Day 5
Friday 5th July – 53Km
I wake up late and with a headache. It’s a cold grey
morning and the tent is damp with condensation. That’s what you get for
putting a campsite next to a river.
I don’t start until 10:00 and by 11:10 I’ve only done
8Km. There is a strong wind in my face and it stays there all day.
It starts to drizzle so I put my yellow Gore-Tex jacket on for half an
hour until it stops and I can take it off, when of course it promptly starts
again..
Out to sea I can see the Westmann Isles through the mist
but to my left there is just the occasional glimpse of mountain. The glacier
Eyjafjallajokull is hidden in cloud.
The rain gets heavier so my overtrousers and a waterproof
balaclava go on as well. It’s not torrential rain, or wind driven rain but
it’s still cold and wet!
Traffic is much heavier today; the road is busy with
campervans and trailer tents, people getting away early for the holiday weekend.
Most of the vehicles give me a wide berth as they pass, lots of people wave at
me, looking snug (smug?) and dry.
My chain is squeaking and I’m feeling tired, I give up
the idea of reaching Skogar today and turn inland, riding on a dirt road up a
valley to the campsite at Seljavellir.
This is a quiet family campsite with an outdoor pool and
hot tub in which I swim and soak in the light drizzle. The clouds lift for a while allowing me to see some of the
surrounding hills but the glacier is still invisible.