Iceland: South Coast Part 4 - Skaftafell and Dyrholaey

A trail from the back of Hotel Skaftafell winds up the hill towards Svínafellsjökull and it was on this trail that I found myself before 6:00 the next morning. The hills are part of the terminal moraine of the Svínafellsjökull. As glaciers carve down through the mountains, they also bulldoze material out in front of them, pushing up big mounds of mixed material. When the glaciers retreat, these mounds remain. Long Island, New York is an example of a terminal moraine from the last ice age. But unlike Long Island, these Icelandic hills were covered in beautiful lupine flowers and resin birch. The lupine is not native to Iceland but thrives in the climate. Redwings, snipes, and meadow pipits flitted from tree to tree around me in the foggy morning. Little lakes nestled between the hills hosted Eurasian oystercatchers. 

Redwing

Meadow Pipit

Eurasian Oystercatchers

Svínafellsjökull

The trail reached a wide, flat area with an information sign about the retreat of the glaciers. Svínafellsjökull has pulled back more than half a mile since measurements began in 1890, while Skaftafellsjökull has retreated more than a mile. A small rise with a little path in front of me would surely provide a good view of the glacier. I was not disappointed.

I followed the trail down to the edge of the glacier and the terminal lake. Here the glacier was murky and dirty. The silence was only broken by the low sound of the glacier shifting and water dripping into the lake from the edge of the ice.

After breakfast, I brought the rest of the family to see. Some sheep were kind enough to pose amongst the lupine for us. There are more sheep than people in the country so it was nice to spend some time with the locals. The fog lifted and we got back on the road headed towards Reykjavík. I was determined to see some puffins at Dyrholaey though, as my efforts at Reynisfjara two days prior had not worked out.

Some very accommodating sheep

We stopped in Vik to see the beautiful church overlooking the ocean. Dyrholaey was just a few minutes on the other side. It’s a large prominence and the most southerly point of the mainland of the country. Bonus: it’s got a sea arch and puffins love the cliffs. Downside: Puffins like the cliffs and you’re at the top of them. I was disappointed to not be able to see puffins up close. It’s a big reason for me to return.

The church in Vik.

Puffin landing

Dyrholaey Arch

White Wagtail

Puffin

We arrived back in Reykjavík with a lot of traffic, clear signs that we had lucked out with the holiday earlier in the week. For dinner we walked back downtown to a restaurant called Messin where we had some of the best food of the trip. Salmon and plokkfiskur (a mashed cod) were the main dishes served with some seriously good rye bread. I could not have asked for a better end to the day.