Hvalfjörður

One of the best ways to see a lot of the Icelandic countryside without driving for hours and hours is a day trip around Hvalfjörður on Highway 47. There are many things to see that haven’t been done to death by tourist publications. Here are just a few memorable sights from the day we spent there, starting with this view over Lake Meðalfellsvatn:



Þórufoss:


Fossá:


Brynjudalur:


Þyrilsland:


In the off-season this can be a pretty empty stretch, with few facilities. The road around the fjörd takes less than two hours to traverse, but you can spend hours on the side-roads in the valleys. We did see a tour bus (coming from Þingvallavatn), but it returned the way it came; most of the time we were alone, except for the sheep and horses: