Reykjavík Grapevine - Aug 2019, Page 28

The Reykjavík G
rapevine
Best of Iceland 2019
28
Under The
Weather
High gales and wild waves on the
Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Words: John Rogers Photos: John Rogers & a. rawlings
A sudden blinding flash lights up
the room. I wake from a sleepy rev-
erie, leaping up from the bed to
the attic room’s window to deter-
mine its cause. Was it some kind of
electrical fault outside, or just a car
arriving? Or, could it be…
My eyes scan the murky sky
as heavy rain drums on the glass,
distorting the dark horizon into
a watery scribble. A minute later
there’s another bright flash. This
time, there’s no mistaking it. It’s
that rarest of phenomena in Ice-
land—a bolt of lightning, forking
down silently from the clouds and
licking the ground somewhere
south of Hótel Búðir.
It shouldn’t come as such a sur-
prise. The two hour drive from
Reykjavík was beset by violent
weather from the off. High gales
buffeted the car as we passed
Kjalarnes, and grabbed at the car
doors when we pulled over for a
break in Borgarnes. Through-
out the journey, bands of inky,
fast-moving clouds sent freezing
rain and volleys of hailstones down
at regular intervals. Rounding the
tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula,
the raging wind was deafening
when we pulled over to look at a
frozen waterfall. At the wide beach
of Skarðsvík, the tide tore up the
beach into the boulder-strewn
clefts of the shoreline at a fright-
ening speed; at Lóndrangar, the
waves crashed in so hard they
splashed higher than the rooftop
of the closed-up visitors centre.
After a few more blasts of sheet
lightning illuminate the churning
sky, I pull down the blind, turn up
the radiator, and feel grateful to
have reached the warm and com-
fortable confines of the hotel.
Ever-changing
cloudscape
There are few better places to hide
from such weather than Hótel
Búðir. A luxurious getaway spot
located in a small nature reserve,
this proud building is surrounded
by a spectacular 360° vista of raw
Icelandic nature. The house stands
on an undulated stretch of coast-
line where huge shards of ice mass
on the white sand beach, backed by
the rugged Búðahraun lava field.
On a clear day, the towering peak
of the Snæfellsjökull glacier dom-
inates the area, standing 1,446m
tall against the ever-changing
cloudscape of the westward hori-
zon.
The hotel is a welcoming beacon
in this engaging wilderness. The
lobby has an open fire, the bar has
floor to ceiling sea-view windows,
and the furniture and decor has a
classy, old-world feel. The rooms
are nicely appointed and quiet, the
upscale restaurant serves hearty
portions of fresh fish and local pro-
duce, and the generous breakfast
buffet has everything you could
want to start the day.
Salt spray fog
After filling up on coffee, scram-
bled eggs and fruit, we head out
into the grey morning to further
explore the peninsula. Snæfells-
jökull looks over the nearby hamlet
of Hellnar, which is all-but aban-
Distance from
Reykjavík:
75 km
How to get there:
Route One North, turn onto Route
54 at Borgarnes
Car provided by: gocarrental.is
Accommodation
provided by: budir.is West
“The sea was so high it was
splashing the windows of our
apartments in Hellissandur,
and it pulled down the dunes in
Krossavík. The shape of the bay
changed.”
WELCOME TO
ANOTHER WORLD
– a remote luxury
hotelbudirhotelbudirhotelbudir.is budir@budir.is +354 435 6700
One of the most beautiful places in
Iceland, just two hours drive from
Reykjavik. A charming atmosphere, and a
restaurant known for its exquisite cuisine.
Check out our selection of gift cards on
hotelbudir.is/gjafabref2018
A great idea and well rembered for any
occasion.