Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.07.2017, Page 54

How to get there:
Drive Route One South

Vík í Mýrdal, the southernmost
town in Iceland, is a two-and-a-half
or three-and-a-half hours’ drive
from Reykjavík, depending on how
often you get out of the car, and so
for many people it’s the natural end
point of a day trip taking in the wa-
terfalls and glacial tongues of the
South Coast—or else a refueling/
recharging station before motoring
on to points east. With a population
of just over 300 people, it’s essen-
tially a regional service hub—the
Vínbúð is open six afternoons a
week—in a breathtaking location. A
majestic mountain pass, with graz-
ing sheep and wheeling birds on the
crags overhead, leads you down to a
tiny walkable settlement spread out
intimately on either side of the Ring
Road, hemmed in by high cliffs and
crashing waves, and overlooked by
an iconic church.
Stay: Vík Hostel
The conjoined IcelandAir Hotels
and Hotel Edda chains have massive
beach-facing complexes including
cabins and luxury rooms, but the
town’s affordable and Hosteling In-
ternational-affiliated guesthouse
also features impressive views, set
back as it is from the town and over-
looking the ocean.
Eat: Víkurskáli
Maybe you have a romantic idea of
what constitutes an “authentic”
meal in an Icelandic coastal village,
and maybe it doesn’t involve eating
a fish burger and fries at a gas sta-
tion. But maybe... get over yourself?
The grill in back of the N1 conve-
nience store does a Filet-O-Fish
style sandwich, with crunchy fresh
veg and fries begging for a heavy
dose of kartöflukrydd. It’s satisfy-
ing in a primal way, and the dining
room’s view of the town’s black sand
beach, and the towering sides of
Reynisfjall, is casually beautiful in
a way that will make you feel grati-
tude. If you’re in town for a couple
of days, the nearby Halldórskaffi is
a nice sit-down place, too.
See: Black Sand Beaches
Before the road into town is the
turnoff for Reynisfjara, an incred-
ibly Instagram-friendly spot backed
by sheer yet scalable white basalt
columns. The sea arch at the Dyrhó-
laey bird preserve is off to the east,
and right offshore are the Reynis-
drangar sea stacks (by legend, a
troll that was caught out in the sun
attempting to drag a ship back to
its cave). These loom in the distance
from the beach in town, beyond
an evocative waste of dune grass,
where frothy and bitterly cold waves
slam down on the volcanic sand.
Shop: IceWear/
Víkurprjón
At the massive-for-the-Icelandic-
countryside Vík Wool outlet, you
can kit yourself out in familiar Nor-
dic outerwear, and find traces of the
more ramshackle operation that
occupied this space up until a few
years ago. When you sift through
the hand-made lopapeysur, check
for the card identifying who knitted
the sweater, and where; and when
you go up to the balcony, have a look
down into the factory where the
scratchy magic happens.
Hike: Skógar
A half-hour away via the 51 bus that
runs twice daily across South Ice-
land (it stops at the N1) is the even
tinier village of Skógar, known for
the majestic 200-foot Skógafoss
waterfall. At the top of the falls,
a trail follows the Skóga river up-
stream towards its glacial source,
passing waterfall after waterfall.
This is the bottom leg of the famed
25 km Fimmvörðuháls hike leading
up to Þórsmörk in the Highlands,
but it’s also a perfect out-and-back
for day-trippers of all abilities.
There’s so much more to Iceland than the airport.
Look for your next adventures online. They’re hiding in plain sight.
airicelandconnect.com
Adventure awaits
Distance from
Reykjavík:
166 km
54 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12 — 2017
Vík Town Guide
Fish Burgers, Black Sands & Scratchy Magic
Skógar
Vík í Myrdal
Black Beach
Words: Mark Asch
Photos: Art Bicnick