Gunnuhver

Gunnuhver lies at the far western tip of Reykjanes, where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge comes out of the sea onto land, and its heat comes from seawater rather than fresh - which makes the field unusually corrosive and the steam constant and dense. The main mud pool is about twenty metres across, the largest in Iceland. The name comes from a folk story: Gudrun, a woman who died in a dispute over rent and returned as a violent ghost, was reportedly lured into the spring by a priest and has been stuck there ever since. Boardwalks have been rebuilt more than once because the ground shifted and destroyed them, which is a fair description of the site's stability.

History

The geothermal areas of Reykjanes were described in the 18th century by Eggert Ólafsson, who surveyed Iceland's landscapes between 1752 and 1757. A folktale gives the spring its name: Guðrún Önundardóttir, Gunna, quarrelled with her landlord, Vilhjálmur Jónsson, over unpaid rent and the seizure of her cooking pot, and after her death she haunted the area until the pastor Eiríkur of Vogsósar lured her spirit to the hot spring with a ball of yarn (Wikipedia, Gunnuhver).

What you'll find

• Iceland's largest mud pool - about twenty metres across, in constant steam.
• Seawater-fed heat - the ridge coming ashore, making the field corrosive.
• A ghost story attached - Gudrun, said to be trapped in the spring.
• Rebuilt boardwalks - the ground has destroyed them before.

When to go

All year. An hour.

Practical notes

Steam frequently hides the pools entirely - it depends on wind. Sections of boardwalk close when the ground shifts. There are no facilities. It is exposed to wind straight off the Atlantic.

Nearby

Valahnukamol cliffs and the Reykjanesviti lighthouse are alongside; the Bridge Between Continents is close.

Key facts