch black. Luckily there are not too many roads around here so it’s pretty difficult to get lost. We were the only guests in a set of around 20 cabins, very well constructed in pine so that they smelled a little like a sauna, with slate floors and underfloor heating. The reception and breakfast spot was a cafe built next to a dairy. In fact they had a glass wall separating the diners from the cows so that you could get up close and personal with them as they were being fed and milked, all from the safety of your table. I’m not sure having a closeup view of a cow’s bum is the most appetising sight but it gave some interest to a dark winter’s night.
On check-in we asked about local hot pots, sad addicts that we had become. To our horror the owner said that the natural hot springs were closed for maintenance and the local pool had shut for the night and would not be open the next day because it was Sunday. She did mention a natural pool in a cave which was about 44 degrees but advised us that it was our own responsibility if we used it. To give you an idea of the geological rawness of the region, when we tracked down the hot water cave in the fading light of the next day we found that it was literally a huge crack in the earth which had filled up with steaming water. There were warning signs about rock falls and to not use an open flame to investigate the caves. We shone a head lamp in but sitting in a pool amongst the fallen rocks waiting for the next one to land did not strike us as a relaxing end to the day.
If the drive up had been spectacular the day around Myvatn Lake was unearthly. We started with a short walk through a beech forest in close mist as a weak sun tried to penetrate the fog. It was serene and beautiful. The trees were planted artificially. I’m not sure Iceland even has trees naturally. The only trees we saw seemed to be plantations. The walk took us to the edge of the lake where tiny fish swarmed through the crystal blue icy water. Small volcanic formations dot the water.
Next we walked up a volcano. Unusually for us this was not an active volcano but still had an impressive crater. We didn’t see the point in walking all the way around it and given the limited light in our day we decided to head to the other side of the lake to climb the impressively steep mountain while the sun hung in the sky just long enough to give us some light. The climb up starts on a farmers dirt track where the puddles had iced over. Ice was creeping over the lake verge and extended further the more the temperature dropped and the less sunlight it was exposed to each day. We zig-zagged straight up this huge hill, through the black volcanic rock as the slowly setting sun beamed its last golden rays over the frozen landscape. At the top the wind was strong and the shadow from the top of the mountain stretched over the countryside. From the top we could see pseudocraters below us.
It was really too cold and windy to stay up there until sunset even though that was maybe half an hour away. In the end it was a good decision to head down as the sunset was not spectacular and we managed to explore the rent in the earth otherwise known as the most dangerous natural hot spring in town. After we had decided not to risk a cave-in for our by now very necessary nightly hot pot action we travelled the short distance to the natural hot springs which were half-closed. They had a water issue. For some reason the level of the water had dropped by half. While they were investigating this they threw the doors to the steam room open for free. We dragged ourselves through the half empty outdoor natural pool with black sand at the bottom and a big volcanic rock in the middle. There wasn’t enough water to even sit up but it sated our fix for the moment. I went to check out the pool next door which had steam rising from it and some water pipes filling it up. The smooth rocks by the side of the hot pool were slick with water and I went ass over tit as I gingerly inched my way towards the water. I slid right into some hotter than expected water but thankfully it wasn’t at boiling point. Night had fallen and the temperature along with it. Sarah and I dashed back to the steam room trying to limit our time in the biting wind. Once we had heated up to the core it was time for dinner and bed.
Lake Myvatn was our best chance to see the Northern Lights as it is less cloudy in the north of the country. Luck was not on our side. We had a couple of clear nights but no solar activity that we could see.
Recent Comments