Amazing drive in light rain round Hvalfjörður (fjord) on my way to Ólafsvik from Þingvallavegur: it’s the old road the long way round the fjord, there’s a tunnel now for the main road between Reykjavik and the north-west. Sweeping curves and rolling hills, the sort of road they use for car commercials. Puffins, Terns and lots of other seabirds on the shoreline and in the cliffs. So much wonderful bird noise. I wasn’t sure whether to expect a Top Gear TV crew round the next corner or a BBC Wildlife presenter!
I arrived at Ólafsvik over the pass from the south of the Snæfellsjökull peninsular. The major industry in the area before tourism has been fishing. There’s a still a canning and freezing business in the town and a few ships in the port, the Gudmundur Jensson and Ólafur Bjarnason of Ólafsvik and the Magnús of Hellissandur.
Some roads here in Iceland are are fantastic but I’ve been glad of the hire car rather than a motorbike, though there are bikes on the roads - I’ve chatted with a German couple and an Italian, each on big BMW motorcycles.