At the southern end of Mývatn lies the small village of Skútustaðir. It is surrounded by pseudocraters, and that is something quite special. Pseudocraters are not volcanic craters. They are formed when lava intrudes into a lake. The water evaporates, and sooner or later the pressure becomes so high that the steam is pushed up through the lava. This is how pseudo craters are formed, rounded and beautiful in shape, but they are not volcanoes, as they never erupted lava themselves.
Pseudocrater with the real volcano Vindbelgjarfjall in the background.
The grassy pseudocraters form an interesting frame around the mini-lake Stakhólstjörn, which is located inside lake Mývatn. The place is well arranged with paths all the way around and up on the crater rim to some of the pseudocraters. Stakhólstjörn is a paradise for birds, you can observe many swans, ducks and geese on the water.
Stakhólstjörn and pseudo craters. Far far away: Lake Mývatn
Stakhólstjörn has an outlet to Mývatn through the little river Skipaskráður, which can be crossed over a small bridge. It is nice to swim here. We were concerned about the amount of bird droppings in Stakhólstjörn, and chosed swimming in Mývatn itself. The water is clear and nice, but terribly shallow. Swim with your hands, otherwise you’ll get scratches on your knees!
The technical section of tobatheornottobathe unfortunately has not been able to find the pictures we both remember to have taken, so this bath will stay undocumented!
Mývatn in the north of Iceland is located in an active volcanic area. Here you can experience almost everything: New and old volcanoes, hot springs, sulphurous steams, boiling mud baths, narrow gorges and strange geological phenomena such as pseudocraters and Dimmuborgir. Spend some days here!
Dimmuborgir (the Dark Fortress). Hverfjall in the background to the left.
Dimmuborgir was formed by lava from the volcanic eruptions in Lúdentsborgir and Þrengsborgir some 2000 years ago. The place was originally a depression in the landscape, which was filled with lava. The lava solidified from the top, but not all the way to the bottom. Some lava found its way out again, and this led to the ‘roof’ of the lava caves collapsing, creating the impression of a ruined, black fortress. Here you find caves and peculiar rock formations everywhere.
Dimmuborgir was about to be buried by sand dunes, and a lot of resources have been spent on conservation. Now, as the vegetation has finally returned, there is much debate about whether to remove the birch or not – before it hides the whole thing.
Dimmuborgir has been the location of many fairy tales and myths. In pagan times, as a transition place between the world of elves and humans. With Christianity came the belief that this was Hell, the place where the Devil lived after being thrown out of Heaven. Of more recent myths, we have stories of the Santas (Iceland has 12 of them), that used to live here.
Hverfjall with Mývatn in the background. Hverfjall erupted some 2500 years ago.
One trip we enjoyed a lot was this one: First walk 2-3 of the paths through Dimmuborgir. From there you can follow a path that goes to the volcano Hverfjall. The volcano is not very high, but you can still feel the rise. There are 2 steps forward and one back since the mountain consists of gravel (tuff). Once up, it’s a splendid view! Go around the volcano and down on the other side. From there you can follow the signs to Grótagjá (the Cave Gil). Here you can clearly see how the continental plates are moving away from each other, as there are cracks and crevasses everywhere.
Storagjá (The Big Gill).
The gill Grótagjá is filled with water, and the cave was a highly valued bathing place before 1975. But during the volcanic eruptions between 1975 and 1984, the temperature in the water rose to over 50°C and bathing became impossible. Later, the temperature has dropped again and the place became a popular tourist attraction. However, vandalism led to the cave being closed, people were camping in the cave, washed their shoes and brushed their teeth in the water, etc. Now Grótagjá has had a new renaissance, after the place was the location for a Game of Thrones’ scene in the episode ‘Kissed by Fire‘ in the third season. Although the cave has been reopened, there are still prohibiting signs against bathing (because the temperature might change vey quickly, they claim). It’s not just right to swim in Grótagjá!
Grótagjá unfortunately was a ‘NOT‘ for us. The photographers would have lost their jobs, if they weren’t sort of permanently hired. We don’t have any good pictures from inside, but trust us: it’s very nice!
After a non-cave bath, some tough heavy metal music could have been just right, but Dimmuborgir is not what they used to be…
They look just sweet and nice, the Icelandic group Dimmuborgir. Not at all like the Norwegian symphonical heavy metal band Dimmu Borgir.
By Mývatn’s northern bank is a village with 300 inhabitants: Reykjahlið (The Smokey Hillside). Here you find cabins and hotels, a gas station and a shop – quite ordinary.
Reykjahlið. ‘Do you want to join a bath? A sunbath only? Well, that’s ok.‘
However, the surroundings are spectacular, we are in an active geological area that is subject to ‘Queen Krafla‘. A well-known volcanic eruption was the so-called ‘Mývatn fires‘ in 1724-1729 (actually an outbreak from Krafla, 15 km away). These were dramatic years. The lava came closer and closer, and buried house after house in the village, just like in Grindavík right now (january 2024).
The Reykjahlið lavafield. Far behind: The volcano Hverfjall.
Then – a miracle happened: The lava flow slowed down – at the church stairs! The inhabitants and the church were saved! The intense prayers from the priest (Tobatheornottobathe has not been able to find the name of the priest. Any help will be deeply appreciated!) were given the honor of stopping the lava. Today, the church has been replaced by a new church (from 1962), but the lava still looks quite fresh.
Lava (rhaun) and church in Reykjahlið.
On the opposite side of highway 1, there is a hiking trail down to Mývatn (Lake Mosquito). This unique water is very shallow, the average depth is 5 meters distributed over a 37 km2 area.
Sunset at Lake Mývatn.
Don’t even try to dive here! But the water is clear and nice – until you swirl up deposits from the bottom. And the water wasn’t very cold, presumable because of shallow ground.
An evening bath in Mývatn was just right, in April 2021.
Iceland erected between the European and the North American tectonic plates, which drift apart at a speed of 2 cm per year (corresponding to the growth velocity of a fingernail). In addition, they are also parallell displaced. Hence, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are to be expected on a regular basis. Iceland is also located above a so-called hot spot, where there is a direct link to the interior of the earth (magma). Over the hot spots, volcanic eruptions are evenly distributed during many, many years.
Bad smell of sulfur vapour near Krafla.
The continental rift in Iceland goes from Reykjanes in the southwest towards the northeast. On the way, it passes Mývatn, an area where the geological activity is intense. Here, the volcano Krafla has had many outbreaks in recent times.
Piping from the geothermal power plant at Krafla.
Do you want to have a bath on the continental rift? Then Jarðböðin (the Geo Thermal Baths) is the perfect choice! This is a natural spa in an area with many hot springs. In design, Jarðböðin eccos Blue Lagoon. The spa is beautiful, mostly using dark colors. Large outdoor pools are filled with heavenly, hot water, surrounded by lava rocks. From the pool there is also a splendid view, one thing Blue Lagoon does not have.
Jarðböðin has a view!
BUT – at Jarðböðin you must accept a quite distinct smell of sulfur. Heaven, you said? …no, this smells more like Hell. The saunas are made by piping being stabbed straight down into the ground below the benches. If you don’t like sulfur, don’t go there. But the pools with their corners and showers and views – they are just fabulous!
P.S.: Don’t expect quite as much space as you see in these pictures! We were there during Covid restrictions. They kept it open because the employees preferred working for free in stead of doing nothing. There were less than 20 people there with us, but the place is designed for several hundred!
Raufarhöfn (Rauf means a long fissure, höfn means port) is the northernmost village on the island Iceland, with a population of less than 200. A charming place – but you have to put up with some wind. Due to the good harbor conditions, this has been a popular meeting spot and place of trade ever since the colonial era.
Raufarhöfn has a well protected, natural harbor.
Anyway, there was almost no increase in the population until herring fishing started around 1960. For a period, Raufarhöfn was Iceland’s largest herring town, with up to 11 salting stations in operation at the same time. About 10 % of the country’s income came from herring work at Raufarhöfn, and the population of six hundred could increase to four thousand people during the fishery. But then, in 1967, the herring disappeared, and Raufarhöfn became more or less a ghost town. Today, the village is categorized as an endangered settlement.
You will have to search hard to find clearer water than in northern Iceland. The sculpture park in the background to the right.
Despite (or perhaps because of?) the limited amount of people, the construction of a very ambitious sculpture park in Raufarhöfn has surprisingly been started: Heimskautsgerðið (The Arctic Henge). The work is inspired by norse literature: ‘Voluspå‘ and Snorre Sturlasson’s ‘Edda‘. It is made by a collaboration between Erling Torodssen and Haukur Halldórsson. By now, this is a futuristic Stonehenge.
The Arctic Henge.
When finished (if it ever is, they lack financing right now), it will look like a small Colosseum, with a stone wall around it all. But even now (2021): as an unfinished work, this is both beautiful and fascinating. And huge! We are talking about a diameter of 50 m and up to 10 m high columns. The arches are positioned so that the sun can be seen through them at the winter and summer solstice. Eventually, in the Heimskautsgerðið, you will find the yearly calendar personified by 72 dwarfs, where each dwarf spans over 5 days. Be impressed!
Heimskautsgerðið.
From the majestic sculpture park, it’s a nice little walk down to the harbor in Raufarhöfn. Here you will find a beautiful beach with a mix of light and dark sand, and large wardrobe rocks.
The area in the far north-east of Iceland is largely wasteland, it is a bit like Svalbard (Spitsbergen). You can really wonder why someone wanted to settle here – and that there are still buildings 1000 years later! But it turns out that these have been valuable areas. The main reason is fish, of course, and in earlier times most certainly walrus.
Desolate but dramatic nature in the north of Iceland.
Perhaps something more surprising for us Norwegians: driftwood. Iceland was dependent on imported wood for centuries, and Denmark’s trade monopoly did not help the situation.
Sheep and driftwood at the far north.
Owning land with a large influx of driftwood was very lucrative, and large quantities of wood have always drifted to the north coast of Iceland.
Neatly and less neatly stacked driftwood in the northwest of Iceland (Vestfirðir).
We went for a walk beyond Hraunhafnartangi in the hope of being able to swim at Iceland’s northernmost point. There is a lighthouse there, and next to it are the remains of a turf house. But we couldn’t swim there this time, the swells were too big.
North Cape Iceland. The old lighthouse keeper’s residence is still struggling.
On the way back, just before arriving at Raufarhöfn, we found a great beach close to the road. Clear water, birds and a sheltered bay with fine-grained sand. Can’t ask for more then, right?
Fishing is Iceland’s main industry, although tourism is well on its way up to number 2. In 1970, fish accounted for a whopping 90% of the export. This has been gradually reduced, but fish still accounts for almost 40%. The country is therefore very vulnerable to fluctuations in fish stocks and prices on world markets.
Who’s fishing who in Fáskrúðsfjörður?
One result of this is the many fishing conflicts Iceland has been involved in. Especially with England, which resulted in physical attacks in the 60’s.
Fishing history in Siglufjörður.
In Norway, it is perhaps the quarreling about ‘Smutthullet’ (the Loophole, a 62,400 square kilometers area of the Barent’s sea) that is freshest in the memory. When the cod fishery stopped in the 90’s, Icelandic fishermen had to find new places to find fish. The solution was to start fishing in Smutthullet, outside the 200 nautical mile economic zone from both Russia and Norway, but that was not very popular neither in Russia nor in Norway. The Norwegian coastguard took the Icelandic trawlers ashore and fined them. In 1999, an agreement was concluded between Russia, Norway and Iceland on quota exchange, which put an end to the unregulated Icelandic cod fishing in Smutthullet.
Dramatic nature in the northeast of Iceland.
In Iceland, a system of fishing quotas came into place as a law in 1983. At the first allocations, in 1984, they based the quotas on fishing experience per vessel.
Þórshöfn.
In the north-east of Iceland, there is not much else to live on other than fish. There are a few villages, one of which is Þórshöfn with barely 400 inhabitants. Here man found a very safe natural harbor. The god Þór was thanked for this, hence the name.
Colorful stone figures by Þórshöfn.
The morning bath at Þórshöfn is best taken in the sea. We followed the stone edge just out of the town, where the residental area starts – there you will find a nice little bay. The stone edge was decorated with painted stones in bright colours, presumably made by school children.
A morning bath in Þórshöfn is just right.
This far north, you can expect exceptionally beautiful, crystal clear water and an abundance of birds. Absolutely wonderful!
After a refreshing bath in Þórshöfn, an excursion to Langanes and the wrecked Douglas DC-3 R4D-S aircraft is just right. The accident occurred in 1969 during landing with a strong crosswind. The plane (from the US Navy) is located where the old airport used to be, and serves as a shelter for sheep in bad weather.
The Douglas plane wreck at Langanes.
You will need to pass a fence and join some icelandic horses to get near it, but the farmer did not come running to send us away, so we guess it was ok to have a closer look.
In the Icelandic region of Austurland, the river Miðhúsaá flows west towards Egilsstaðir and then finally ends up in Lagarfljót. Except during the snow melting period, this is not a big river, more like a stream. But in the spring, on the other hand, it is much larger. Miðhúsaá is worth a short detour, because there you can enjoy the view of two different waterfalls: Fardagafoss and Gufufoss.
View towards Lagarfljót with Egilsstaðir on the right behind the hill.
3-400 meters uphill from the car park, the first waterfall appears, the so-called Gufufoss (the Steam Waterfall). According to tradition, a female troll lived in the cave behind Fardagafoss further up. She had a pot of gold hanging in Gufufoss, on the ledge between the two Gufufoss waterfalls. Can you see it? It’s hard to spot, and that’s why no one has ever gotten hold of it.
Pedagogic waterfall midway. But as a bathing place, Gufufoss was a little too much climbing for us this time, even though the two pools looked nice.
In ancient times, you were bound for 6 months or a year if you took work on a farm or a house as a servant. It was only allowed to leave during a period of 3-4 specific days in the spring or autumn to take a job elsewhere. These days were called ‘Fardagar’ (travel days). The spring travel days used to be around the 1st of May. Everyone who did not own land had a responsibility to have permanent work and a place to live. Vagrancy was forbidden and could be punished with fines.
In Norway, we used to have similar laws. The 14th of April was travel day, i.e. the day when you could end leases and employment agreements. The term travel day is still used in Norway when it comes to leasing land or farms. Also Scotland did indeed have the same tradition in ancient times. Can ‘làithean siubhail‘ be a tradition from the Viking era?
Well, what does this have to do with the Miðhúsaá waterfall? That’s when Fardaga waterfall is at its most splendid! In the spring, the travel days will coincide with the snow melting and extended rivers.
There is a cave behind the Fardaga waterfall.
The cave behind Fardagafoss is reasonably large, but it used to be even larger in earlier times, before the river slowly started to fill it with stones. One day a cat disappeared behind the waterfall. It was later found again in another Gufufoss, at Seyðisfjörður. The conclusion is that there is a tunnel between Fardagafoss and the other Gufufoss (these kind of stories are known from many places). The distance between them is 19 km, so it’s quite a job done by the troll (or the cat), digging that tunnel.
Knut prepares the bath in Miðhúsaá.
According to Knut, one of his Icelandic colleagues once attended a wedding seremony behind Fardagafoss. That is something! …and this way you avoid interference from the older generation. It is steep down to the waterfall, and most people over 80 would probably let it be.
And the bath? Well, we weren’t there during the Fardagar days in the spring, and the river was practically a stream. It was not possible to bathe directly below the waterfall, we had to go further down. But otherwise a nice bath.
… and the two groups of drone pilots on the hill above us were luckily so busy flying that they didn’t even notice us (there were no signs prohibiting drones at Fardagafoss, and we managed – almost – not to get annoyed)…
The meaning of the Icelandic word ‘vök‘ is ‘a place with open water in between an otherwise frozen sea or lake‘. In the old days, people used to wash their clothes in Urriðavatn (Lake Trout), because there was always open water, no matter how severe the winter was. The locals thought it was a sea monster, ‘Tuska’, that melted or broke the ice. Tusk means rag, i.e. Tuska was a Nixie with a shabby appearance. The cracks in the ice were called ‘Tuskuvakir’, and Tuska could come up there in winter. However, what kept the water open in winter turned out to be jarðhiti – ground heat. Lake Urriðavatn has its own hot spring inside itself!
Egilsstaðir on the south side and Fellabær on the north side of Lagarfljót. Behind a hill on the right of the picture lies Lake Urriða.
The very special bath called Vök is located 6 km from Egilsstaðir and was completed in 2019. Here they have built a beautiful facility based on the hot spring inside Urriðavatn. 76 degree Celsius water from the bottom of the lake is mixed with cold water from the lake to just the right temperature. On shore, there are changing rooms, hot and cold (!) steam baths, two larger pools with warm water and a submerged bar by the pool.
10 degrees Celsius in Urriðavatn and 40 degrees in the floating pool.
Two hexagonal pools of warm water float (!) in the cold water. The floating pools are made by the Finnish company ‘Bluet Floating Solutions’. If you want, you can enter the lake for a cold scalding, as there are ladders leading to the lake. Hot and cold alternately – that’s the very best. Try it!
Vök bath – it’s wonderful!
We have visited Vök several times, including Easter 2021 – in the middle of the corona. All public baths in Iceland were closed and we really wondered what to do. How could we perform the daily bath when everything was either closed or frozen? It turned out to become a secret bath of the cold type. In Urriðavatn, it’s easy to swim even in the middle of winter – as there is always open water in between the ice! We changed onshore, jumped in for a dip and then returned to the car. As we were leaving the parking lot, a car drove in to check on unauthorized guests. Good then, that we just had a short bath next to the pools and didn’t try to get in for a longer session!
Egilsstaðir, with almost 3,000 inhabitants, is a natural starting point for several spectacular hiking and swimming experiences in the north-east of Iceland.
Mandatory ‘Gríma’ (face mask) in Egilsstaðir 2021.
One of the biggest ‘wow factors’ you can get is Stuðlagil. You drive through a long, gravelly valley, Jökulsdalur. This is a wasteland with a few farms and some sheep.
Some of the few inhabitants of Jökulsdalur.
It takes an hour to walk up to the gorge, a nice hike with a pedagocically well placed waterfall, Stuðlafoss, to enjoy about mid-way. Well, that’s if you keep to the east side of the river.
Pedagogical placed waterfall half way.
Alternatively, you can drive up to a stair access (239 steps) on the west side of Jökulsá, but we would not recommend that if you are fit enough for the east side, because:
From the vantage point on the west side, you cannot see the most beautiful basalt columns.
You can’t go down to the water.
Panorama view towards the panorama platform on the west side.
After the waterfall, basalt columns begin to appear by Jökulsá. The river is (large parts of the year) bright green! Here we are talking about glacial rivers with lots of particles in the water. The basalt columns are first brown, gradually gray. Most of them stand vertically, but in some places a bunch of them are twisted around and you can see the cross section of them instead.
Basalt columns in all directions.
Stuðlagil is one of the newest tourist attractions in Iceland. The gorge came to light when the water level in the river Jökulsá á Brú was lowered following the very controversial construction of the Kárahnjúkavirkjun hydroelectric plant in 2009. The plant was supposed to ensure power supply to the aluminum plant in Reyðarfjörður.
What you don’t see from the west side of the river: Nature’s cathedral.
Stuðlagil itself is like a cathedral with tall, beautiful columns. A wonder of Mother Nature! If you are careful, you can climb down to the river bank and sit on the basalt columns and just enjoy. We didn’t dare to do this on our first visit, it was in March; snow and ice everywhere. The second visit, however!
Stuðlagil.
Stuðlagil is an absolutely magical place. However, be aware that the water level may rise if they let more water through from the power plant further up the valley. Because of this – and strong currents – we do not recommend swimming in Stuðlagil!
Bathing in Stuðlagil is generally not recommended…
We (as you might have guessed) couldn’t resist in the long run. But we think we did a thorough risk assessment, had secured ourselves with a tow rope and only swam in a backwater without current. But this is not the place to try ice bathing for the first time!
After the ravine visit, a bath is just right. At Egilsstaðir there are two obvious options for open-air swimming: the river Lagarfljót and Urriðavatn lake. Lagarfljót basically looked a bit dirty and unappealing. The sad white-grey color comes from the particles in the water. Urriðavatn, on the other hand, is fresh and blue and cold – except it’s hot spring interior. But that’s another story – Vök Bad.
Of lengi í örbirgð stóð einangruð, stjórnlaus þjóð, kúguð og köld. Einokun opni hramm. Iðnaður, verslun fram! Fram! Temdu fossins gamm, framfara öld. (E. Benediktsson, made for the opening of the power plant)
Too long left in destitution, isolated, stubborn nation, downthrodden, cold. Monopoly opens the door, Industry, save the poor! Forward! Waterfall pour, till time grows old!” (E. Benediktsson, translated by Tobatheornottobathe, with some help from Google Translate)
