Day 43: Möðrudalur – Mjóanes

The wind is annoying! And how! The tent flaps, the car shakes. sleeping in the front? Shortly after moving in, the switch is flipped and it becomes – at least for a while – windless. So back to bed it is; it's much more comfortable.

We have breakfast in the car's lee. It's just about bearable. If it weren't for the fierce wind, it would almost be early summer warm…

We head back out onto the sand and lava tracks and drive south again on a parallel road.

Hafrahvammagljúfur is probably the largest natural canyon in Europe. One of Vatnajökull's glacial rivers flows here, but is dammed by a large dam at Karahnjukar. Only a trickle flows through the gorge. Nevertheless: magnificent!

In the distance, we catch a glimpse of the snow-covered Snæfell (1,833 m) and, further afield, the eastern glaciers of Vatnajökull National Park. Unfortunately, we won't get a better view. The sandstorms from the lava highlands shroud everything in mist.

And where will we sleep tonight? The wind is so strong that the car doors are almost impossible to open or close.

So: down into the valley. Hoping for less wind down there. The first two campsites at Lagarfljót are packed with Icelanders. Their campervans and caravans are crammed in like sardines. It's said that Icelanders like to chase the sun on weekends. That seems to be true.

At the third campsite, Mjóanes (not directly on the lake), there are still plenty of free spots, and we find a hopefully sheltered hollow.

By the way: A phenomenon of Icelandic weather seems to be that the wind decides to change direction completely in the middle of the night. Very crazy.