July 12 - Stykkisholmur, Iceland

Our first and only port of call in Iceland is Stykkisholmur.  We were here on our previous circumnavigation cruise of Iceland.  Our previous shore excursion here was to the top of a glacier.  Today’s tour was entitled Coves, Caves and Craters.

The drive took us along the drive we had taken previously to the glacier but of course we will have new sights to see.  

Our first stop was Dritvik Cove where we took a hike down through some very rough volcanic formations,

down to a beach...

with pieces of the Epine ship wreck strewn about,

and then up along the edge of the cliffs to Dritvik Cove.   Along the way there were lots of wildflowers.

At the cove was a small hut that was said to be a survival hut that is no longer in use.

The next stop was the Vatnshellir Lava Caves.  We were outfitted with helmets and flashlights and entered the cave down a spiral staircase.  The cave has no lighting but the guide had a really big flashlight so between our lights and his we could see well enough. 

Volcanic caves do not have stalactites and stalagmites like a limestone cave but they can have small columns formed by the volcanic activities.  

There were twin columns right next to each other.  One has been named Marj Simpson (top looks a bit like her hairdo).   However, the pictures just didn't turn out.  

The bottom cave was entered down another very long spiral staircase. 

There was a rather large chamber at one end. 

Back outside we were on our way to our next stop, Saxholl volcanic crater.  There was a relatively easy walk up the stairs to the top.  From the top we could see into the craters

 and to the surrounding area. 

There were a fair number of wildflowers on the slopes.

We were back in Stykkisholmur by late afternoon and settled in for a bit of a rest.  We had done a lot of walking today.