Reykjavík Grapevine - jan 2021, Qupperneq 31

Hjörleifshöfði is a curious place. At
once bleak and majestic, the vast black
sands and sweeping panoramas tell
ancient and mysterious tales of mur-
der, elves and alien planets.
Hair-raising moments
Named after Hjörleifur Hróðmarsson,
the brother of the first Norse settler
in iceland, Ingólfur Arnarson, Hjör-
leifshöfði was, for a short time, Hjör-
leifur’s home—until he was brutally
murdered by his ill-treated slaves, that
is. His burial mound can still be seen
at the top of the mountain, along with
the graves of later settlers who lived on
a farm in the shadows of the mountain.
The weather was perfect for the hike
up. A popular area with walkers, the
path up the inselberg is a relatively
simple one—if a little steep—with easy
paths winding up to the peak and back
down the other side. We set off on our
jaunt at about 11 a.m. and, despite a cou-
ple of hair-raising moments in which
I casually declared I have a heart con-
dition that was playing up and we all
genuinely questioned whether or not
I’d make it to the top without having a
heart attack, the climb was pleasant.
We reached the top by noon and were
instantly blown away—metaphorically
by the views and almost literally by the
crazy wind. Sprawling beaches, foam-
ing seas and snow-capped mountains
dominate the landscape and, in clear
weather, you can see for kilometres.
Here we sat for a while, catching our
breath and regaining our composure,
before heading to Hjörleifshöfði’s fa-
mous cave.
Super-skilled Jedi Knights
Heading down the mountain, we pass
by the eerie ruins of an old farmstead.
Hikers beware, here be elves. Legend
has it that hidden folk dwell among
these stones, wreaking havoc on those
who dare linger. Ever since the time
of the settlement, Hjörleifshöfði has
been known as a place of mysterious
happenings. Many who come here still
experience unexplainable things, and
are drawn back to the area again and
again to try and figure out their cause.
Fortunately for us, the only unexplain-
able thing that happened that day was
me making it the entire way without
falling on my arse or needing helicop-
ter rescue.
Like many parts of Iceland, Hjör-
leifshófði has become film-location
famous, posing as the planet Lah’mu
in ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’. [Editor's note:
Hjörleifshófði was not featured in the film.
Our journalist succumbed to fake space
news. Oops.] The area wasn’t particu-
larly popular with tourists until the
film was released in 2016, but it now
welcomes thousands of visitors who
long to take a photo on alien sands. The
highlight for many is the cave. We were
surprised to learn that this cave was, in
fact, not one of the reasons this loca-
tion was chosen for the film—despite
the fact it is shaped, rather uncannily,
like Yoda. Of course, knowing that we
were going to be spending some time
here, the ever-prepared Art Bicnick
packed some lightsabers allowing Iona
and I to enjoy a few moments pretend-
ing we were super skilled Jedi Knights.
While we were keen to get home,
we made sure to stop for lunch in Vík.
It’s well worth exploring this cute little
town on your way to or from Hjörleif-
shöfði. The black beaches are a must
and the view from the church is sure
to get you all the Instagram likes. Hav-
ing been fairly sedentary within the
confines of the city lately, the climb
was the most exercise we had done in
almost three months. We left the south
coast behind us and headed back to the
city: tired, windswept and glad that
there is still plenty of adventure to be
had in Iceland. Even in the midst of the
pandemic.
Travel distance
from Reykjavík:
200 km, Route 1
Car provided by:
gocarrental.is
Murder And Aliens
And Elves, Oh My!
A hair-raising hike up Hjörleifshöfði
Words: Jess Distill Photos: Art Bicnick
Travel
Anakin would hate this sandy place Jess presents Hjörleifshöfði mountain. Thanks Jess!
Hjörleifur Hróðmarsson's mound at the top
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