Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.02.2019, Page 46

“Drive past Reykholt and continue to
a farm called Stóri Ás,” read the direc-
tions to Borgarfjörður’s Lava Lodge.
“Cross the bridge, turn right, and con-
tinue for eight kilometres until you see
a yellow and red fire hydrant.”
And so it is that, one freezing Janu-
ary afternoon, we turn off Route One
just before Borgarnes in search of the
farm, the bridge, and the hydrant. In
search of Stóri Ás, we take an acciden-
tal detour through some snow covered
farmland before emerging again at a
wide, gushing river. There’s no obvi-
ous sign, but as “Stóri Ás” means “big
river” in Icelandic we hang a right and
hope for the best.
The road skirts the northern edge
of the sprawling 52km Hallmundar-
hraun lava field, draped today with a
thick blanket of snow. Just as we be-
gin to fear we’ve taken a wrong turn,
the bright dot of the hydrant appears.
We trundle up the road to find Villi
Goði waiting for us on the driveway.
“You made it!” he exclaims, beaming
broadly and beckoning us up the can-
dle-marked path to the lodge.
Second home
Villi and his wife, Sigrún, run the cosy
red-walled guesthouse nestled on the
edge of Hallmundarhraun. We kick off
our shoes in the entrance hall, which
has, Villi explains, evolved into a music
room with a vast stack of records from
80s pop to Icelandic choral compila-
tions. ”It’s a ‘no judgement’ zone,” he
laughs. The dining room leads through
to a warm kitchen, where we’re treated
to some sparkling wine and piping hot
wild mushroom soup that’s so good
we ask for the recipe. It’s a heartfelt
welcome, and we immediately feel per-
fectly at home.
“We were originally planning to
open a normal, respectable tourist of-
fice in Mossfellsbær,” says Sigrún. “But
we found this place, and we knew right
away it was for us.”
The couple bought the lodge as a
base that would allow them to live and
work amongst the nature. They em-
ployed local craftsmen to create sev-
eral cosy, wood-lined bedrooms in an
adjacent new building, a fire pit and
seating area, an outdoor hot pot and
shower room, and wooden walkways
connecting them all together. The
attention to detail is apparent in ev-
erything from the woollen artworks
adorning the walls—made by Sigrún’s
daughter—to the comfortable robes
and carefree “mi casa, su casa” policy.
Borgarfjörður bandits
It’s an ideal location. The Borgar-
fjörður area has a variety of natural
sites and sightseeing options, and we
talk through them, from waterfalls to
spa trips. We settle on a sightseeing
drive up to the snowy, glacier-flanked
mountain pass of Kaldidalur.
With few hours of daylight remain-
ing, Villi warms up the engine of
his modified jeep. We set off briskly,
rounding the top of the the lava field
and plunging down onto the black flats
of the Sandur valley. Villi explains the
geology and history of the area as we
go, including colourful accounts of the
bandits who once lived here. He’s an
engaging storyteller with an infectious
enthusiasm for the region.
Frozen tsunami
After a while, the sunlit expanse of
Langjökull appears, filling the hori-
zon like a frozen tsunami. Villi’s jeep
powers through the snow to the base of
the glacier, and we step out into a ma-
jestic pink-hued icescape. Some locals
are returning in a train of 4x4s from
a GPS-guided drive over the ice, and a
row of snowmobilers soon follows. It’s
the most traffic we’ll see all day.
Back at the lodge, Sigrún has pre-
pared a home-cooked meal of lamb and
gravy, risotto, greens, and various de-
lectable sides. After the feast, we open
another bottle, playing records and
talking into the night before sinking
into the candlelit hotpot, and then a
deep sleep.
The trickling cave
After a leisurely breakfast, we bid
a fond farewell to Villi and Sigrún,
thanking them for their generous
Travel
Distance from
Reykjavík:
136 km

Car provided by:
gocarrental.is
Accommodation
provided by:
tripiceland.com
Meal provided by:
thecave.is
Swim provided by:
krauma.is
How to get there:
Route One North,
Routes 50 & 518
46The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02— 2019
The Frozen Wave
Warm welcomes and cold glaciers around Borgarfjörður’s Lava Lodge
Words: John Rogers
Photos : Timothée Lambrecq
Preparing for a homemade feastWhyyy don't mind if I do The trusty modified jeep ready for a snowy trek