Iceland Road Trip: Day 6 - Hot Spring Valley.
Enjoying the natural hot springs at the Valley of Reykjadalur.
This was sadly our last, full day of exploring the South coast of Iceland.
We said goodbye to the dogs at Steig Guesthouse and drove back along the road we had come down on our first day of the trip. We tried our luck again at Seljalandsfoss as the back path was closed when we originally visited. We were stoked to see that because it was technically now "Summer" in Iceland, it was open and we could walk behind, feeling its full force. The path was still so slippery and the spray was freezing. We were absolutely saturated and nearly slipped over about a thousand times but it was totally worth it.
Our main destination today was the Valley of Reykjadalur which is full of hot springs that flow down the mountain. The hike is about an hour or so to the bathing area and it can get muddy (so don't wear nice shoes as we saw a few people who made that mistake...). It was such a fun way to spend our last day. The water was warm and its flow strong. It can get busy but there is enough space for everyone to enjoy.
As we descended, it started to snow so it was the perfect time to leave.
We had a quick lunch break at one of the many Grill 66 you will see along the roads. The burgers are actually quite decent if you wanted to mix it up from the hot dogs for a cheap feed.
There was another hot spring I had read about that was off the beaten track, along the Western fjords near Hvammsvik. When we arrived there was a sign up saying "no entry - private property" which was quite disappointing (but I totally get it if it is on private land). The views along the Western fjords however were stunning as we drove along the 47 road. We then cut through the 48 road which was mainly gravel but provided us with some beautiful scenery up in the snow capped mountains.
We arrived at Middalskot Cottages and it was the perfect way to finish our trip. Located on a farm, the wooden cottage was big enough for the four of us with great kitchen facilities. I would highly recommend it if you wanted to stay in the area for a few days.
We drank the rest of our Duty Free booze and played Cards Against Humanity, then passed out a little sad that tomorrow we had to leave Iceland.
We drove back to Reykjavik early and had our final meal at Grái Kötturinn (Grey Cat) which is a cosy cafe near the main street of the city.
Our Icelandic road trip was full of beautiful scenery and exciting places to explore every single day. I was so lucky to experience this with a group of my closest friends (my sister, boyfriend and best mate) so it is definitely a trip I will always remember.
This is the final post of a six part series for my road trip along the South coast of Iceland. The others can be found below:
Day One - Reykjavik and the Golden Circle
Day Two - Glacier Hiking and Hot Pools
Day Three - Planes, Canyons and Dwarfs
Day Five - Stokksnes and Black Sand Beaches
For ideas on how to plan for a road trip in Iceland, read this post.
You can fly from London to Reykjavik relatively cheap if you book far enough in advance. Look on Skyscanner or Kayak to compare prices.
A lot of the places we stayed at were booked through Booking.com as they seem to have the most availability when I went to look. Book in advance so you don't miss out as Iceland is super popular!
