Rauðfeldsgjá

Rauðfeldsgjá, also Rauðfeldargjá, is a deep ravine on Snæfellsnes that cuts into the eastern side of Botnsfjall, a mountain of 406 m (1,332 ft), west of the Hnausahraun lava. It can be walked into: the gorge is narrow, dark and deep, splitting the mountain to its roots, and inside the entrance sheer walls of palagonite tuff rise on either side, overhanging in places and shutting out the light down to the floor, where the stream Sleggjubeina plunges into the gorge in a high waterfall. The name, 'Rauðfeldur's Ravine', comes from Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss, written around 600 years ago about events some 12 centuries earlier: in anger over the loss of his daughter, Bárður threw the brothers Rauðfeldur and Sölvi off the cliff, and by the Icelandic account it was Rauðfeldur, his nephew, whom he threw into this ravine.

Background

Rauðfeldsgjá, whose name means 'Rauðfeldur's Ravine', is a ravine in Snæfellsnes, Iceland. It appears in Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss, a saga written about 600 years ago of events some 12 centuries earlier, in which Bárður, enraged at the loss of his daughter, hurls the brothers Rauðfeldur and Sölvi from the cliff into the ravine.

Source: Wikipedia, "Rauðfeldsgjá"

The landscape

• A cleft in Botnsfjall - narrow, deep and dark, splitting the mountain to its roots.
• The way in - sheer tuff walls that overhang in places and shut out the light.
• The waterfall - where the stream Sleggjubeina plunges into the gorge.
• A story from Bárðar saga - the tale behind the name.

When to go

Any time of year.

Practical notes

Inside, the gorge is narrow and dim, with overhanging walls and a stream plunging into it in a high waterfall.

Nearby

In a straight line, Arnarstapi is about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) to the south-south-east and Búðir about 12.7 km (7.9 mi) to the east.

Key facts