Reykjavík Grapevine - nóv. 2020, Blaðsíða 31

It turns out you don’t need to travel
as far as Reynisfjara to kick off your
shoes and luxuriate on a black sand
beach. The Reykjanes Peninsula has its
very own: Sandvík, located just 49 ki-
lometres southwest of Reykjavík. And
whilst we—the British interns of the
Grapevine—might not like interper-
sonal closeness in the COVID-era, we
certainly do appreciate nearby places.
You’re in for a bumpy ride
Sadly, for most of our time spent in
Iceland’s third wave that appreciation
of the nearby has only applied to the
neighbourhood Bónus or the local cof-
fee shops that still let you in. COVID
restrictions have meant less domestic
travel of late, so it was good to get out
of the city and finally do some of that
sightseeing everyone keeps going on
about. We may have been cold, but we
were certainly not disappointed.
Off the beaten track, the road that
leads to this black beach is more than a
little bumpy and it’s pretty hard to spot
if you’re not looking for it specifically.
In fact, it’s pretty hard to spot even if
you are looking for it. Our designated
driver, loyal travel companion and per-
sonal photographer, Art Bicnick, deliv-
ered our first near-death experience of
the day by swerving his Mini between
rocks as if he were navigating Mario
Kart’s Koopa Troopa Beach.
How romantic!
We arrived at Sandvík beach just as
the sun was rising, casting a golden
glow across the ocean. The beach was
absolutely freezing, but we could at
least appreciate the sunrise without
having to get out of bed any earlier
than usual—one perk of the Icelandic
winter, perhaps.
We strolled along the black sand
beside the waves, delighted to see that
ours were the only footprints on the
entire beach, naturally inspiring semi-
ironic photographs of said footprints
and the sunrise in the background.
“How romantic!” we thought, as the
soundtrack to Pride and Prejudice
played softly in our heads.
Outlined by grassy dunes and boast-
ing some of the most impressive waves
we’d witnessed during our time in
Iceland, Sandvík is a favourite place
for avid surfers and bikers, who take
advantage of the seclusion to practise
their sports. Our lonely footprints
were therefore quickly destroyed by
the addition of several dirt bikers, who
spoiled the peace, but added some free
entertainment.
Re-enacting battle scenes
For the film buffs out there, Sandvík
has the added excitement of standing
in for the beaches of Japan in the two
Clint Eastwood movies ‘Flags of Our
Fathers’ and ‘Letters From Iwo Jima’.
Walking the dramatic and surreal
landscape, it’s easy to see why so many
filmmakers are drawn to Iceland. The
black sands, bright green grassy dunes
and sparkling waves really do create
a scene like no other—both beautiful
and, dare we say it, a little apocalyptic?
No doubt many hours could be spent
exploring the one kilometre stretch
of beach, re-enacting battle scenes
and bravely dipping your toes into the
chilly waters.
Reykjanes has far more to offer,
however, particularly when your fin-
gers are numb and you’ve left your su-
permarket chicken wrap in the car. In
fact, just a short drive away from Sand-
vík is the bridge between continents,
a footbridge spanning the fissure be-
tween the Eurasian and North Ameri-
can tectonic plates. At this point, we’d
moved from Koopa Troopa Beach to DK
Jungle Parkway vibes, but without the
palm trees.
Iceland is the only place in the world
where the Mid Atlantic Ridge is visible
above sea level, and the gap between
the two plates is growing at a rate of
about 2.5 centimetres per year. This
spot is particularly good for stand-
ing one bridge-walk away from your
friend and shouting humorous witti-
cisms like: “How’s America?”, “How’s
Europe?”, and “Oh my God, how are my
shoes so full of sand!?” We also tried
running down the sandy slope into the
rift itself, which is all fun and games
until you want to get out again.
Devastating steam
Speaking of not being able to climb out
of holes, you can also drive over to Gun-
nuhver, Iceland’s largest hot spring, a
pool of seawater boiling at tempera-
tures of over 300°C. Legend has it that
the ghost of the witch Gunna is trapped
in this spring—others believe that she
hangs onto its edge. Gunna was an un-
popular old woman, whose murderous
ghost wreaked havoc throughout the
peninsula until the locals cunningly
tricked her with a ball of wool. It hap-
pens to the best of us.
Whatever the truth behind the
geothermal attraction, we welcomed
the warmth the spring provided and,
careful not to lose our footing on the
damp walkways, enjoyed frolicking in
the thick plumes of steam that wafted
from the water. Be warned though,
wearers of glasses or heavy make up
will walk away half blinded and look-
ing like they just broke up with their
significant other, watched ‘The Note-
book’ and then realised they’d run out
of Ben and Jerry’s. We’d like to suggest
that time spent in Iceland’s diverse
landscapes, exploring with mates is a
much healthier way of getting over an
ex.
If you need to get out of the city but
aren’t feeling intrepid enough to brace
yourself against the frigid weather in
order to explore, there’s a lot to be said
for enjoying the views from the com-
fort and warmth of your car. A late af-
ternoon drive back to Reykjavík pro-
vided stunning panoramas, the roads
lined by snow capped mountains and
the sky lit by the winter sunset—end-
ing the day as it started, with Iceland
showing off its true colours and awe-
some nature.
Travel distance
from Reykjavík:
Sandvík lies
49 kilometres
Southwest of
Reykjavík, on
Highway 44
Black Sand Wasteland
Findin! Iceland on your doorstep in Reykjanes
Words: Jess Distill and Iona Rangeley-Wilson Photos: Art Bicnick
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31The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 09— 2020
It's getting steamy in here