Day 20: Stykkishólmur – Grundarfjörður

The wind died down a bit during the night – or perhaps we just got used to the flapping and slapping of the tent walls – so the night was better than we’d feared.

Still, it’s blowing hard, so – like many others – we head to the clubhouse of the golf club (which also runs the campsite) to make breakfast.

It’s not a long drive to Grundarfjörður. We take our time winding through the impressive landscape: mountains, clouds, lava fields, bays – stunning views.

And no, we didn’t try the fermented shark meat in Bjarnahöfn!

The campsite in Grundarfjörður is municipal, so our Camping Card is valid there. The facilities are correspondingly basic, with just two or three toilets and a single sink for washing dishes. You can shower at the local swimming pool – though we end up swimming a few laps and making use of the hot tub and sauna, too. It’s truly great to sit in a hot tub gazing at the grey mountains while seagulls soar overhead.

By the way: Every now and then, you might inadvertently get too close to one of the ground nests belonging to those small, fork-tailed gulls. They’ll actually attack you, so you have to watch out!

One more thing: For the first time, we encounter something of a two-tier system here. The campsite has a sheltered, somewhat secluded area that is cordoned off and reserved for Icelanders – designated for "long-term parkers." It’s a bit odd. Yet, it’s also understandable when you see the nightly armada of tourists at the campsites – and the sometimes poor behavior of some people.

Since we had fish for lunch, we opt for a cold supper of cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, and – yes – baguette!

And we have a view of Kirkjufell, a mountain that owes its fame partly to "Game of Thrones". Which means Grundarfjörður owes a lot of visitors to "Game of Thrones", too :-)