Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.12.2014, Síða 29

29The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 18 — 2014 TRAVEL
It was with some trepidation that our
crew set out to bathe in as many natu-
ral geothermal pools in South Iceland as
we could manage in three days. It’s now
common knowledge that some locals
have become disgruntled at their secret
hot spots becoming not-so-secret. And
that is fair enough. The 2010 publication
of Jón G. Snæland and Þóra Sigurbjörns-
dóttir’s guidebook ‘Thermal Pools in Ice-
land’—which details the location of most
if not all of Iceland’s hidden hot pots—was
indeed met with some frustration by lo-
cals, protective of their “secret pools.”
Somewhat sheepishly armed with our
very own copy of the forbidden tome, we
set off determined to enjoy these thermal
springs in a respectful, “non-touristy”
manner.
Opnur
Opnur thermal spring is located on pri-
vate property, just past Hveragerði. As
we jumped a low barbed wire fence and
waded our way through a muddy bank,
the sight of steaming water over a sun
drenched pool felt like some kind of mi-
rage. Though the spring would be con-
sidered “tepid,” and the floor and walls
were algae-rific, the experience was
wonderful. Trekking back to the car, my
friend and I found ourselves stuck knee-
deep in a mud bank. The mud was freez-
ing and felt more like quicksand. I lost a
shoe in the ordeal, and as I scrambled
through an electric fence (to the zap of
multiple shocks), I envisioned the own-
ers of the local farmhouse laughing at me
as they watched from their windows. As
I sat in shivering, muddy pain back in the
car, I realised my 'Thermal Pools in Ice-
land' book had been left somewhere in
the mud. Cue Alanis Morissette.
Seljavallalaug
This pool is much frequented by tour-
ists in summer, and overtly represent-
ed on tourist Instagrams and in vari-
ous unimaginative music videos by
uninspired bands. The walk from the
car to the pool is just long enough to
make you feel adventurous. The scen-
ery is breathtaking, as the pool is in
a valley between Lambafellsheiði (to
the west) and to the east, the moun-
tain Raufarfell. Ignoring the used
nappies in the change room, I glee-
fully eased myself into the somewhat
tepid water. However, hot streams of
water run down the rocks on the side
of the pool, which are lovely to relax
on and warm up your rig.
Oh, and nobody likes your trash.
Pick that shit up and take it with you.
Don’t be the kind of asshole you claim
to have come to Iceland to escape.
Hrunalaug
Near the town of Flúðir, this pool is on
private property. In fact, a friend used
to live on that very property and remi-
nisced to us about the times he spent
there—wooing the ladies, enjoying a
beverage in the water and relaxing
with friends. When tourists started
frequenting the pool, it marked the
onset of frantic 4am calls to help with
bogged cars, presumptuous travellers
using the private hot tub near their
house and even some “intimate mo-
ments” interrupted by, uh, arrivals of
taxis full of swimming hopefuls. How-
ever, you can see why this pool be-
came so popular. It is hot, picturesque
and easy to find. Enjoy it, but bear in
mind the vegetation surrounding the
pool is becoming increasingly fragile.
Kúalaug
This “cow-pool” lies past Geysir in the
Haukadalur valley. Previous to bath-
ing in Kúalaug, we spent close to
three hours trying to find neighbour-
ing Marteinslaug. It resulted in forag-
ing through a surprisingly dense for-
est of bare trees and having to cross a
brown river by building a small bridge
from fallen branches. Therefore, ac-
tually finding Kúalaug was the source
of much joy. The water was blissfully
warm, the bottom of the pool wasn’t
too slimy and best of all—like in all our
other dips—we had the whole pool to
ourselves.
Winter is the best.
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Distance from Reykjavík
Seljavallalaug: 130km
But,
It’s Winter!
Armed with GPS coordinates, a
go-with-the flow attitude, a bit of
bravado against the cold and respect
for the environment around you,
thermal spring hopping in winter is
an excellent way to beat the dark
day blues. As they say “Take nothing
but photographs, leave nothing but
footprints.”
Opnur:
GPS: N63 58.875, -W21 10.591
Seljavallalaug
GPS: N63 34.013, -W19 36.379
Hrunalaug
GPS: N64 08.034, -W20 15.428
Kualaug
GPS: N64 19.605, -W20 16.924
Englandshverir
GPS: N64 29.465, -W21 10.645
Hvalfjarðarlaug
GPS: N64 22.428, - W21 33.832