Hellulaug

Hellulaug sits on the shore at Vatnsfjordur in the southern Westfjords, a stone-walled pool of geothermal water a few metres above the high tide line, holding around half a dozen people at somewhere near 38 degrees. There is nothing built around it: no changing room, no attendant, no charge, just a short path down from the road and the sea directly in front. It sits next to Flokalundur, where the ferry road and the road south meet, and the name of the fjord comes from the saga account of Hrafna-Floki, who is said to have seen ice filling it and given Iceland its name.

What you actually see

• A stone pool above the tide - around 38 degrees, room for about six.
• Nothing built around it - no changing room, attendant or fee.
• The sea in front - open water a few metres away.
• Floki's fjord - the saga account behind the country's name.

When to go

Year round; winter is the best of it, with the sea black in front. An hour.

Honest expectations

There is nowhere to change and no toilet, which is the trade for it being free. It is close enough to the road to be overlooked. Storms wash over the pool and can fill it with seaweed. It gets crowded in the ferry season.

Nearby

Flokalundur is at the junction; Dynjandi is north along road 60.