Grettislaug

Grettislaug is a stone-walled pool at Reykir on the western shore of Skagafjordur, looking out at Drangey. Grettis saga has Grettir swimming from the island to the mainland to fetch fire - a distance of some seven kilometres in cold water - and warming himself in a spring when he landed, and this pool is identified with that. The present pool was built up in the 1990s by a local man, with a second pool beside it, and it is fed by a hot spring on the shore. A campsite runs at the same spot, and boats to Drangey leave from the little harbour there.

Highlights

• A stone pool on the shore - fed by a spring, facing Drangey.
• Grettir's swim - the saga account of seven kilometres in cold water.
• A second pool alongside - built in the 1990s.
• Boats to Drangey - leaving from the harbour beside it.

When to go

June to September, when the road and campsite are open. Two hours.

Before you go

The road out is gravel and slow. Facilities are basic - a changing hut and a campsite. Temperature varies between the two pools and with the tide. It can be busy when a Drangey boat has just returned.

Nearby

Drangey is offshore; Saudarkrokur is south along the coast.

Key facts