I’ve heard and seen some pictures about a rock called „The drinking dragon“, so I had a destination for my next excursion.
Hvítserkur is a 15 m high basalt stack along the eastern shore of the Vatnsnes peninsula in the North-west region of Iceland. The rock has two holes at the base, which give it the appearance of a dragon who is drinking. The base of the stack has been reinforced with concrete to protect its foundations from the sea. Several species of birds live on Hvítserkur, such as gulls and fulmars, and its Icelandic name „White shirt“ comes from the color of guano deposited on its rocks.
While walking along the cliff I also saw some bathing seals in the far distance (the black dots on picture 4).
The way to Hvítserkur was a 30 km passage on quite a gravel road, so on the way back I decided to take a short cut along another gravel road (quite an adventurous one with great views) which led to Borgarvirki.
Borgarvirki lies at 177 m above sea level it dominates the surrounding region. Made out of basalt strata, it has been used as a fortress. Borgarvirki is a natural phenomenon, altered by humans in earlier centuries. In 1949, Borgarvirki was renovated by workers who installed a granite lintel at the main entrance. Borgarvirki is a volcanic plug and the Icelandic sagas mention that in earlier centuries it was used for military purposes.