Raudfeldsgja

Raudfeldsgja is a cleft splitting the side of Botnsfjall above the southern coast of Snaefellsnes, narrow enough that from the road it reads as a dark line in the rock. Walking into it means going up the streambed between walls that close overhead, and the further in you go the wetter and more awkward it gets - most people stop where the water forces a scramble. The story attached to it comes from Bardar saga: Bard Snaefellsas is said to have thrown his nephew Raudfeldur into the gorge after the boy pushed Bard's daughter Helga out to sea on an ice floe. The name comes from that.

What you actually see

• A cleft in the mountainside - narrow, deep and dark from the road.
• A streambed route in - walls closing overhead as you go.
• A scramble that stops most people - the wet section further inside.
• A killing from Bardar saga - the story behind the name.

When to go

June to September; ice and meltwater make it dangerous otherwise. One to two hours.

Honest expectations

Feet get wet from the start and the rock inside is slick; people are hurt here every summer. Rockfall is a real hazard in the narrow section. Going deep needs proper footwear and judgement. Facilities are a car park with a charge in season.

Nearby

Arnarstapi is minutes west; Budir is along the coast east.