Day 2 - Dyrholaey and puffins

I made it through my first night in the tent, but woke frequently due to jet lag and an upside down time zone.  It was all pretty comfortable, the worst thing being the rustling of plastic on plastic, the downside of waterproof sleep mats and tent floors.  The weather was good, about 10 degrees, no wind to speak of and just some low cloud.  I was toasty warm.  

I woke with a decent headache, likely due to coffee withdrawal and lack of sleep, it eventually cleared after breakfast and a round of Nurofen. 

We had a leisurely start to the day and took advantage of "free" showers, sometimes you have to pay separately to shower in addition to the camp fee. It cost $85 to stay overnight.  Outrageous really for what you get, and the place was very grubby and could use a thorough clean.  Overflowing waste bins, dirty floors, grimy sinks. Ick.

We headed off about 9am once we'd had another reshuffle of junk in the van, and decided to head south to Vik, which we had been to a couple of times before, and has a number of attractions nearby. Today we went to Dyrholaey to shoot puffins, it's a known nesting spot for these weird looking birds.  They were remarkably close and tolerant of people snapping pictures.

Puffins almost in touching distance

They nest in the cliffs, head out to sea to catch fish and bring it back for the babies in burrows.  The goal was a puffin in flight with fish in it's beak. Mission not accomplished, they are fast and unpredictable!

Puffins nesting on the cliff



It takes all sorts to get the shot

In the distance you can see the pillars just off Reynisfjara beach, which is known for foolish tourists being caught by sneaker waves.  

By about 3pm it started to rain, so we headed into Vik township to buy something to cook for dinner, and set up camp for the night.  Only $65 a night here and the place is sparkling clean.

Iceland doesn't seem as busy as it was back in October 2023.  Less people about, the camp grounds are not as full. It's mid-summer and peak season, so we're surprised, and speculating on the reason for it.   Has the volcano eruption put people off?  Is it the cost? I'd have to check back on how much we paid for things last time, but it seems way more expensive.

We've booked the bus to the start of the hiking trail for 8:45 Wednesday morning.  $140 each for a less than 3 hour trip!  So tomorrow we will potter around Vik, and then head back up to Hella where the bus leaves from.

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