Kaldalon

Kaldalon means cold lagoon, and it is both: a shallow lagoon where the meltwater river meets Isafjardardjup, and the valley behind it running up towards the snout of Drangajokull. The glacier has retreated a long way up the valley within living memory, leaving moraine ridges and bare rock behind it, so the ground records the withdrawal step by step. A path follows the river towards the ice, a walk of a couple of hours each way with no marked route at the top end. The Icelandic composer Sigvaldi Kaldalons, who worked as a district doctor here in the 1910s, took his surname from the valley.

The landscape

• A lagoon at the fjord's edge - where the meltwater river arrives.
• Moraine left by retreat - the glacier's withdrawal written on the ground.
• A walk towards the ice - a couple of hours up the valley.
• A composer's name - Sigvaldi Kaldalons, district doctor here in the 1910s.

When to go

June to September; the valley is snowbound outside that. Half a day.

Things to know

The path fades near the top and the river can be difficult to cross. Do not walk onto the glacier without equipment. There is nothing at the site - no toilets, no signal, no shelter. The road round Isafjardardjup is long and partly gravel.

Nearby

Drangajokull is at the valley head; Isafjordur is west along the fjord.

Key facts