A whirlwind drive through Snaefallesnes Peninsula

Snaefellesnes Peninsula We reached the peninsula at about 6PM, 3 hours after leaving the Creamery, and decided to do what felt like a very rushed drive around the peninsula, through an increasingly windy afternoon, on route 54. The drive to the peninsula was predominantly on a gravel road that took us through some incredible scenery.

Our first stop was the village of Stykkisholmur. While we didn't spend too much time here, I noticed that its a town that seems to really emphasize its athletics. We stopped for groceries at Bonus, and nearby was an athletics centre. On a bathroom break at the centre, I unfortunately left behind my very-well used, beloved 10-year old MEC daypack behind, because Aman and I had been having a friendly discussion (read: argument lol) about the value of buying fish / cod liver oil to take back with us - long story short, it was, as the price at Bonus (I'd noticed) was much cheaper than what it would cost in Canada, probably because it's locally made. Aman, of course, needed some convincing because of how expensive everything else was there - but not fish oil! Great value for money! I bought a bottle to take home with me (as a vegetarian who very rarely eats seafood, I like using fish oil to supplement Vitamin D, especially during the long Canadian winters). While I only realized the loss of the daypack that night, we certainly weren't in a shape to drive back to Stykkisholmur to try and find it - luckily, there was nothing in it, save for a few lipbalms and some moisturizer.

This Bonus location had a good selection of items on sale and markdowns. We asked the grocery clerk to recommend a popular Icelandic dessert, and ended up buying a cake known as Hjónabandssæla which directly translates to "Happy Marriage Cake". Interesting name, for sure! Aman also bought some heavy sour cream to eat it with - this was the gold standard in sour cream really, which we've now switched to buying here in Canada (the ingredients are minimal and its full fat with no preservatives or additives, and thus more expensive as a result).

There was a little mishap with the grocery clerk who, likely tired after a long shift, was a bit curt with us when we went back in to return an item - which remained unreturned lol. A theme I've noticed across Europe is that customer service doesn't seem to come with the same expectations it does in North America - service workers are not obliged to smile and be pleasant to customers regardless of circumstances or how they're feeling - which is surely a freer way of being, though the customer experience might suffer (I myself have never been a fan of being expected to always be 'on', which is why I don't work in customer service I guess)

We were able to explore a tiny little bit of Stykkhisholmur, namely the Súgandisey Island Lighthouse, which is perched on a rock island that forms a natural harbour over Breiðafjörður bay and ordinarily would have been a lovely walk from the parking lot, had it not been for the harsh winds blowing through the area. We mustered a few pictures before feeling that the wind was too difficult to keep going. The view along the path out on to the water was certainly beautiful, though, and in less billowy conditions, we would have stayed longer.

After a quick dinner at the grocery store parking lot, we kept going. Our next stop was the famed Kirjufell Mountain, of Game of Thrones fame. There are two views - one you can get along Route 54 from a different angle, and another you have to turn into with paid parking which has the more scenic view with Kirkjufoss (the waterfalls) in the foreground and Kirjufell in the background. We decided not to stop here, feeling it unecessary to pay for the famed view - ah well!

By this point, it was almost 7. We stopped at a few spots along the way for some scenic views. One of the highlights was on the approach to Hellisandur, a village on the northwest edge of the peninsula, with this view of the Ingjaldshólskirkja which is apparently the oldest concrete church in the world.

Hellisandur stood out for the colourful murals we saw on buildings as we drove through, and I later learned that it has become known as the 'street art' capital of Iceland.

We attempted climbing up the steps to the Saxholl Crater but it was so windy I feared getting blown over.

We stopped briefly to read about Axlar-Bjorn, a notorious serial killer in Iceland. Spine chilling stuff.

By this point, the wind was so strong that our van was struggling to go downhill! We decided not to make any more stops, though we did pass a family who was courageously braving the winds to walk around the Arnarstapi area.

Next time, if there is a next time, I think a stay specifically to spend more time in the Peninsula would not be such a bad idea - there is lots to see, and a whirlwind drive through just wasn't enough! The Arnarstapi hike alone could take a few hours if we wanted to do it properly.

For more on our Iceland trip: Read about how we spent the rest of Day 9 of our Iceland Ring Road Trip.