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It is said that the earth's circle which the human race inhabits is
torn across into many bights, so that great seas run into the land
from the out-ocean.
The cache is a glass jar, covered with stones.
Original contents: log-book, pens, a toy.
Dyrholaey (Icelandic: Dyrhólaey) is located in the south of
Iceland. The Icelandic name ending on -ey might indicate that it is
an island, which it is not; it's a promontory, reaching out into
the ocean. It is thought to have been created during a submarine
volcanic eruption approximately 80 thousand years ago. The
eruption, which formed Dyrhólaey and the pillars around it
(originally parts of it), presumably took place in the same way as
other submarine and subglacial eruptions. In the beginning, a major
tephra eruption took place and later, when the crater reached the
surface of the sea, the lava started to flow and thus ensured its
existence. Dyrhólaey is a promontory reaching out into the ocean on
the south coast of Iceland. It is the southernmost part of the
country and is around 120 m high. Off Dyrhólaey, there are rock
pillars, that are unique natural formations. The roaring Atlantic
and its foamy waves wash the black sands at the foot of Dyrhólaey.
From there you can enjoy the sight of the varied and fantastic
scenery of the Mýrdalur valley, fresh green fields and pastures.
Above them, moors and tuff mountains of different shapes, and the
mountains of the highland pastures, high and awesome, cut by deep
ravines and gorges. Behind them, the white glacier reaches a height
of almost 1450 m. To the west the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago is
clearly visible, when visibility is good, and also the mountains
Eyjafjöll and the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Not far off the coast
to the west of Dyrhólaey is the Kamburinn, much further out and
more to the west is the stack Máfadrangur, where the Gannet
colonized a few decades ago. To the south of the promontory is the
stack Lundadrangur with a sizable cave, into which you can go by
boat, when the weather is nice and the ocean is calm. To the east
is the sheer stack Háidrangur (56 m), which the daredevil
Eldeyjar-Hjalti was the first human to climb in 1893, as far as we
know. The southernmost part of Dyrhólaey reaching into the sea is
called Tóin, and there is the famous opening, which gives it its
name Portland in English.. The surroundings are all amazingly
beautiful and ever-changing from different viewpoints. A very rich
birdlife can be enjoyed, and inquisitive seals are seldom far
away.
History and utility
Most likely, fishermen have operated their boats from Dyrhólaey, or
the shore near to it, from the time of the first settlement.
Unfortunately, sources are very poor on this issue during the early
centuries. Kristnisaga (Saga of Christianity), however, has it that
when Gissur the White and Hjalti Skeggjason arrived in Iceland in
the year 1000 to preach Christianity, people rowed towards them, as
they sailed through the Dyrhólar delta. From this it can be seen
that boats were then present at Dyrhólaey. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson, a
farmer and a writer at Hvoll in Mýrdalur, believes that a fleet of
fishing boats was operated from the shore at Kirkjufjara, south of
the promontory, during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries.
East of Dyrhólaey, you can still see the ruins of fishermen's
cottages and fishwalls, now mostly covered by vegetation. All of
this area is named Garðar (Walls). The shore at Kirkjufjara mostly
vanished and the fishing activity is then believed to have moved to
the west of Dyrhólaey. From the 18th century, fishing boats sailed
out from the sand shore west of the promontory, which is still
called Dyrhólahöfn (Dyrhólar port). Many rowing boats were operated
from this place until the middle of the 20th century. There is very
rich birdlife in Dyrhólaey and the surrounding stacks. Normally in
springtime, people collected eggs in the stacks, and still do. In
the early days, this helped with the housekeeping. Both Fulmars and
Puffins have been caught now and then in the promontory. Quite a
few Eider Ducks nest here, and people have tended to care for the
ducks in recent years, after the promontory was protected against
sheep and all traffic during the nesting season.
The lighthouse
The very first lighthouse was built on Dyrhólaey in 1910. The
present lighthouse was built in 1927, and the building materials
were transported by boat to the port Dyrhólahöfn and pulled up onto
the promontory along a cable from the shore. The lighthouse is
quite a large construction, three-storeys high. During the first
decades after the lighthouse was built, the lighthouse keeper had a
sheepcote and a barn not far from the lighthouse, and around the
houses he grew grass and made hay.
Birdlife
Few places in the country offer better opportunities for
enthusiastic birdwatchers than Dyrhólaey. The various species of
seabirds are most prominent in the promontory itself, and not least
in the stacks. On some days the rock walls of the promontory and
the stacks are almost covered with seabirds. (Source: Óskar H.
Ólafsson, 2001)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
gurer vf n cnexvat ng gur raq bs gur ebnq hc gurer. gur pnpur vf haqre gur fgbar va gur fgbar jnyy.
