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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.