Iceland - Hot Tubbing

June 23-24

Hello everyone!

Iceland lived up to its name in the previous blog, when I was standing on top of a frozen glacier. This edition goes a bit deeper into the Earth and finds that the country is actually quite...warm…

Myvatn Nature Baths

Selfoss

Quick and very simple geology lesson, here. The landmass of Iceland was created a long time ago (don’t ask your parents, far older than that) by a volcanic eruption caused by significant movement of two tectonic plates. Iceland itself sits on the border of the North American and Eurasian plates, which are found far, far below the surface.

You could argue that Reykjavik is in North America...

Sulfurous steam pouring out of a crack in the earth 

Tectonic activity has shaped and sculpted Iceland for millennia. It’s created lakes such as Lagarfljót, on the eastern side of the island.

The water starts at the Vatnajökull ice cap...

This lake has an interesting story attached to it. It’s where you will find the ‘Icelandic Loch Ness Monster’, if that’s your bag. Lagarfljótsormur, as it’s delightfully known, has ‘appeared’ periodically since Viking times. A video of it swimming around, which you can see here, appeared in 2012.

...and drifts out to the Arctic Ocean. Brr!

The tectonic plates dragging themselves apart at the speed of your fingernail growth also create the height differences which lead - eventually - to waterfall creation. Near the lake there is a lovely fall called Hengifoss. This is Iceland’s second-highest waterfall and is a very impressive sight. The threat of falling rocks and boulders meant that we couldn’t get too close, as the park authorities closed the path halfway up.

Hengifoss is the fall at the top of the picture

The water drops 118 metres

I got closer to Dettifoss, a dreamy set of falls which produced the double rainbow I’d heard about at Gullfoss. Dettifoss is said to be one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe...

This waterfall is wider than many in Iceland

Where the gold at?

Tectonic plates created the mountains around Iceland’s ‘second city’ of Akureyri. Sorry, but with a population of less than 20,000 and one ‘main street’, I’m calling this a town at best. Lovely place, mind, set on a lagoon.

Four syllables: ah-koo-ray-ree

Like Reykjavik, they like a colorful pavement here

We arrived in Akureyri in a happy, peaceful mood. This was because of an experience also connected to Iceland’s underground magic.

Panorama of Myvatn Nature Baths

#science

The country is famous for its ‘hot pots’ and love of bathing in warm water. A hot pot is a body of water naturally heated by the earth. Finding methods of bringing this hot water to the surface has transformed lives here. Reykjavik’s streets never ice over as they have pipes heating them throughout the winter. Hot water is constantly available in people’s houses. And then there’s the bathing…

Owing to the sulphur, I wouldn't bathe in this...

Geothermal plants are seen sporadically around the country

Stereotyping slightly, British people will congregate to socialise in a pub. Icelanders will do this at a swimming pool. Swimming can happen at these places, but usually people will sit in essentially a large bath and hang out. I did this in Reykjavik on my last night in one of its 20+ public pools and the place was busy. 

Sundhollin swimming pool is in downtown Reykjavik

You can't take photos inside - this is a stock image of two of
the hot pools, which were 39'C and 42'C respectively

This wasn’t my first Icelandic hot pot. The hotel we stayed at on ‘Loch Ness Monster Lake’ also had a tub, which we used after attempting to reach Hengifoss. Sitting in a hot tub in broad daylight as the clock approaches 11pm is a pretty surreal experience, particularly when you introduce an African liqueur, Amarula, into the equation.

Forest, lake and mountains - an incredible view

These are regular hot pools - you could find these anywhere in the world. Iceland’s ace in the pack are its larger geothermal pools. The most famous example is the Blue Lagoon, situated by the international airport.

Stock image of the Blue Lagoon

You may be surprised to discover that I didn’t actually go to the Blue Lagoon. I was advised not to, having already been to its equivalent in the north at Myvatn. 

Myvatn is in the north, coming down from the central highlands

The milky blue waters in Myvatn

Once you have gone through the hygiene protocols, you step out into an area with lovely views of the lake below. Being outside and a bit windy, you quickly walk into the milky blue water and...relax…

Didn't come out well here, but Lake Myvatn
is near the horizon in this picture

I can only imagine how packed this would be in pre-Covid times

My skin soon felt like a baby’s bottom, a result of the minerals in the water doing their magic. No silica masks here like the Blue Lagoon. Just a cold beer in a warm bath in the mild sunshine. This was why we approached Iceland’s ‘second town’ in a zen-like mood.

Water temperature changed depending on
where you were, ranging from 26'C to 40'C

The colour is due to the minerals found in the water

Iceland was probably a harsh, unforgiving place to live until this renewable energy beneath the surface was tapped. Now it provides heat and happiness for all to enjoy.

Skál!

Love you all,

Matt

Iceland - Cap That

June 22

After suffering through the miserable weather during a visit to the Golden Circle, Iceland showed its sunnier side in the next few days. Good thing, really, as I can’t imagine hiking on a glacier during brutal rain would be particularly enjoyable.

Iceberg beach at Jökulsárlón

Part of an iceberg on the beach

Glacial flow off Vatnajökull

The south of Iceland is dominated by Europe’s largest ice cap: Vatnajökull. The cap itself takes up about 10% of the country's surface area, and looms omnipresently as you drive along the south coast. 

This would be the route from Reykjavik, travelling east

You can see two outlets from the glacier here

The mass of snow is part of a large national park designed to protect it (well, as much as they can - more on that later). There are other beautiful spots in the region, such as the canyon you can see below.

The canyon was formed in the last Ice
Age, about 9000 years ago

The canyon was formed by a glacier which melted,
the run-off from which sculpted the canyon

Fjadrargljufur is a canyon about a kilometre long and up to 100 metres deep, created by a glacier connected to Vatnajökull. It is stunning.

In places, the canyon is 100 metres deep

Too stunning to keep your eyes open for!

Nearby you start to see little clumps of land mushrooming up from the floor, covered with a thin layer of moss. These are part of the largest lava field in the world, which covers an incredible 580 square kilometres. The lava had cooled enough to stop by the time it reached this part.

You are not allowed to walk on it, but not just for conservation -
you might break through the surface and fall in!

580 sq km is larger than Andorra

It came from an eruption of the Laki volcanic fissure in 1783 - apparently the largest eruption in the last 1000 years, though Krakatoa may have something to say about that. It certainly affected Iceland, with the subsequent gaseous release killing a fifth of native humans and a higher percentage of animals. It also has been connected to the French Revolution, as the smoke’s journey caused crop failure and famine across western Europe. Can’t have your cake and eat it too if there’s volcanic ash dusted on top!

Benjamin Franklin even wrote about the eruption,
suggesting it affected North America

Moss has grown on the cooled lava over time

The size of the main cap becomes more apparent as the road weaves towards it. Its peak is actually a fair bit inland; instead, you see many glacier outlets which stretch out from the core.

View from the front of our minibus

We were heading to Skaftafell, one section of the glacier

We got to walk along one of these on a sunny and relatively balmy afternoon, during which time the temperature hit double digits. This walk was taken seriously by the guides - I was forced to put trousers on, and we had crampons attached to our boots.

Single file in crampons

Looking very unnatural with a pick axe in hand

Though we didn’t actually venture too far onto it, walking along the glacier was interesting. We learnt about mulans, big holes which develop and grow due to a whirlpool effect in the water flow. It was also fascinating to hear that they do these walks in winter, when there is far more snow. They make mental maps of hole locations on the summer treks and record them on a physical map in their office, as well as taking out avalanche poles to check that each step won’t be their last.

Winter activities include snowmobiling

Mind the gap!

Of course, there used to be far more snow in years gone by. It was frequently mentioned that this ice cap will never be the size it once was due to global heating. The cap itself has shrunk alarmingly over the last 30 years (Iceland’s caps as a whole have lost 500 sq km of ice since 2000). Their prediction is that this ice cap won’t exist in a hundred years. The effect of it melting, flowing into the sea and causing that to rise will be keenly felt far beyond this little island.

The lagoon's volume will only increase

Probably would be wet if I took a photo from this spot in 20 years

Some of this effect can be seen further west at Jökulsárlón, a glacier lagoon which you may recognise from Batman Begins or A View to a Kill.

You can kayak on the lagoon to see them close-up.
Can't take the Titanic through, obviously.

The blue colour shows the density of the packed ice

This place is simply mesmeric. Icebergs formed from water off a glacier (which itself is a glacial offshoot of Vatnajökull) float silently in the lagoon, which itself is growing due to accelerated melting of the cap. 

The bergs are silent but the water rushes quite
quickly and noisily towards the sea

Gorgeous panorama of the glacier lagoon

This water, quite regularly taking an iceberg with it, noisily gushes out to the sea. Many icebergs get buffeted back towards shore by the tide, resulting in the fascinating sight of a beach littered with glistening mounds of ice. The seals that hang out here are usually found in between the lagoon and the beach.

What's fascinating is that this iceberg
will never look like this again

Not all of the meltwater reaches the North Atlantic at the moment, however. Some of it is used to create the local beer which has the same name as the ice cap. At about £7 for a 330ml bottle, it certainly isn’t cheap, but it’s quite nice to ponder the history within each sip.

From here...

...to here.

Vatnajökull dominates this part of the country, offering a permanent dreamy view from the window. I’d recommend seeing it before it loses too much more of its size and aura.

Love you all,

Matt