64:22.20 N, 021:33.90 W

 

View from the boat looking northeast

 

Looking at the boat from the northwest

 

We woke to a perfectly still morning and clear blue sky promising a good

day to explore ashore.We are anchored opposite a landing stage and small

hamlet under some large green cliffs rising up to scree slopes and vertical

cliffs. To the west and north the peninsula is wrapped around the anchorage

and we elected to go ashore here to investigate the steam coming from the

beach.

 

Rowing ashore to the grey/black sand beach the water was clear and crystal

but full of small clear jellyfish, banishing any thoughts of an early morning

swim.

 

The beach was not all that tranquil as we had no sooner landed

than we were dive bombed by the usual menace

of the skies - a tern. It was quite insistent that we were not to be there

so we headed back to the dinghy and armed ourselves with an oar topped by

a pair of bathing pants. Holding this 2 feet above our heads

deceived the tern into attacking it rather than us so we could get to the

vents (looking rather like an expedition of children with a makeshift

pirate flag).

 

James, aged 7¾

 

Too hot to touch!

 

We found a hot spring with the stream running down the beach.

A pool has been built and a pipe from the source

laid to feed it. However the pipe was turned off at the time (it seems to be

controlled from within a small shed) so we explored the peninsula instead,

surprising Oyster Catchers, Curlews and more Arctic Terns.

 

Returning to the dinghy we met the owner of the hot spring  who was just

turning it on. We think he was slightly bemused by the oar and pants but

when we said we were foreigners and had sailed here he seemed much

happier (doubtless because it explained us being so odd).

 

That afternoon we had visitors from a motor cruiser which had tied up to the

pontoon; Kristian and Ingeborg rowed out in their rubber dinghy to have a

chat. It turns out that this is a holiday and weekend destination for

people from Reykjavik and that more are due later hence the tub being

warmed up and we should expect drunken revelry ashore until the small hours.

 

The bay itself was used by the Royal Navy during world war 2 in

connection with the convoy movement of ships across the North Atlantic.

Apparently some servicemen left carvings in the stone at the top of a nearby

hill from that era - but we couldn't find it. We did find lots of broken

beer bottles, apparently also from the navy's occupation.

 

Although we were told that we'd be welcome to use the hot tub we decided to

leave it for the owner's family and had supper of flounder which we'd caught

that afternoon. We then used the left overs to bait the crab pot. A keen on-shore wind

with some spots of rain had sprung up by now, which we hope, rather meanly, will

limit how long the promised revellers will go on (we’ve not heard any so far).