Iceland: Reykir

We pass through Sauðárkrókur, do some resupply (pro tip: restaurants are expensive in Iceland! Shop in grocery stores!) and stop in Reykir for the night. Reykir is the jumping off point to Drangey, a special little island with a unique past and a unique present. Drangey's awesomeness, however, shouldn't take anything away from Reykir's own flavor of rad. Just to set the stage:


Much green; Reykir and Skagafjörður (click for bigger)

About all that's out there is the ubiquitous guest house/cafe/campground that serves as the one-stop shop in countless little locales across Iceland, and the huge bonus is the pair of hot springs that's mere steps away from the ocean. They. Are. Epic.


Grettislaug


Jarlslaug

Reykir isn't on the open ocean, but rather alongside a big fjord (Skagafjörður) that sure as heck feels like open ocean. The setting is nearly beyond description, and the young family who runs it is super friendly, too. They operate the tours out to Drangey as well as fishing trips etc.


"Summer" oh god where's the hot spring

Minus the soggy grass (because Iceland), the campground is perfect. There's a bathroom building and a mess hall, both alongside the fjord, and as the afternoon presses on, the campground slowly attracts more and more visitors. There's a weeklong horseback tour pulling in, and then, in what I'd call impressive, we watch a crew of not-super-fit people clamber down the side of the mountain; they've traversed all the way from Sauðárkrókur without the benefit of a trail and through some pretty awful weather.


Perfect spot for a drink if you don't mind a wet butt


Mess hall, overgrown


The Old Hag looms

As the eternal evening wears on, the weather eventually improves a little bit, so we commemorate it by going for a walk around their little mini-peninsula. Drangey is prominent on the horizon, but the shoreline of the fjord is plenty interesting on its own.


Farm shed


Rain, always rain (or drizzle)

Eventually, between rounds of hot spring, snacking, wine, and wandering, we decide that we've had enough for the evening and retire into the Not Even Remotely Dark confines of our tent, where sleep comes easily.


Hardy little flowers

Even if we weren't going to be visiting Drangey the next day, this excursion would have been perfect as-is. Idyllic setting, super friendly people, and stunning oceanside hot springs ought to be enough to keep one happy!

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