Day 8 - Vik to Egilsstadir

 It was windy and wet overnight, but I slept like a log after my burger and chips.  We woke to blue almost cloudless sky, sunshine and little wind to speak of.  Hurray!

Today we are heading to the north east of Iceland in search of puffins, with the plan to stop at Diamond Beach and then Vestrahorn for photos.  We've both been to both places more than once, and average conditions have left us wanting for more. 

Diamond Beach is so named became there are chunks of ice breaking off the Jokulsarlon glacier and washing down the river to the beach. Today it was super bright and sunny, with a few bus loads of tourists snapping pics and posing on chair shaped chunks of ice. 

Diamond Beach

We spent maybe an hour here trying and failing to get good shots in the harsh light. It was lovely and warm and I enjoyed not having to lug 20kgs on my back.

I shall sit on an iceberg and take a selfie

We continued on our way to Hofn to fill up with diesel and hit the local Netto supermarket for the best donuts in Iceland. We grabbed a ready made wrap for lunch and headed the 20 minutes to Vestrahorn. They have almost finished building an extension to the Viking Cafe there, with a few additional cabins. We paid to go down the causeway to the viewing spot, and ate wraps and donuts in the van, admiring the view.  The light was meh, and not great for photos, but it's still a stunning spot.

Vestrahorn

Back in the van, and heading north to Egilsstadir.

We took a shortcut across the end of the peninsular on a gravel road, rather than driving the long way around the fjord. It lead us through a huge valley of stepped rock, and dozens of waterfalls.

We've stayed in this campground before, and decided on a repeat as it has a nice shared space for cooking, and actually has lounge chairs. Luxury!

We cooked dinner we'd bought in Hofn, fresh made pasta and sauce with mushrooms.  I spent some time catching up on the blog as we were without comms while on the trail.  

Before we knew it, it was about 9pm. So light you lose track of the day.  The van is an absolute tip, with shit EVERYWHERE, some of it still sopping wet from the hike.  We spent about an hour sorting stuff, looking for the charging cable for B's watch (unsuccessful- likely dropped in the grass during The Big Pack at Hella) and eventually called it quits at about 10pm. 

The plan for tomorrow is to drive an hour further north to a place called Borgarfjordur estryi which apparently has 10,000 puffins.  Still trying for that illusive shot of a puffin in flight, beak full of fish.