Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.05.2017, Blaðsíða 54

Alt Golden Circle
Exploring lesser known spots on Iceland’s
most popular tourist trail
Words: John Rogers Photos: Timothée Lambrecq

The Golden Circle wasn’t always
known as such. The first recorded
mention of the Icelandic-language
term "Gullni Hringurinn" was in
1979, on a RÚV radio show hosted
by tour guide Birna G. Bjarnlei-
fsdóttir. The listing for the item
reads: “09:00: The Traveller. Birna
G. Bjarnleifsdóttir hosts a pro-
gram about recreation and travel.
‘The Golden Circle,’ one of the most
common routes foreign travellers
take in Iceland.”
Whether or not she coined the
term, Birna couldn’t have known
t h at i t wo u l d
achieve such lon-
gev it y. To d ay,
t h i s b u s t l i n g
sightseeing route
around Þingvel-
lir, Gullfoss, and
Geysír is—along
with a dip in the
Blue Lagoon—the
most well-known
day trip in Ice-
land. Buses pour
around the nar-
row roads all day,
with people hop-
ping out intermit-
tently for some nature and selfies
along the way.
As well as its blockbusters, the
route is scattered with tucked-away
sights that the buses drive straight
past. It’s with this in mind that we
set out around the Golden Circle on
a wet and blustery spring morn-
ing, exploring some lesser known
places along the way.
Curious mode
The beauty of hiring a car instead of
taking the bus is that it grants you
independence—you can pull over
whenever something catches your
eye in a curious and spontaneous
mode of travel. It’s fun to follow in-
triguing signposts that could lead
to something, or nothing.
The first such thing to catch our
eye as we head out of the city is the
distinctive metallic spike of the
church at Mosfell. The church is rel-
atively recent, but
there’s been a set-
tlement at Mosfell
for centuries. A
wooden church
dates back to the
mid-1800s, and
its history goes
all the way back to
Viking times. In
fact, Egill Skálla-
grimsson of Egils
Saga is thought to
be buried in the
region, and ar-
chaeological digs
have taken place
in recent years, turning up intrigu-
ing ruined sites that connect the
saga era to the present day.
Þingvellir, the site of Iceland’s
early parliament, lies nearby. On
the drive there, we take a moment
to investigate the roadside lake of
Leirvogsvatn. Several snow-cov-
ered picnic tables suggest that it’s
a beautiful stop in the summer. But
the lake is yet to thaw, so we tread
out carefully onto the thick frozen
ice, pausing to take in the inhospi-
table, frigid wilderness.
No anoraks
Þingvellir itself is a large area of
wooded cliffs and valleys. There’s
a traffic jam near the car park. We
pass by the hotspot of activity and
decide to explore an all-but-empty
sideroad. Just a few minutes later,
we happen upon a beautifully wild
area of Hvannabrekka, and walk
down the cleft between the Eur-
asian and North American tectonic
plates without an anorak in sight.
After a look at Vinnskoga—a
“friendship grove” of trees, with
plaques commemorating visits
from dignitaries such as the Queen
of England and François Mitter-
rand—we head for the Friðheimar
farm and restaurant. The tables
are in the courtyard of a spacious
greenhouse, right amongst the
tomato vines. It’s a cheery space,
brightly lit and adjusted to a com-
fortable Mediterranean tempera-
ture. Their tart and steaming to-
mato soup, and fresh bloody Marys,
are made from tomatoes plucked
straight from the vine, and served
with thick wedges of warm bread.
It’s a delightful spot that would be
worth the trip alone.
As we loop back towards Reyk-
javík, we see a smudge of white
against the hills. It’s Geysir erupt-
ing in the distance. But in the spirit
of the day, we turn left instead of
right, and drive the meandering
road through the maroon and green
landscape, content with our mellow
alternate take on The Golden Circle.

SHARE & VIEW GALLERY:
gpv.is/gc07
How to get there:
Take Route One North and turn
right onto Route 36
Distance from
Reykjavík
72 km
Car provided by:
gocarrental.is
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G E T Y O U R D E S I G N E R B R A N D S
T A X F R E E A T K E F L A V I K A I R P O R T
“We walk down
the cleft be-
tween the
Eurasian and
North American
tectonic plates
without an an-
orak in sight.”
52 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 07 — 2017