Snaefellsnes 2: Djúpalónssandur, Dritvík and Wrecks

Djúpalónssandur is named after two nearby lagoons  (Djúpalóns = 'Deep Lagoons)

Djúpalónssandur

ICV lunch break overlooking Djúpalónssandur

Djúpalónssandur

These lumps of metal, which bestrew part of the beach, are the remains of the Grimsby trawler, Epine, which ran aground here in 1948. 

An article in the Grimsby Telegraph from 2013 tells the story:

"Look after the boys!”, yelled the skipper.

Shortly afterwards he was swept to his death as rocks tore through the engine and boiler rooms of the trawler.

One man managed to swim ashore and four others were rescued after clinging to the rigging of the stricken vessel.

THE memory of the Grimsby trawler Epine lives on at Grimsby's Central Hall in Duncombe Street.

Pic: Grimsby Telegraph

There a memorial window is a moving reminder that 14 men perished aboard the vessel when she ran aground off the west coast of Iceland shortly before midnight on March 13, 1948.

Just five men survived. Survivors told how skipper Alfred Loftis clung to the sea-battered bridge and yelled: "I do not mind what happens to me so long as the boys are all right. Look after the boys."

It took rescuers two hours before they managed to get lines to the Epine and a breeches buoy rigged up.

As the battle to reach the blizzard-battered trawler continued many of the crew were dying of exposure to the biting cold.

Those who perished were: skipper Loftis; second engineer W Tulloch, third hand W Birch; deckhands W Syer, G Robertson, R Chapman, F Moorwood, AE Maul; trimmers L Richardson, DS Chapman; firemen HG Broomfield and H Dracup; cook, HA Marsh and wireless operator CH Burnett.

Although the cause of the stranding was given as an error of navigation it did not remove the respect felt among the fishing community for skipper Loftis.

Chief engineer TA Smith who was one of those who clung to the rigging and survived told the Grimsby Telegraph when he came home: "Skipper Loftis was a great man. He was one of the finest skippers anybody could sail with." (Grimsby Telegraph, 2013)

If you have the patience to wait while dozens of ads you will ignore are uploaded you can read more at:

 http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Look-boys-yelled-skipper/story-20029627-detail/story.html#ixzz3zxJdTABt 

And an official record is here:

http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCLibraries/WreckReports/14174.asp

This is a treacherous coast, edged with jagged volcanic rock and at times battered by extreme weather. The consequences of this for fishermen can be seen from the tourist map, obtainable from the visitor centre at Malarrif. Even along this small stretch of coast by Djúpalónssandur it shows there have been 7 shipwrecks between 1857 and 1987.

Dritvík

Dritvík is a very beautiful bay a kilometre or so from Djúpalónssandur. A tranquil place now, it was the scene of teeming activity for three centuries or more. Fishermen would gather here during the early part of Spring to intercept the arrival of abundant shoals of fish. 

They stayed here for many weeks, sleeping in makeshift stone shelters. Catches were brought ashore to be processed and shared out. There was something of a party atmosphere with singing and drinking at night and catching up with old friends. Which, to my mind, says a lot for the resilience of human nature: it must have been a fiendishly uncomfortable place at that time of the year, stuck out on the edge of the Atlantic, battered by gales, lashed by storms and with no proper, really dry, shelter. 

Dritvík

Dritvík, looking inland towards Snaefellsjökull. There is both fresh water and tidal salt water in this lagoon. The fresh water, being less dense, sits on top of the salt, so long as it's not disturbed. The fisherman could, with care, skim off water for drinking.

Rescue Shelter, and remains. The remnants of structures used by the fishermen can still be found around the bay.

ICV volunteers installing metal protection into the path down to the bay to prevent erosion

ICV - Iceland Conservation Volunteers - is the volunteer arm of the Icelandic Environment Agency. For more information visit:

http://www.ust.is/the-environment-agency-of-iceland/volunteers/

Snaefellsnes 1

The Snaefellsnes peninsula reaches out into the Atlantic from the west coast of Iceland. The 1,446m high volcano Snaefellsjökull and its outpourings form the rounded end-piece of the peninsula, edged with a spectacularly beautiful coastline. Much of it falls within the Snaefellsjökull National Park. 

Snaefellsjökull in evening sunshine.

In fact the name of the mountain/volcano is actually Snaefell - 'Snowy Mountain'. The name Snaefellsjökull refers to the glacier that sits on top of it - 'Snowy Mountain Glacier'. There are at least two other Snaefells in Iceland (and Manx readers will know of another one outside Iceland) so the whole thing gets called Snaefellsjökull to distinguish it from them. 






In these photos you can see solidified lava flows. The volcano is still active and last erupted around 1900 years ago.


The glacier is retreating, and in August 2012, a year or so after these photos were taken,  the summit was ice-free for the first time in recorded history. 








However last year, 2015, summer came late, the mountain stayed covered in snow, and looked a lot better for it.

Snaefellsjökull, midsummer night 2015

Snaefellsjökull is also famous for being the entrance you must go through if you wish to visit the centre of the Earth. At least according to Jules Verne in his novel A Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Snaefellsjökull from the coastal lava field

Edge of the glacier

You can get onto the glacier if you know what you are doing and avoid the crevasses, but it might be better to go on one of the guided walks now on offer. For the less energetic there are snowmobile trips. For more on these see

http://www.snaefellsjokull.com/activities

No problem getting water

There's more to Snaefellsjökull than the glacier on top though. The next four pictures were taken on midsummer night in 2015 during a guided walk to a very pleasant subsidiary peak. 

Looking westward out to sea. One of the many small craters in the area can be seen to the left of the figure.

 

Driving down from the glacier, midsummer night 2015

Hellnar and Arnastapi

Being a peninsular, Snaefellsnes has northern, western and southern coastlines and, on the rounded tip, some which face eastwards towards the mainland. The communities of Hellnar and Arnastapi do this, in the south. As I write, there is a National Park visitor centre at Hellnar but I believe (2015) there are plans to relocate it quite soon.

The old harbour at Hellnar

ICV Volunteers building steps up from the harbour at Hellnar cove. That's a very nice little coffee shop at the top.

Coastal Scene, Arnastapi

Coastal Scene, Arnastapi

Some flowers, a nice house and Snaefellsjökull

This guy, at Arnastapi, is Bàrðr, saga hero. 

Bàrðr's father was part troll and part giant. His mother was human. He came to Snaefellsnes a thousand or so years ago and settled down, fathering nine daughters with two wives. 

As you might imagine, with his background, he had formidable powers. He could move at high speed across the unforgiving lava fields and could survive on the glacier. After a series of great trials starting when his daughter was set adrift on an ice floe, he abandoned his farm and hid away in the glacier. He was said to come down and help people in need, and became known as Bàrður Snaefellsàss, meaning 'Guardian spirit of Snaefell'.

The Municipality, with ICV volunteers, have provided wheelchair friendly access to his statue and to the coastal cliffs nearby. This material also prevents erosion caused by foot traffic and allows grass to grow through.

Don't worry - by the time you are reading this, the viewing platform will be in place at the end.

Arnastapi

The harbour at Arnastapi is nowadays used mostly by part time fishing boats or for leisure boating

The church at Hellnar, with Snaefellsjökull in the background

AND, there'll be more on Snaefellsnes soon. Meanwhile, for the official lowdown on the National Park go to:

http://www.umhverfisstofnun.is/snaefellsjokull-national-park/

ICV - Iceland Conservation Volunteers - is the volunteer arm of the Icelandic Environment Agency. For more information visit:

http://www.ust.is/the-environment-agency-of-iceland/volunteers/